Monitor and control your e-reputation
According to Chris Anderson, “Your brand is not what you say it is, it’s what Google says about it”, which defines e-reputation. If you are in control of what you publish about yourself or your brand, it is not the same for what others publish. In this article, we give you the keys to become an actor of your digital reputation by building and maintaining it.
E-reputation: an important issue for everyone
Whether it is for private or professional purposes, for a person or a company, e-reputation has become a major issue. The proof? Isn’t your first instinct to find out about a person or a company by “stalking” them and “googling” them? That is to say, to go and see everything that is said about them on the Internet, but also what they are doing there… We knew it and, rest assured, you are far from being the only ones to do it. 80% of the buyers get information on the Internet before making their decision! But in reality, e-reputation is just that.
E-reputation is in fact “the digital image that the Internet sends back of a person, a company or a brand”. It includes all the information available online about an individual or a brand, regardless of the vector. Also known as “e-notoriety”, it can favorably or unfavorably influence an opinion, and for a company, its brand image. It is therefore essential to monitor it and act on it whenever possible!
The different vectors of your digital reputation
Many actors are capable of influencing your digital reputation, for good or bad, including: your competitors, the company’s employees, but also your customers, the media, influencers and Internet users in general.
To talk about you on the Internet, many vectors are available to them:
- Search engines such as Google, Bing or Yahoo
- Social networks on which individuals but also companies are present to establish contact with their customers and prospects. Let’s not forget also the professional networks, like LinkedIn, which work on recommendation and networking.
- Blogs, collaborative sites, discussion forums.
- Review and experience sharing sites such as Niochi, Tripadvisor, Yelp, Google Reviews…
- Video sharing platforms (Youtube) or photos (Instagram, Pinterest…)
All these vectors are in constant evolution. It is therefore essential to set up a regular or even automated monitoring to avoid missing anything.
Start by monitoring your e-reputation
If you don’t take an interest in your e-reputation, you risk being denigrated (negative judgments, false news, defamatory comments…) without even knowing it and therefore without having a right of reply to restore the truth. It is essential to know what is visible on the Internet about you by being on constant watch. To do this, different actions can be considered:
Type your name regularly on the Internet
Check your digital reputation, or that of your brand, by regularly typing your name into a search engine. This way, you will know in one click what Google is referring to you and what the source is.
GOOD TO KNOW: For a company, don’t limit yourself to the name of the company, but also check what is said about its director or the main shareholders for example.
Create and publish new content regularly
If the publications on social networks are rather ephemeral, the contents referenced on search engines have a longer life span. In some cases, since dereferencing is not an option, you can act by producing and publishing hot content regularly (news, posts, testimonials). These will increase the positive feedback about you and little by little the undesirable content will drown in the mass before disappearing. Implementing an adapted web content strategy, via inbound marketing for example, is one of the keys to work on.
Define and master your storytelling
Storytelling is the art of telling the story of your brand, of conveying your values… in short, of arousing emotion around yourself or your brand. The definition of its storytelling and its animation are therefore essential levers to maintain its reputation, especially on the web.
Implementing an influence strategy
Influence marketing means using the power of advice and words of one or more “influential” people, especially on the web and social networks, to boost sales and brand awareness. By talking about you, your products and services, influencers will strongly impact your e-reputation.
Interact with Internet users: respond to positive as well as negative opinions
Whether it’s about customers, prospects or any other Internet user, if the dialogue is open, don’t hesitate to take part in it to support a comment or bring your vision of the situation.
Are you used to responding to positive comments and reviews about your brand? Well, do the same with negative reviews. Show them your support, bring a solution visible to all… In addition to having the right to reply, you may be able to turn your detractor into an ambassador!
Doing local referencing
By setting up your local SEO strategy with Google My Business, you ensure that you bring content you control to the top of the search engine results (depending on the search area). You also have the possibility to collect customer reviews to reassure your prospects.
You will have understood, in a world where the web has become the tool of choice to collect all types of information, it is essential to monitor and act on your e-reputation. A controlled digital reputation is the key to a positive brand image in line with your values. There are many ways to significantly improve your online reputation. Specialized agencies can accompany you and concoct tailor-made strategies to work on your e-reputation.
