Benefits of Reputation Management
A good reputation management strategy can have far-reaching benefits for your life, your career and your business. The right reputation management plan can create the online image you need to improve trust, strengthen relationships, advance your career, attract better talent and even grow your bottom line. In fact, businesses with a great corporate reputation can improve customer loyalty, boost brand authority and stand out from the competition.
Reputation management can help you change, repair and improve your brand over time. While personal and professional reputations can be attacked and damaged, they can also be restored, allowing you to enjoy the many advantages a positive online reputation has to offer. Your reputation is important, and worth the time and effort to keep it in tip-top shape on the web.
Schedule a Free ConsultationYour online reputation
Managing your online reputation has countless benefits, but here’s a look at those we believe are the most important:
- More trust. People put more trust in individuals and brands with a good reputation.
- Higher profits. Better reviews and positive search results set brands apart and pull in more customers.
- Better employees. Businesses with a glowing reputation attract better talent.
- Career advancement. Professionals with a good online image have better access to quality job opportunities.
- Stronger relationships. A positive reputation strengthens connections with partners, colleagues and businesses across the web.
Now that we've outlined the top benefits of reputation management, let's look a little deeper into why a positive reputation is essential:
A positive reputation improves trust
Individuals and businesses with a positive online reputation tend to earn more trust than those with a negative image. This is because people pay attention to what others say about personal and professional brands online, and take those opinions seriously. Enough so that they tend to follow suit. If you don’t have a brand that inspires trust online, you’ll have a tough time appealing to followers, employers and customers. In fact, more than 90% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
FREE ANALYSISWhy do I need reputation management?
The right reputation management solutions help grow trust in your brand by improving transparency and authority where it matters most. For individuals, this means building a positive and consistent presence in search results that markets your values, experience and expertise. For businesses, this means paying attention to customer reviews and reacting quickly, as well as steering the conversation on social media. Even small things like replying to a comment or post on Facebook can improve trust with your target audience.
Businesses also need an effective review management approach. Customers trust online reviews more than ever, making it essential to build a positive review presence on major review platforms. A recent study found that 87% of consumers research business reviews online. What’s more: 92% of customers are more likely to lose trust and pass over your business when they find negative reviews of your brand.
A better reputation attracts better talent
Having a good online reputation doesn’t just attract more customers. It’s also key to finding the right employees and realizing your full business potential. Managing your search results and reviews is essential for creating a positive online brand that attracts quality professionals to your business. In fact, only about 30% of qualified candidates would accept a job with a company that has a negative reputation. As it turns out, good workers want to work for brands with a positive image, companies they can trust and that share their core values. And building a good reputation can help you reach those prospects and create the team you need to thrive.
Good reputations lead to better opportunities
Seeking a new job? Taking the next step in your career? Reputation management helps remove negative items damaging your digital image and build a professional online resume that opens doors and puts you in control of your future. More employers and HR managers are researching candidates on the web than ever, and just one bad search result or social media post could be all it takes to destroy an opportunity for good. But working to improve your results and market your credentials on Google can provide the lift you need to stand out in a crowded job market.
Reputation can boost your profits
Online reviews aren’t just key to building trust with your customers. In fact, improving your customer reviews can provide a major boost to your bottom line. These days, having positive reviews and ratings on Google and Facebook is key to attracting more business and increasing profitability. In fact, a Harvard Business School paper found that for each additional star rating you get on you can potentially increase your revenue margins by as much as 9%. In other words, managing your online reputation may have a significant impact on your income and growth potential.
Reputation directly affects brand engagement and revenue
Today’s business environment is more competitive than ever. And the way people perceive your brand online has a direct and significant impact on your sales, revenue and overall brand engagement. Building a good reputation can actually save you money in the long run, reducing the need for costly marketing and advertising strategies down the road.
With the growing influence of social media and the shift away from more conventional advertising methods, it’s more important than ever to engage consumers and focus on creating a stronger, more compelling internet reputation.
Reputation management isn’t only about removing bad search results and improving online reviews. It’s about creating and nurturing a brand reputation that inspires engagement and compels further action. And having a comprehensive, customized reputation management plan in place is what makes this possible.
Reputation management: Additional benefits
Managing your online reputation has countless benefits for your brand.
- A customized brand reputation management strategy ensures you’re making a powerful first impression on your audience. The right strategy strengthens connections with brand stakeholders by reinforcing that impression and creating positive, long-lasting associations with your business.
- Multi-layered online reputation management (ORM) highlights your strengths while protecting your brand from online negativity.
- Increasing trust in your brand helps fuel higher levels of engagement while compelling followers and customers to take the next step.
- Online reputation management helps establish you as a thought leader in your field and the go-to service provider in your industry. In turn, this helps launch your brand above the competition.
Reputation management: the stats
Still not sure why a good online reputation management strategy is so important? Check out the numbers:
- Nearly 70% of all online experiences begin with a Google search.
- 3 of every 4 internet users never make it past Google’s first page.
- 93% of consumers use the internet to find businesses in their local area.
- 87% of customers comb through reviews before making a purchasing decision.
- 90% of consumers value online reviews as much as recommendations from a friend or family member.
- More than half of Fortune 500 executives believe in the importance of reputation management to their company’s online branding strategy.
- 98% of employers research job candidates online during the application process.
- What do these statistics show? Simply put, these numbers demonstrate how essential a good online reputation is to your brand and your long-term success.
Google is where your reputation begins
Whether you’re running a business or building a career, your success begins in Google search. And if you aren’t managing your results on Google’s first page, your reputation, your career or your business are at risk, vulnerable to first impressions and outsider attacks that may be damaging your brand and your bottom line every day.
Therefore, it is essential to have an online reputation management strategy that spotlights your strengths, supports your goals and provides the best opportunity to realize your full online potential.
Individuals and brands with effective reputation management strategies experience the countless benefits a good reputation has to offer. These include more trust, higher profits, access to better talent, better career opportunities and more.
