Reputation is the invisible force that can either drive your business forward or hold it back. It is the difference between consumers trusting your company and purchasing from you, or not. In this article, we will cover:
What brand reputation means
The importance and benefits of brand reputation
Strategies to promote and protect a positive reputation
Examples of brand reputation mistakes
Brand Reputation, Defined
Brand reputation is the collective impression held by your customers, employees, and partners about your brand. It is the sum of all the interactions, experiences, and communications people have had with your business. All this comes together to affect how they perceive your business as a whole.
The Importance of Brand Reputation Management
In a world where customers amplify their voices online, a strong reputation is not just nice to have. It is essential to thrive in today’s market. Building a positive brand reputation is your most significant asset, but neglecting it could be your biggest risk.
If you aren’t actively taking steps to manage your reputation, your business could face consequences:
Loss of customer loyalty and trust
Reduced sales as existing and potential customers turn to other brands
Spread of negative feedback through online word of mouth
Lower employee morale and a higher turnover rate
Challenges in recruiting top talent, as these candidates will avoid companies with negative public images
Decrease in stock value for publicly traded companies
Investor distrust and withdrawal
Increased scrutiny from the media
Challenges building relationships with other businesses, vendors, and partners
Higher marketing costs to fix a damaged reputation versus maintaining a positive brand image from the beginning
Brand reputation is important for businesses of all sizes. Large companies with existing reputations should monitor them closely to avoid damage. Building a good reputation helps small businesses become established, grow, and find new opportunities.
Benefits of Great Brand Reputation
Brand reputation affects every single stakeholder at an organization, from customers and employees to business partners and investors. So, let’s discuss what having a good reputation can do for you.
Online Presence & SEO
A strong reputation enhances online visibility and search engine rankings. When customers frequently search for a brand, share its content, and leave positive reviews, search engines notice.
This leads to better organic search results, which leads to more traffic to your website. As a result, you can expect an increased conversion rate, which further reinforces the brand’s reputation.
Social Media Following
In the digital era, a great reputation amplifies your social media presence and work as powerful social proof. This influences people’s perception and actions towards your brand.
Brands that users respect and admire find it easier to:
Engage with a broader audience
Create viral content
Generate a loyal online community
This social media following becomes an asset in itself, driving engagement and digital marketing success.
Brand Awareness
When people know a brand for their positive image, word of mouth spreads naturally, on and offline. This organic promotion is invaluable, as new customers learn about the brand through trusted sources. This brand awareness allows you to stand out in crowded markets.
Revenue & Growth
What comes to the minds of consumers when they think about your brand? Great reputation goes hand-in-hand with financial success. Customers make buying decisions based on trust.
As the primary source of revenue, what customers think about your brand matters. They want to do business with reputable brands. A positive image helps businesses break into new markets, fuelling growth.
Customer Loyalty & Advocacy
Customers pay attention to your brand’s image with every interaction they have. It is important to foster trust with both new and previous buyers. Trust leads to an increase in customer loyalty and repeat purchases.
Loyal customers not only make repeat purchases but also act as brand advocates, sharing their positive experiences with others.
Employee Attraction & Retention
Businesses place a lot of focus on the customer experience, but what about your employees? Employees are an extension of your brand’s image, so how they perceive it matters. Their thoughts about your brand can affect their work satisfaction and productivity.
Companies with excellent reputations tend to attract and retain top talent. Employees prefer to associate themselves with reputable brands. When they’re excited about the company they work for, employee morale increases along with productivity and innovation.
Business Partnerships
A good reputation allows for effective partnership and collaboration. Like with customers and employees, building a relationship with other businesses (and the media) requires trust. Businesses, influencers, and industry leaders want to align with brands that have a positive online reputation.
Investment Opportunities
Reputation plays a massive role in the decision-making process for investors. Investors naturally gravitate towards companies with a great reputation. A positive image signifies effective management, market viability, and long-term growth potential.
For start-ups and established businesses, a good reputation can mean:
Better financing terms
Increased investor interest
More favorable valuations
Brand Reputation Management Strategies
Branding is a powerful tool for businesses. Brands should never stop improving its reputation among stakeholders. These days, businesses need to have a unified online and offline presence to succeed. How can companies and organizations improve their online reputation? Here are a few ideas to consider.
Strategy 1: Understand Your Customer
Conduct consumer research to understand what people think about your brand. Consider either creating or updating buyer personas.
Buyer personas are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers based on data and research from your customer base. They can include information like:
Age
Location
Income
Gender
Education
Occupation
Hobbies
Lifestyle
Background
Motivations
Concerns
Knowing your personas will help you cater to their needs and build trust, which is essential for a strong reputation.
Strategy 2: Run Marketing Campaigns
Marketing online is an effective way to communicate your message, whether you’re:
Rebranding
Launching a new brand
Reinforcing company values
Digital marketing channels like social advertising, Google Ads, and content marketing make it easier to target your ideal customers.
Strategy 3: Engage in Social Responsibility
Brands are not just businesses these days. Today’s consumers make purchasing decisions based on how closely a brand’s values align with their own. By engaging in social responsibility initiatives, brands can show their commitment to more than just profits.
Consider finding a charity or organization that supports a cause that aligns with your consumer base. Ideas can include:
Environmental sustainability
Community development
Social justice causes
This approach helps to build a positive public image and foster a sense of trust and loyalty with consumers. These efforts should be both genuine and integrated into the company’s core values. It is important to communicate these efforts to the public, showcasing your brand’s commitment to making a positive impact.
