WHAT IS BRAND REPUTATION?
"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently."
WHAT IS BRAND REPUTATION?
The act of controlling public views of a firm or organization is known as reputation management. This approach is becoming increasingly vital as online business communications become the norm. Suppressing or responding to online communications is one type of reputation management approach. SEO, social media, and public relations outreach and campaigns may also be included in these tactics.
When you have a great reputation, you inspire client loyalty, which is a big generator of revenue and growth. A bad reputation can hurt sales and customer retention, but it also teaches you about what people appreciate, which can help you update your operations to better match consumer demands.
WHAT IS BRAND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT?
The practice of monitoring how people perceive your brand and taking deliberate action to improve your brand's image is known as brand reputation management. Currently, reputation management is frequently focused on monitoring and maintaining your brand's online reputation in places like reviews, social media, and Google.
Brand reputation management is a never-ending effort. It enables you to keep track of your brand's public impression and solve any negative events as they arise. Often the terms reputation management and brand reputation management are used interchangeably. While definitions and practices are similar, there are some significant distinctions.
Brand reputation management focuses on a single brand, while reputation management impacts the business as a whole.
For Example, Businesses have the option to rebrand if a brand develops a reputation that isn't engaging with its target audience. Airbnb, for example, rebranded in 2014 to help alter the brand's reputation from tech-centric to people-centric. Airbnb is a good example of brand reputation management.
But, some organizations are so brand-centric that a rebrand cannot affect the company's reputation. Weight Watchers, for example, rebranded as WW in 2018 to move the brand's focus from dieting to health and wellbeing. Rebranding had a less beneficial impact in this case.
Your brand's reputation is merely one aspect of how people view your company.
A good brand reputation can persuade a customer to trust a company. But, reputation management assesses and responds to the whole reputation of the firm. As a result, a company might have a strong brand reputation. At the same time, it may need to manage its reputation for production processes, sustainability, or other issues that may have an influence on its reputation.?
HISTORY OF REPUTATION MANAGEMENT:
Long before Google and social media made everything available online, companies thrived and expanded largely on their reputation and how the market regarded a brand. Online reputation management (ORM) is a relatively new idea, but it is founded on the same commercial concepts as traditional reputation management: trust and credibility.
Prior to the internet, businesses used a variety of public relations (PR) activities to manage their brand image, build their reputation, and grow their network. For a long time, public relations have existed. There is also evidence of its use with ancient peoples, commencing with a clay tablet in ancient Iraq. When calamity hit, the PR person would be contacted. The Greeks and Romans devised a system that judged the trustworthiness of a merchant by how they conducted business, but largely via personal contact with friends and family. It's been used to help the public transition to a war mindset by demonizing an adversary, clarifying a brand's message, and even eliminating individuals. Throughout the twentieth century, companies were founded on word of mouth and a solid reputation, but that knowledge didn't move much further than a town or county. Public relations was and still is about relationships. Traditionally, public relations operations centred on managing how businesses connect with their target consumers. Because there were no social media or search engines, traditional print and, subsequently, electronic media, events, and networking initiatives were the primary means of public relations. PR was mostly non-technical and relationship-based at the time.?
There are numerous parallels between public relations (PR) and online reputation management (ORM), but they are not the same. First, whereas most PR services are visible to the public, most ORM actions take place behind the scenes. PR efforts are focused on improving and simplifying traditional communication modalities such as advertising, networking, and mainstream media in order to create a good brand image. ORM, on the other hand, employs a more comprehensive approach. Most traditional PR operations are included, but the emphasis is on developing a long-term reputation strategy that is consistent across all web-based channels and platforms.
THE EVOLUTION OF BRAND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT:
Negative remarks on numerous social media sites, for example, may jeopardize a brand's reputation. This is a communications crisis that must be managed in order to minimize the public impression of the brand, business, or people involved. Proactive reputation management incorporates an in-depth understanding of communications, data management, review management, and how to shape the narrative. Businesses are increasingly becoming aware of the potential of online reputation management and why it’s about far more than getting through times of crisis. Done correctly, modern-day online reputation management results in the elevation of positive content in Search Engine Results Pages (SERP)s and builds a much more long-term and credible brand image on the web. Today's consumers have high expectations for companies, services, and goods. Reputation management entails considerably more than handling the occasional bit of unfavourable media news or simple public relations. Back 20 years, most media coverage was limited to printed periodicals. Of course, today's internet reputation includes everything from review sites to Google search results to bad information in online media, company listings, and social network profiles. All of this material influences the public image and whether a company retains consumers. Negative search results, unfavourable reviews, and undesired attention on news sites and media sources may all harm personal brands.?
