10 years ago, advertisements and TV commercials were hot platforms for all business entities to expand. Internet was making its way slowly and technology was picking up with the introduction of apps and their usage. Within 10 years the technological advancements showed such exponential growth that television and print media were overtaken by the wave of apps like various social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and more, you name it and you have it. Every big and small business in today’s time dwells on this new form of publicity.
A new form of opportunity has bloomed in the shape of online reputation management (ORM). Online reputation management has become an important marketing tool in this world of the internet. Where a business or an entity could rise or fall just with a click virtually.
Just like for any campaign to succeed, it requires a good plan of action. ORM is derived from certain strategies that can vary from business to business. A study shows a whopping 80-90% of consumers are influenced by the online reviews of a business, product, or service.
Internet- a Crazy Tool for ORM Strategies
How often as a business, one keeps a note of how successful its page is on the Google search engine, defines the seriousness of the business towards achieving the goal of its popularity on the internet. Whether is in the form of paid media(like Google Ads, social media ads, sponsored posts, or promotions by influencers) or earned media(External articles, Blogs, vlogs, and forums). A good vigil on what an entity wants to show the consumer can be achieved through the internet. Most consumers compare and buy a product and service based on the popularity of the business on the internet.
Nestlé had to face consumer’s wrath when they were publicly criticized by Greenpeace for harmful environmental practices. Nestlé failed to respond to the rising social media crisis, it even worsened it by asking YouTube to remove the Greenpeace video. As a result, the company was forced to temporarily shut down its public page as people started posting the altered version of their Kit Kat logo all over the web.
Online Reviews – Strangers Opinion
As mentioned before most of the consumers, (a statistical study says 85%) trust the reviews given by people regarding a product, or service on the internet. It is up to a business to manage its reviews. And keep a check on what is being floated by the consumers about its services.
Smart business houses have a separate support system implemented that is dedicated to looking after customers’ feedback. And complaints so that the customers are being dealt with reasonably so that they don’t end up killing their business. One such example is Nike, which is quite a busy and large organization. But has a dedicated support team that deals with anxious customer reviews.
Google reviews and reviews on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, and other sites represent the honest (and often emotionally charged) opinions of customers.
Online reputation management or ORM strategies will keep changing with time and technological advancements. But what remains the same is the desire of the business entities to keep themselves ahead in this competitive world. Today when everything lies in the hands of consumers one review or one virtual click. All organizations have to keep themselves ahead. So that they don’t have to face the brunt of negative publicity in any form.