“Revenue is equal to reputation” serves as a myth when it comes to businesses; nonetheless, this isn’t the only misconception that businesses may have. The reality is quite stark and far beyond. For businesses, reputation defines everything, and rightly so the trajectory of correlation between revenue and reputation often moves northward.

Since the public image is everything to the businesses, consistently steering the image has remained a prodigious effort from businesses. These efforts were never so colossal in nature until the arrival of the digital age and social media. Now, online reputation management is the single largest challenge for businesses. Also, the very concept of online reputation management is still in infancy stage, therefore, it’s the right time introduce yourself to the importance of the same.

Online Reputation Management

While for a few, it’s an extended form of public relations, for a few, it’s just another management tool. Well, in our opinion it’s none.

Have you ever seen a man walking on a thin rope at decent heights with fine balancing? Obviously not, but take this visual as a reference to understand online reputation management effectively. For starters, creating a fine balance between “determination” and “control” makes for a good understanding. Small and medium businesses are less inclined towards investing in ORM, while for corporate, ORM is a kind of fight-back against online criticism or negative opinion.

On the contrary, businesses should not invest in digital reputation for the customers only, but for also for the company.

Definition

In simple terms, online reputation management protects a company’s brand value from declining due to increasing negative public image online. ORM is a complete manifestation of a complex web of strategies that incorporate traditional marketing, online and offline public relations, as well as, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing.

Benefits

Devising an ORM strategy is like designing a labyrinth for a spying game. Since it involves multiple marketing aspects at the crossroads, even marketing strategy experts may mistake one concept for another and ignore the critical ones in lieu. Essentially saying, an application of a successful ORM strategy can lead to multiple benefits. They are as follows:

• • ORM helps to pacify concerns of the customers immediately with direct communication
  • ORM helps to preserve customer loyalty by using service recovery tools
  • ORM improves brand reach, awareness, and engagement more directly

• ORM helps to reduce marketing overhead expenses due to constant communication
• ORM helps to gain instant feedback to improve service delivery

Why ORM is important?

Digital marketing

strategists would enjoy the stimulus ORM invokes in all other strategies including SEO, SEM, SMM ORP, as well as, traditional marketing and PR strategies. There are many reasons why businesses are turning to Online Reputation Management; we have laid out a few that took our attention:

Constant feedback means consistent improvement

Online reputation management strategy allows companies and strategists to receive a constant and consistent response from the consumers about the products and services. More direct feedback helps companies to improve their service delivery and product quality.

Integrated strategy means omnipresence

While SEO helps you to rank higher in the algorithms, SMM helps to develop social media presence, however, online reputation management integrates all these strategies and more to virtually cover the entire landscape with brand presence and brand reach.

Persistent engagement means robust loyalty

Online inhabitance has made online engagement uninterrupted and perpetual. As a result, customers get to engage with the brands stay longer with the brands building robust loyalty that eventually results in more sales and revenue.

Other than these obvious reasons to consider ORM as the elixir to the businesses, there are few other important aspects too that signify the importance of ORM.

Online Referrals: A large consumer base makes purchasing decisions based on online referrals provides by near and dear ones. Keeping consumers satisfied secures 65% of your referrals.

Boost to SEO: Social media has made consumers prone to present direct comments. However, the positive reviews for your brand and products instantly boosts your SEO activities as reviews that builds back-links that upgrade search ranking.

Strong Pipeline: Not all referrals or loyal customers buy your product, as soon as, it hits the market, but the good news is reviews and positive comments help build a robust pipeline of customers, who can then be pursued to make their buying decision sooner than later.

Who should you use Online Reputation Management?

The pertinent question the digital marketing strategists often answer isn’t “who should use ORM?” but is “Why isn’t everyone using ORM already?”

The world has significantly and inadvertently changed in the last 18 months making an online presence for all kinds of businesses and professional services compulsory. Given the scope, ORN is not just beneficial for Multinationals and corporate, but is a huge chance for even proprietary and partnership firms, as well. To begin your ORM journey, we at Decode Media have a road map to reach your goals. Consult with us now!

reputation is very critical in expanding the service net for professionals such as doctors, legal luminaries, professors, scientists, psychiatrists, Chartered Accountants, consultants, and even contractors.

Building a powerful reputation online helps students getting admissions to reputable education institutes. With ORM, one can build a rock-solid image for himself or herself to make it impossible for companies to deny them a job.

Conclusion

We all have heard that the “First Impression is the Last Impression”. Since everyone is inclined to review your reputation online, every business, every professional, every executive, and every student require building their brand – business or personal. Because, nowadays your online reputation is the most worthy asset that can get you long-lasting success.