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRAND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT:
So, what is the significance of reputation? Why is it given such prominence as the bottom line in a society where we see companies as amoral, greedy, slightly malevolent creatures out merely to profit their leaders and shareholders? What do the emotions of others, many of whom are not even clients, mean to them? There are two elements to this: the straightforward fact that reputation is important to the bottom line, and the more nuanced fact that a brand's image is tied to its fundamental purpose. Based on my expertise as an entrepreneur and a public relations professional, We'll try to investigate them both.
Elizabeth Arden coined the phrase, "Repetition makes reputation, and reputation makes customers," and she was completely right. When consumers make a conscious (or unconscious) choice between brands, for example, they are affected by a whole nexus of influences which can be broadly summarized as "reputation." Someone buying a car may choose a manufacturer with a record of reliability. A perfume buyer might opt for a brand with an image redolent of luxury and elegance. A person looking to purchase electronic devices may make a decision based on an image of stylish design and efficient functionality.
The value of reputation is increasing as well. Internet reviews are now an important component of a brand's business plan. Over 40% of customers have grown to doubt traditional advertising — given how much money is still spent in corporate marketing departments — yet a majority will accept internet peer ratings as being incomparably more credible and authentic, more "real." Furthermore, buyers are increasingly looking for social consciousness in the brands they buy or the businesses from which they acquire services. This is a significant characteristic of millennials.
23 hours. It is the amount of time the average customer spends online in a given week – emailing, exploring e-commerce sites, skimming through social media, and discussing your business. With individuals spending nearly a full day online each week, having an excellent brand reputation management approach is more crucial than ever. Brand reputation management is the next step up from brand stewardship. It refers to maintaining tabs on how consumers view your brand and reacting in a strategic way to preserve, improve, and defend that image. Much of your brand's reputation is determined by what customers say about you on social media and in reviews, as well as how you engage with these customers. It is critical for developers to concentrate on brand reputation management. A good reputation increases brand loyalty.
Building and maintaining a good brand reputation is critical for success in an increasingly online world.
How to Measure Brand Reputation.
Measuring brand reputation is the key to monitoring and managing it effectively. To build a good brand reputation, you need to know if you’re being perceived positively or negatively, and why.
There are many metrics you can use to measure your brand reputation in a way that is meaningful and will help you adjust and fine-tune your brand to build a good reputation.
These will vary depending on factors like how well-established your brand is, your location, and the nature of your business.
When selecting the metrics to use to measure brand reputation, consider which metrics will best inform your understanding of the following:
How well-known is your brand online? Do you have a strong following on social media, and does information on your brand come up readily in search results?
Are people talking about you? What are they saying and where are they saying it?
What type of content comes up when someone searches for your brand online? Is that content beneficial, neutral, or harmful to your brand?
What is the underlying sentiment behind the perception of your brand? Do your customers and potential customers view their interactions with you in a positive, neutral, or negative light?
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How does your brand reputation compare to your closest competitors? What are they excelling at and how can you improve your brand with that in mind?
Here are some useful indicators and metrics for measuring brand reputation:
Sentiment analysis
Social mentions
Customer satisfaction
Local search ranking
Google page ranking
Number of repeat website visitors
Online reviews and ratings (quality and quantity)
Social media reach and engagement
Share of voice
Subscriptions and Bookmarks
Conversion metrics
HOW TO BUILD A GOOD BRAND REPUTATION?
The first step to reputation management is research. During this phase, you’ll use the internet to discover conversations about your business and what people are saying about you.
Aim to seek out different types of conversations. All feedback is helpful for understanding perceptions and improving your reputation.
2. Keep an eye on things and be proactive.
Adopt a proactive attitude and respond to any blunders swiftly and correctly. Brands that are fast to react and give appropriate answers can prevent a little blunder from becoming a significant PR nightmare,?
Reacting immediately to negative reviews, comments, and social media postings not only solves the problem at hand but also shows your audience that you're truly interested in hearing their problems and making adjustments.
3. Control Expectations and Be Clear.
Always under-promise and over-deliver. Since a single furious tweet or nasty review may reach thousands of individuals, client happiness is crucial. Establish reasonable expectations and be as transparent as possible about any part of your business that may disappoint or frustrate your consumer. To prevent misunderstanding and irritation, delivery schedules and return processes should be as detailed and straightforward as possible.
Can reputation really be managed?
It's easy for customers to focus on the negative if the positive is hard to find. Reputation management is a useful strategy to bring what makes your business and brand great to the forefront.
It's a way to build back your brand after a crisis and to show customers that you are a responsible, credible, and authentic company.
Planning and strong leadership can help any business sail through rough reputational waters. Review these tips and ideas, then form a reputation plan that works for you and your brand.
I hope this was helpful.
Araaf
AHMAD
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