Tony McChrystal is the Director of ReputationDefender EMEA, heading up the Europe, Middle East and Africa division of the world’s leading online reputation management company. This article will highlight the importance of businesses taking a proactive approach to managing their online reputation, exploring the different tactics business owners can use to push down harmful content and drive up search results that show their business in a more accurate and positive way.
In the modern marketplace, a strong business reputation is essential to differentiate an enterprise from its rivals and help attract and retain customers. A great reputation is incredibly valuable. In fact, according to one study conducted by PRWeek and Zignal Labs, it accounts for at least half of the market value of any company. The attached infographic contains some interesting statistics about the online reputation management industry.
It is therefore crucial for business leadership to take control of their search results, minimising the damaging effects of misleading, negative or false information. The attached PDF takes a closer look at the ‘fake news’ phenomenon, exploring the different steps social media platforms have implemented to tackle it.
Businesses need to portray themselves positively online in order to attract customers, talent and investors. Building a successful business is no small undertaking. It requires a huge amount of sacrifices and investment from the founder, who must dedicate their time, efforts and often significant sums of money to get their business up and running. Once the business has reached a certain level of success, they may be tempted to think they can relax. But what happens when the phone suddenly stops ringing, customers grow scarce and they have no idea why?
In an age when social media reigns supreme, online reviews can make or break any business. Whether information posted online is unintentionally inaccurate or misleading, or posted to deliberately cause harm, the consequences for the business can be devastating.
According to a study by Harvard Business School, for every additional star a company receives on Yelp’s rating system, they see a 5-9% increase in revenue. With 98% of consumers regarding online reviews as a vital resource when making purchasing decisions (according to PowerReviews), it is easy to see just how valuable good reviews are to businesses and why it is so important to address any negative content published online.
Reputation management strategies applied in a thoughtful and timely manner can help to draw attention away from negative online content. The embedded video contains more information about reputation management tactics that can help both private individuals and businesses to ensure that their online conversation portrays them in the best possible light.
