“I don’t give a damn ‘bout my reputation.”
Super cool when Joan Jett & The Blackhearts said (sang) it back in the 80s. It’s less cool of a mantra for a local business in 2024. Your online reviews and reputation can make or break a business.
It’s a bit more anecdotal, but this writer strongly prefers a product with 4 stars with thousands of reviews than one with a perfect five-star score and 50 reviews. And I don’t think I’m alone here.
But your online reputation is more than just the reviews on your Google My Business page. So let’s dive into what your business’s online reputation actually is, why it’s important, and the steps you can take to create a healthy, trustworthy online presence.
They say first impressions are everything. When it comes to the success of your business, your digital reputation is everything. Customers are savvy, they know how to do deep dives on the brands they plan on purchasing from.
To stay on top of your online reputation, you’ll need to monitor four main channels:
As the name suggests, paid media includes any content featuring your brand that you have paid for. Paid media is great for two reasons: highly relevant audiences and messaging control.
When you turn to platforms like Google ads, social media ads, PPC ads, or sponsored posts, you have the ability to target your audience with pinpoint accuracy. Plus, as the cherry on top, you have the ability to be in full control of the ad’s creative.
When it comes to paid media like influencer promotions, you have less direct control over the final creative. That’s because the influencer will know best what resonates with their audience (and, in this case, your audience), but you’ll still be able to provide them with a creative brief with what you’re looking for.
Earned media is what makes your brand look the most trustworthy and authentic to your audience. And that’s because it comes from third-party platforms. Earned media comes in many forms:
Though the name suggests you had nothing to do with getting earned media (outside of the work you put into your branding and content), there are ways to cultivate it. For example, you can send review-reminder texts and emails to customers post-purchase. Or, you can send press releases to niche publications in your industry.
For your accounts or other accounts, posts shared on social media are shared media. It’s super important to monitor direct messages, comments, complaints, and reviews across social media platforms as users increasingly turn to the apps as their search engines.
Owned media is what’s yours. Your website. The blog. The weekly sale emails. The whitepages and case studies. Be sure to keep a defined visual identity and voice across everything you do, otherwise it’ll be near-impossible to generate any real brand recognition.
It really is. There’s no other way to say it. But here are a few stats from ThriveMyWay that say it as well:
Staying on top of your online reputation works wonders for your brand. A steady stream of relevant, useful content and responding to the good, the bad and the ugly boosts brand awareness and loyalty, it fosters engagement, and it can drive traffic to your website. Most importantly, it can generate leads.
If it wasn’t clear already, there’s a whole lot that goes into managing your business’s online reputation. Dedicating time to every avenue can be a costly expense as an added duty to a member of your team. That’s why we proudly offer online reputation management as part of our suite of digital marketing services.
Take the time consuming task off of your hands and save on time and reputation management costs. We’ll roll your digital reputation into our monthly services and check in with your reviews, mentions, and comments on a daily basis.
Proudly Based in
Evanston, IL
1744 Oak Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