Strategy 4: Monitor Your Brand Regularly
People constantly share opinions and information online, so regularly monitoring your brand’s online presence is essential. This way, you can respond quickly to any issues that arise.
Regular monitoring helps you:
Discover emerging trends
Learn about customer concerns
Understand your overall brand health
Respond to customer feedback swiftly
Manage crises before they escalate
Leverage positive sentiment to enhance your brand image further
Conducting a sentiment analysis or using social listening tools will help you monitor any negative comments about your brand. Google Alerts is a reputation management tool that allows you to track news mentions within Google search results.
Strategy 5: Provide Excellent Customer Service
Providing exceptional customer service directly influences how customers perceive and interact with your brand. When done right, it can turn a neutral or even negative experience into a positive one. Whether in-person or online, use these tips to create a memorable, positive experience:
Show that you value customers’ time and business by quickly responding to inquiries or complaints
Have a well-trained customer support team who can empathize with customer issues
Anticipate your customer’s needs by offering solutions or products they might be interested in
Personalize the experience for each customer so they feel valued and understood
After resolving an issue, ask for follow-up feedback to demonstrate your commitment to improving the customer experience
Strategy 6: Be Proactive for Negative Reviews
Consumers rely on review sites when making purchasing decisions, so having positive online reviews is critical. However, negative reviews are inevitable at some point. Businesses need to address them head-on in a positive light when they do. To respond to negative reviews, use these tips:
Respond to the review promptly
Empathize and apologize when appropriate
Offer concrete solutions such as a refund or discount
For complex issues, take the conversation offline with a direct phone call or email
After addressing the issue, follow up with the customer to ensure they are satisfied
Use the feedback from negative reviews to improve your products or services
Strategy 7: Launch Rebrand
For businesses struggling to connect with customers, consider a rebrand. This can signify to the public that your company is adapting, growing, and staying relevant. A rebrand could involve:
Updating your logo
Revising your brand message
Refreshing your website
Overhauling your entire visual identity and communication strategy
Ensure that the rebrand reflects a genuine improvement in your products, services, or company ethos. An effective rebrand can renew customer interest, attract new audiences, and enhance your overall brand reputation.
Brand Reputation Mistakes (with Examples)
Companies used to shape their brand reputation with ease using traditional advertising and public relations. However, it is much harder now to prevent damage without online reputation management.
Thanks to the rise of social media platforms, companies find that one mistake will destroy their brand in seconds. Here are just three examples of brands that took a hit because of social media:
Uber
In 2017, Uber faced a significant brand reputation crisis with the #DeleteUber campaign. Uber was accused of attempting to profit from a taxi strike. The strike was in protest against President Trump’s controversial travel order.
The campaign generated more than 220,000 posts on Twitter, urging users to delete the app. People saw Uber’s response as insensitive during a politically charged moment. This campaign led to over 200,000 people deleting the Uber app.
This incident shows the power of social media in influencing public opinion and also the importance of social responsibility. Uber’s image suffered a significant setback, showing how quickly perceived company missteps can impact a brand’s reputation.
United Airlines
United Airlines faced a public relations nightmare in 2017. Security officers forcibly removed a passenger from an overbooked flight. Fellow passengers recorded the incident, and it spread widely on social media.
The video showed the passenger being dragged off the plane, appearing bloodied and disoriented. The incident sparked immediate widespread outrage from the public, and had lasting negative effects on the airline’s brand image.
This event served as a reminder of the importance of ethical decision-making in customer service. These decisions and actions have long-term effects on a brand’s public perception.
Facebook & Cambridge Analytica
In a landmark breach of trust, the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal erupted in 2018. This event fundamentally shook the public’s confidence in this social media platform.
Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm, had accessed the data of up to 87 million Facebook users without consent. The firm reportedly used this data to sway public opinion in political campaigns, including the U.S. Presidential Election and the Brexit referendum. The scandal highlighted concerns about data privacy, consent, and the use of personal information.
Facebook faced scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and worldwide users. This led to a significant decrease in trust and damaged their public image. The incident highlighted the vulnerabilities in Facebook’s data security policies. It also raised broader questions about the responsibility of social media in politics, and the protection of data.
Responding to a Brand Public Relations Crisis
When your brand reputation takes a public relations hit, address the issue quickly. Have a plan outlined ahead of time to address the problem that is plaguing your brand.
Addressing a crisis with stakeholders quickly is key, however bouncing back from a PR crisis is a process that takes time. The end goal is to rebuild your reputation. For more information, you can read our blog on business crisis management.
How to Take Control of Your Brand Reputation
Do not wait for an online faux pas to happen before engaging in online reputation management. Reputation damage can happen when you least expect it, but you can start taking preventative steps today.
Our expert reputation management team can help your brand get back on the path to success. We address negative or false reviews, news stories, articles, and other forms of content that can damage your reputation. Schedule a free consultation with us and learn more about how we can help you.
William DiAntonio is the Founder & CEO of Reputation911, a reputation management firm he founded in 2010 that has earned the trust of its clients for over a decade by helping individuals, businesses and brands control their online search results.
Reputation is the invisible force that can either drive your business forward or hold it back. It is the difference between consumers trusting your company and purchasing from you, or not. In this article, we will cover:
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