Online Reputation Management Tools to Use

Are you aware of what Google says about your company?

Could strangers on the internet be hurting your brand image?

In a market where consumers are so well connected, news and experiences travel fast. Ignoring the online world and focusing only on offline marketing will quickly make your brand obsolete. A single negative online review might make you lose a lot of customers! If you aim to stay ahead of the competition, be better than them at managing the most powerful marketing tool today, the internet.

Managing your online reputation might look overwhelming at first, as there are a lot of different websites and portals where consumers get together, discuss and put reviews. Getting on-the-go, professional reputation management for businesses should make your job much easier. If you prefer to manage your internet presence yourself but are wondering where to begin, these nifty tips and tools should be helpful.

1. To know your present situation and keep a watch.
   A quick search on significant search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) will tell you what the internet thinks about your brand. If there is no mention or bad reviews, begin work immediately! Use Google alerts to keep yourself informed of anything new related to your brand.
2. A starter tool for reputation management.
   Google’s Me on the Web ORM Tool will help you get comfortable and learn about reputation management. This tool helps you monitor your web identity by offering tips and resources that’ll make your internet journey smooth. Another nifty feature alarms you whenever your own information (your number, address, or email) gets distributed or posted anywhere on the web(similar to google alerts). You can also remove images from google that don’t represent your brand correctly.
3. Making your mark on the internet.
   Consider buying a domain name for your own website or blog (or use website hosting tools), and make a clean and presentable front for your brand. A well- made website gives your business a dose of legitimacy and competence, and acts as a potent advertising campaign! Moreover, any google searches will lead to your domain or blog, instead of distracting the customer with third party websites.
4. The social media.

   Behold, the biggest and the most powerful tool in your arsenal! Stay active on these social media outlets.

   • Facebook – For publishing original content and showcasing events
   • LinkedIn – The professional corner of the industry. Useful for attracting new talent.
   • Google Plus –Similar to Facebook.
   • Twitter – Good for releasing instant news, addressing complaints and building a follower base.
   • Quora – Useful for answering questions about your brand and raising awareness.
   • Slideshare – For sharing informational content like slides and videos.
   • YouTube – Make a video repository of your offerings/ posting demonstration or work videos.
   • Tumblr – To curate images relevant to your brand.

A strong profile on these websites will ensure that your brand is well known among the internet community. It also helps the customer form a deeper connect with your brand.

1. The Brand Grader

   Need a quick overview of your or your competitor’s online presence? Try Brandgrader. For any brand of your choice, this free online tool tells you about-

   • All major blogs and news portals discussing them online
   • A distribution of all their different sources of presence (forums Vs. Images Vs news)
   • The overall brand sentiment (positive or negative)
   • Geographical info (sentiment based on localities, countries etc.)

   This tool will also help you keep track of any changes over a period of time. helping you see how effective a certain campaign you’re running is.

2. SimilarWeb

   Do the efforts you make to project a positive brand identity actually reach the customer?Remember, in the online world, your website/blog is the face of your brand. SimilarWeb, a website ranking tool tells you how much traffic your site/blog has been receiving over a period of time, helping you gauge the impact of the work you’ve put in.The best feature, however, is that this tool will help you benchmark your site against your rivals. Factors such as bounce rate, time on site and page views per visit help you understand where you stand against your competition. It’ll also give you a hint on which strategies are working and which ones are failing.

3. To Remove Outdated Content

   If you want to remove, certain posts, URLs etc. on your brand made by you previously, use Google’s URL removal tool. This tool will hide your posts and links from the search engine, making sure they aren’t visible anymore.

Conclusion

Although managing your online profile becomes smooth and comfortable as you continue, the rewards always stay constant! Start today, and build a presence that lasts for years to come.