What is ORM? ORM stands for Online Reputation Management.
What’s Online Reputation Management? Read today’s article and you’ll find out!
What Is ORM or Online Reputation Management?
When we talk about ORM or Online Reputation Management, we are usually talking about established businesses that have a website, social media channels, and a presence in multiple directory and review site listings. In short, we are talking about the “online version” of that company.
Not all companies have an expansive online presence, some just have a company website and get the occasional review on a review site like YELP!
Regardless of whether you have a vast reach online or just a small corner of the web, that online property represents your company, your name, your brand…your reputation. So, there are a few things that you have to consider.
How are YOU representing your company online?
And
How are OTHERS representing your company online?
Both of these things can influence how others see your business which, in turn, reflects the prosperity of your business.
It may feel as though you only have control of one of these aspects – how you represent your company, but the truth is that you have a pretty significant impact on how others see your business as well.
How Do You Represent Your Business Online?
Think about this for a second – when someone leaves a negative review of your company online, what do you do? How you respond to this question is reflective of how you influence how others think of your business. Let’s look at an example…
You own a restaurant.
Last week a customer came into your restaurant and had a bad experience. The customer did not make you aware of their experience during their visit and instead, they went home and left a negative review of your restaurant on a popular review site.
You have just discovered this review and are getting ready to post a reply…what do you say and how does what you say influence the original reviewer and others who may read the conversation online?
Option A:
You could take the negative review personally – many small business owners do because they take such pride in their companies. In this situation, you might respond defensively “If you had told us about your experience in the first place instead of leaving a negative comment that could ruin our business…”
How do you suppose this type of response will be accepted?
The chances are that the original reviewer will feel like you are blaming THEM for their negative experience and they will become irate and go on to write negative reviews on further review sites.
This will have a networking effect and each negative review will reach an exponential number of people. It is likely that these people are going to side with the reviewer based on your response.
Option B:
You could ignore the review. After all, every business gets negative reviews once in a while….don’t they? Besides, answering the review will only “bump the review to the top of the page”.
How do you suppose this type of response will be accepted?
It’s true, this type of response may not get you the degree of negativity that option A brought with it, but option B comes with it’s own issues.
Ignoring customer’s feedback about their experiences takes away your restaurant’s voice online. You are giving up prime real estate and customers.
You see, ignoring the reviewer is going to confirm to them that your business is awful and couldn’t care less about them. They may or may not go on to leave further negative reviews and readers of the review will take note that no one from your restaurant addressed the issue – letting those potential customers know that you don’t care about their business either.
Option C:
Read over the comment with an objective lens.
Think about what the customer has said and how you can best remedy the situation for them as well as for your restaurant.
Respond to the comment but as you respond, remember that your aim is happy customers. Forget that you own the company. How can you satisfy the customer who left the review and simultaneously let others know that the experience that they had is not usual for your business, nor is it acceptable?
If you hadn’t guessed already, the correct choice here is option C.
The unfortunate truth is, though, that many business owners don’t have the time to read the review in the first place, let alone write the necessary response.
THIS is where online reputation management services come in.
Hiring an online reputation manager means that you can focus on your business while someone else is monitoring reviews and mentions of your company all across the web. Not only are they monitoring every mention of your company and every review left, but they are taking the necessary time to follow up on even the positive reviews and comments so that customers who have taken the time to appreciate your business, know that their appreciation is…for lack of a better word…appreciated.
Can You Afford An ORM?
In today’s economy small businesses are hurting and many just aren’t sure that they can stretch their budget to accommodate an online reputation manager.
You can’t afford NOT to hire an online presence manager.
For every negative review that goes unchecked you are losing the review customer AND customers who read that review are a 50/50 shot. Wouldn’t it benefit your business more to get all of those customers through the door of your business?
Do You Need Online Reputation Management Services?
If you need Online Reputation Management services either for you or for your business, Online Presence Manager can help! For a free consultation on how we can help you, just give us a call today at 727-475-6460!
