What Is A Reputation Consultant?
The way in which we connect with others has changed beyond all recognition since the advent of the internet. Now our communication is as likely to be via social media as it is to be a telephone call. While having your personal information, views and opinions shared worldwide in seconds can be advantageous, it can also create significant problems. Unless a proactive approach is taken by using the services of an online reputation management consultant’s services, a search engine allows others to dig deep into your background. It may even mean the resurrection of information which you had considered long forgotten. And that’s assuming the information is correct, to begin with.
When you find yourself in a situation where online content fails to present you effectively, you need assistance from a well-established reputation management company. They in turn will use a range of strategies to ensure that the damaging information is removed. Then, through a combination of online marketing and SEO, they will help you restore your online reputation.
While this may sound like a daunting task, the services of the reputation consultant can get you and your online presence back on track. Their experience tells them precisely what the right approach will be to help their clients who are now free to move on with their lives.
From a business perspective, now is the right time to engage a good online reputation management team’s services. While you may like to think that reputational issues will never be a problem for your company, it’s far better to be prepared. Having a third party which works to create online public relations opportunities while ensuring effective internet marketing communications can significantly differentiate your company’s success.
What Does an Online Reputation Management Company Do?
Online reputation management companies assist individuals and businesses in positioning positive online marketing communications. The consulting team works with a range of tools which they use to improve an online reputation. While undertaking this they all also ensure that information and branding meet corporate requirements while fitting into the broader public relations marketing strategy.
Reputation Management for Individuals
For individuals, reputation management develops clarity in communications across online sites while using high-quality content to present positive information. Importantly it provides control over how a person would want to be perceived within the online world.
Reputation management companies are experts in providing services which restore an online reputation. Their skills and knowledge allow them to make changes which would be incredibly difficult if not impossible, to achieve for those outside the sector. Whether it’s getting search results removed from search engines, comments erased from online forums or photos and videos deleted, online reputation management companies can get the best results.
Reputation Management for Businesses
It’s not only individuals who may find themselves needing a reputation management company’s service, and that’s because a poor online reputation can be devastating for a business. Most organisations are familiar with the need for proactive public relations and marketing strategy. However, the impact of a negative online review can be immense;
- It quickly creates doubt in the customer’s mind
- It negates those earlier positive marketing messages
- It opens opportunities for competitors.
Taking a planned and strategic approach to online reputation should be part of every company’s public relations plan. Why wait for damaging content to take a grip on a company’s reputation when online reputation management companies can help you to be one step ahead in your marketing plans while also having a public relations plan in place to handle a crisis quickly and efficiently.
What Can I Expect From Reputation Management Consultants?
Once you have engaged the services of reputation management consultants, they will quickly get to work gathering the information they need to understand how they can best provide their services. Whether you’re looking to develop or repair an online reputation, the consultant will devise a plan of action to achieve the results you need. Then you’ll have the time to manage your business or to simply get on with your life.
Step One: Audit Online Reputation
This first stage helps the reputation management consultants understand your online reputation at the start of the process. They will look at search engine results, sites and rankings, social media profiles in addition to checking for press articles, listings in directories and business reviews. They’ll assess online marketing communications to understand how reputation is being helped or hindered. Now the consultant has a starting point from which they can measure their progress.
Step Two: Identify Negative Content and Opportunities for Positive Content
The consultant will then carefully examine the online data they have found and determine whether it is negative or law-breaking. They’ll also assess the content to see if it can be challenged due to its defamatory nature. Requests for removal will be placed with authors, and where necessary hosting companies and search engines.
While it is important to have negative content removed, it’s also critical to seek positive content opportunities. An effective consultant will utilise a range of techniques including public relations opportunities, link building and social media activity.
Step Three: Strategy Development
Now the research is completed, a plan can be developed. The consultant should now be able to provide you with details of the key performance indicators (KPIs) that they’ll use to measure the effectiveness of their service in developing your online reputation. There will likely be a range of approaches, including removing detrimental information alongside the use of online marketing tools.
Step Four: Implementation
Now the reputation consultant will get to work. While the action will be taken to remove or limit negative information damage, they will also be busy implementing a communications strategy that uses optimised online content to develop your professional profile.
Step Five: Monitoring and Reporting
In this final stage, the reputation management consultants continue to monitor their client’s online reputation. They regularly check social media communications and content mentions and third party results generated by search engines.
This ensures that should there be even a slight change in the KPI results, action can be taken to ensure that damage limitation is in place, and a positive public relations marketing strategy can spring into action.
