In a hyperconnected world, where consumers rely heavily on online information and reviews to make purchasing decisions, maintaining a positive brand image is crucial.
With online reputation management (ORM), brands can monitor their online presence, respond to customer feedback and shape their brand image to enhance conversions and sales.
This blog will discuss:
- What is online reputation management?
- How ORM strategies improve conversions and sales, and
- Common ORM best practices to get more sales and conversions
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What Is Online Reputation Management?
Online reputation management is the process of monitoring, influencing and managing a brand’s online presence. It involves proactive outreach and responding to positive and negative feedback from customers, industry peers, partners, influencers and other stakeholders.
By managing your brand reputation, you can ensure potential customers or customers-to-be will see that you are highly regarded in the industry and can be trusted to provide quality goods and services.
Online reputation management services include:
- Monitoring online mentions and reviews.
- Analyzing customer sentiment to determine public perception of a brand.
- Using online reputation management tools for monitoring search engine results.
- Prompt and professional review response to customer feedback and inquiries.
- Encouraging positive reviews and testimonials through review generation.
- Spotting and reporting fake online reviews that can tarnish your reputation.
- Mitigating the impact of harmful content to improve online reputation.
- Leveraging influencer marketing to amplify positive brand mentions.
- Implementing strategies to enhance customer engagement, satisfaction and loyalty.
How ORM Boosts Brand Image and Sales at the Same Time
Online brand reputation management can directly impact sales and conversions by influencing customers’ purchase decisions. Here’s how:
Builds Trust and Credibility
A strong brand reputation builds trust and credibility with potential customers. Customers feel more confident using brand products or services with positive reviews, ratings and testimonials online. This increased trust makes purchasing likelier, leading to better sales performance and conversion rates.
“Customers check reviews and content about a company’s reputation before making small and large purchasing decisions,” said Tim Clarke, Rize Reviews’ senior reputation manager.
“If the reputation is strong and has recent positive content, the buyer is much more likely to purchase and be confident (and vice versa),” he said.
Shapes Customer Perception
Brand reputation management can influence customers’ perception of a company. Positive online sentiments, such as favorable reviews, can establish a brand as a reliable figure. This positive perception can improve sales and conversions as customers are more inclined to choose a brand with a good reputation.
Purchase Decision Validation
Customers often seek validation for their purchase decisions by looking for social proof. They rely on customer feedback to gauge the quality of a product or service.
By actively managing online brand reputation and generating positive feedback, businesses provide the validation customers need to proceed with a purchase, ultimately improving sales performance.
Online Visibility & Organic Traffic
Brand reputation management can impact a company’s visibility in search engine results. Positive ratings and active engagement on social media and review platforms can improve a brand’s search engine rankings.
As a result, the brand becomes more discoverable to potential customers, leading to increased website traffic and higher chances to get more sales and improve conversions.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Satisfied customers who have had a positive experience with a brand are more likely to recommend it to others. By actively maintaining a stellar online reputation, businesses encourage positive word-of-mouth referrals.
This, in turn, can lead to increased online visibility, attracting new customers and ultimately driving customer acquisition and sales growth.
Competitive Edge
When potential customers research multiple brands, positive online feedback can tip the scales in favor of the brand with a better reputation. This advantage in perception can lead to increased sales and conversions as customers choose the brand they perceive as more trustworthy and reliable.
Common Online Reputation Management Strategies for Increasing Brand Conversions & Sales
An effective online brand reputation management strategy consists of several key components to achieve desired results.
Here are 11 tried-and-tested brand reputation management strategies to improve sales and conversions:
1. Audit Your Brand
Auditing your brand involves thoroughly assessing your online presence to identify areas for improvement. This includes analyzing your website, social media profiles, review platforms and search engine results.
The goal is to identify any negative content or gaps in your online reputation that could impact conversions and sales performance.
2. Monitor Online Mentions
Regularly monitoring online reviews across platforms such as review websites, social media and industry-specific forums allows you to stay informed about customer feedback. Set up alerts or use online reputation management tools to stay informed about what people are saying about your brand.
Then, use these insights to identify opportunities to improve and address negative sentiments about your brand.
3. Respond to Customer Feedback
Respond promptly and professionally to reviews, comments and messages on various platforms. Address any customer concerns and offer solutions or apologies when necessary.
This proactive approach demonstrates excellent customer service and can turn dissatisfied customers into loyal advocates.
4. Encourage Positive Reviews and Testimonials
Positive reviews and testimonials are powerful social proofs that influence customer buying decisions. Actively encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews about your brand on platforms such as Google Business Profile (GBP), Glassdoor and Yelp.
You can send follow-up emails, provide incentives or send customer satisfaction surveys to encourage review generation. Remember, positive online reviews encourage customers to choose your brand over competitors.
5. Provide Excellent Customer Service
Nothing beats good customer service. Train your staff to respond promptly to customer inquiries and go the extra mile to exceed expectations. Providing exceptional experiences can improve online reputation and create loyal customers more likely to advocate for your brand and generate positive word-of-mouth.
6. Leverage Social Media Engagement
Actively responding to online comments, messages and mentions makes your brand more accessible. This direct interaction helps foster customer loyalty and encourages potential customers to engage with your brand.
Additionally, sharing valuable content, promotions and behind-the-scenes glimpses generates interest and entices people to do business with you.
7. Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC)
Encourage customers to share their positive experiences through UGC, such as video testimonials. You can promote UGC creation by offering rewards, discounts or exclusive perks for those who share their experiences.
This boosts customer engagement and increases the likelihood of generating valuable UGC that can positively impact conversions.
8. Implement Online Crisis Management
Be prepared to handle potential crises effectively. Develop a crisis management plan with transparent communication, proactive resolution and timely updates.
Addressing crises promptly and transparently can help mitigate reputational damage and maintain customer trust, minimizing the negative impact on sales and conversions.
9. Foster Influencer Relationships
Influencers act as trusted voices within their communities, and their endorsements can significantly influence consumer behavior. Collaborating with them allows you to tap into their loyal following.
Exposure to a larger and more diverse audience can increase brand awareness and improve sales and conversions.
10. Celebrate Wins
There’s nothing wrong with tooting your own horn when it comes to your brand’s successes. Share positive news, awards, accolades and milestones on your website, social media platforms and other relevant channels to build brand trust and credibility.
Using a review widget, for instance, is an excellent strategy to highlight customer reviews and ratings on your website. This visual display of positive feedback enhances the perception of your brand and increases the likelihood of conversions.
11. Engage Professional ORM Services
Managing a company’s online reputation is more challenging than it seems. When in doubt, work with an online reputation management company. This will allow you to focus on your business and relax, knowing that your company’s online reputation is in capable hands.
Improve Online Reputation and Sales With Rize
Online brand reputation management is crucial in influencing sales and conversions. A positive online reputation can build trust and credibility among customers, leading to increased confidence in a brand and higher chances of making a purchase.
On the other hand, a negative reputation can deter potential customers and result in lost sales opportunities.
Rize Reviews, a top-rated online reputation management company, helps brands maintain a squeaky-clean reputation online. We help build more 5-star reviews for clients, giving them a better brand reputation and score on major sites. These improved scores lead to more conversions and overall sales online and in person.
You can guarantee customers always choose your brand over competitors through strategic monitoring, proactive management and effective review response strategies.
Book a free demo with Rize to see how our online reputation management services can help you get more sales and improve conversions.
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