Do I Need to Worry About My Online Reputation?
Personal Online Reputation
When you’re looking for information, you turn to a search engine for help. Whether it’s to buy a new house or look for a plumber, the chances are that you find yourself consulting the internet. When someone wants to know more about you, they’re going to do precisely the same thing, search on the web. And this isn’t only the case for high-profile individuals; it’s also the recruitment manager’s approach for your dream job and the landlord of your perfect property.
The internet quickly provides access to all the content held online, so that means that anyone can also research you and your background. It takes seconds to reveal detailed and personal information about anyone who has an online presence. Mistakes made as a teenager, comments with unconsidered consequences and photos posted to cause embarrassment are all there to be found within the top search results.
Sadly those who may have a grudge against you or looking to sully your reputation can do so very quickly and easily. We’ve all seen how social media content can go viral, meaning that even if the original post is removed, those shares continue having a negative impact on your online reputation. Utilising the service of online reputation management consultants can make the stress of reputational issues disappear for good.
Business Online Reputation
The online reputation management of your business works in the same way. If clients find review sites citing poor service, then your online reputation can quickly take a nosedive, and that potential customer heads towards your competitors.
We’re all realistic enough to know that mistakes happen and not every interaction that people have with your business will result in good reviews. However, how they are handled makes the difference between further damage to your online corporate image and a positive public relations outcome.
How An Online Reputation Management Company Can Help
You may be familiar with traditional public relations methods, but when you need help developing, managing and promoting a web presence, a different type of service is required. That’s when an online reputation management company can make a significant difference to the results that can be achieved.
Personal Reputation Strategy
Build an Online Reputation
It can be tough to get noticed within the online world, but reputation management consultants utilise a range of services and strategies to enhance your online reputation. Search engine optimisation (SEO) can be one approach to ensuring that your name is at the top of the page when users search the web for topics key to your online reputation.
Repair Online Reputation
It’s devastating to find that negative information focussed on destroying your online reputation, is circulating the web. An immediate response can be to hit back and defend ourselves. However, experienced reputation management consultants know that when a client uses this approach it can cause more damage than good. This is when you need a service that is personalised to your needs and can work to turn around your online reputation.
Removing Content From Google
When your name features in the top few search results, it can be a good thing. However, when the information is presented through a website is defamatory, then it’s the last thing that you’ll want. Getting that content removed can be challenging and take time unless you utilise the service of an established and highly respected online reputation management company.
Business Reputation Strategy
Brand Reputation Management
Do you know what your customers are saying about your brand? What reviews and discussion forums say about your company? What do customers see when they look for your brand on the internet, and is it what you want them to see? It’s essential to recognise that those search results are not random. So this means that reputation management consultants look to create the best strategies that ensure the information presented to the user on that critical first page, is exactly what you need them to see.
Then there’s the power of social media, and its ability to influence the impression people develop of your company. In combination with a strong public relations strategy, your company and its brand can present the image you want to be in the public eye.
Online Defamation
When information about a company is posted on social media, discussion forums or a website, it creates a consequence. Now this communication may result in a high-quality review that only benefits the reputation of the company. But if the detail posted is defamatory in that it deliberately misrepresents or presents false information, then you do have options available to you to get it removed.
What needs to be recognised is that it’s not only the person who posted the defamatory information who is responsible. There are also individuals who shared the information, the website owner and the hosting company. It then becomes clear that to resolve the situation, reputation management consultants will need to establish a plan of action to ensure that all those who had a part in the sharing the information become aware of their obligations before legal action is taken.
Business Reputation Crisis
No-one wants to think that their business will experience a reputation crisis, but many find themselves in precisely that situation. When a team of online reputation management consultants are called in mid-crisis, they can absolutely help. Still, it takes time to understand the business and develop an effective approach to corporate public relations.
Having a plan in place in advance means that should the worst happen to your business, then you’re in a position to ensure that effective communication will quickly repair the situation without taking up valuable company resources.
Online Review Management
Review sites can be hugely useful tools in helping us to make decisions. They can help us improve our understanding of a business or product and create a ‘virtual experience’ before committing finances. From the company perspective, positive reviews provide a free public relations impact which could be challenging to develop with SEO strategies and marketing communications.
To fully harness the power of these types of website, businesses need a management process to be in place. This requires committing the resources to generate positive reviews from genuine customers and challenge or respond to negative, defamatory or fake reviews.
Online reputation management consultants are there with you every step of the way. Whether it’s personal reputation management or a company reputational crisis, their knowledge of online public relations places you in safe hands.
