How to Boost Your Business with Reputation Marketing

Reputation matters tremendously in marketing. It’s much harder to acquire new customers without a strong market position. Luckily, many ways exist to improve your online reputation and lessen negative feedback. Here’s everything you need to know about reputation marketing.

Everyone’s aiming for a great reputation. There’s nothing sweeter for a business owner to read all these good reviews and praises about the brand’s image. Unfortunately, negative reviews happen even to the best of us. Luckily, there are numerous ways to avoid negative feedback and enforce positive brand content.

In this article, you’ll learn everything there is to know about online reputation marketing, its advantages and threats, necessary tools, and so much more. Enjoy!

Contents:

1. What is reputation marketing?
2. What’s the importance of reputation in marketing?
3. What’s the difference between reputation marketing and management?
4. How to create a reputation marketing strategy for your business?
5. FAQ

What is reputation marketing?

Reputation marketing refers to the strategic effort of shaping and influencing how others perceive a brand, business, or individual. While reputation management focuses on monitoring and responding to reviews, feedback, and mentions to maintain or repair a brand’s image, reputation marketing goes further. It actively promotes and amplifies positive reputation elements to boost marketing efforts.

Let’s dive deeper into key components of reputation marketing strategy.

Customer reviews and testimonials

Testimonials are one of the most important factors in improving your brand image. It’s how real people perceive your products or services. If your brand is not well known (yet), your potential customers will likely look for any opinions about your company online. Should they stumble upon negative reviews, they will consider your competition. We want to avoid that.

Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and industry-specific sites. Use these positive reviews in marketing materials, the website, and social media promotions.

Especially young companies should invest in encouraging satisfied customers to write positive feedback as there are not a lot of mentions available online yet. The more positive reviews you gain, the more likely are people to purchase your products.

Read also: How to Get Customer Testimonials? Extremely Easy Method

Engagement

Engage with customers on social media platforms, review sites, and other online forums. Responding to both positive and negative feedback shows that a business values its customers’ opinions.

There’s nothing worse than leaving a negative review unattended. Communicating with unsatisfied clients shows your dedication and engagement.

Additionally, being responsive adds to your genuity and shows there are real people behind the brand (especially in the times of AI replacing humans wherever possible).

Content creation

Create and distribute content highlighting the brand’s positive aspects, values, achievements, community involvement, and customer success stories.

Good quality content has the potential to go viral, and that means boosting your reputation. Think of all the brands that have a renowned reputation – you can probably remember their marketing campaigns and their brand image is strong and memorable.

Monitor and analyze

And I can’t stress this one enough. Monitoring online brand mentions can give you a lot in terms of good PR. Using media monitoring tools, such as Brand24, can help you avert PR crises, eliminate negative reviews, and find positive user-generated content.

Regularly monitor online mentions, reviews, and feedback. Use tools to gauge sentiment and understand the general perception of the brand in the digital landscape. Your analytic skills matter a lot in reputation marketing, and the tools are there to help.

Feedback loop

Use the feedback obtained from customers to inform business operations, customer service practices, and product/service improvements.

Customer feedback will help you to understand your clients much better, but it will also help you to speak their language.

Employee advocacy

Employees can be powerful advocates for the brand. Encourage them to share positive experiences and insights about the company on their personal networks.

Happy employees are a stamp of approval on your operations, and employer branding can also be a part of your reputation marketing efforts.

People talk, and if your employees are not contented with working for your company, word of mouth will get out there. You want to avoid negative rumors about your workplace if you want to keep a good reputation.

Build partnerships

Partnerships can also play a crucial part in reputation management. Collaborate with influencers, industry leaders, or other brands to co-create content or initiatives that can enhance the brand’s reputation.

Influencer marketing, when done right, can give you a lot of positive recognition on social media, amplifying positive brand content.

Manage negative feedback

Instead of avoiding or deleting negative reviews, address them head-on. Offer solutions, apologize if necessary, and show a commitment to improvement. Refraining from answering bad reviews shows that you don’t care, and your target audience can perceive you as indifferent to their concerns.

The main goal of reputation marketing is to merge reputation management and brand marketing, ensuring that the brand is not only seen in a positive light but also that its positive reputation is leveraged in promotional efforts. In today’s digital age, where consumers frequently rely on online reviews and testimonials before purchasing or choosing a service, reputation marketing becomes crucial for businesses of all sizes.

What’s the importance of reputation in marketing? 10 most important reasons

This may be an obvious question, but there are some additional factors you should implement in reputation management in your business strategy. Here’s a list of the 10 most important reasons for taking care of a reputation marketing strategy:

1. Trust and credibility. A positive reputation establishes trust. Customers who trust a brand are more likely to purchase from it, remain loyal, and even pay a premium.
2. Influence purchase decisions. Consumers often research brands before making purchasing decisions. Positive reviews and a good reputation can sway decisions in a brand’s favor.
3. Word-of-mouth referrals. A strong reputation boosts word-of-mouth marketing. Satisfied customers are more likely to recommend the brand to others.
4. Competitive advantage: In saturated markets, a good reputation can differentiate a brand from its competitors, making it a preferred choice for consumers.
5. Higher customer loyalty. Brands with positive reputations generally experience higher customer loyalty and retention.
6. Resilience in crises. Brands with solid reputations are better positioned to withstand crises. They often receive the benefit of the doubt and can recover more quickly.
7. Financial benefits. A good reputation can lead to increased sales and profitability. Conversely, reputation damage can lead to significant financial losses.
8. Talent attraction and retention. Companies with good reputations find it easier to attract and retain skilled employees.
9. Lower marketing costs. Maintaining a good reputation can reduce marketing costs and customer acquisition costs, as positive word-of-mouth and trust alleviate the need for aggressive promotional campaigns.
10. Stakeholder relations. A positive reputation facilitates better stakeholder relationships, including partners, suppliers, and investors.

To sum up, reputation is a vital intangible asset in marketing. It underpins almost every aspect of consumer interaction with a brand and can significantly impact a company’s long-term success.

What’s the difference between reputation marketing and management?

Reputation management is about maintaining and protecting a brand’s image, and reputation marketing is about amplifying and leveraging that image for broader marketing objectives. Both are crucial in today’s digital age, where customer feedback and reviews are readily accessible and influential.

Read more: 6 Expert Tips to Master Brand Reputation Management

How to create a reputation marketing strategy for your business?

Now that I have your attention, you probably wonder how to create a reputation marketing strategy that can be implemented in your company.

Here’s what you need to consider when crafting your online reputation strategy.

01 Assess current reputation

Before you begin any planning, you need to conduct a thorough audit of your brand’s online presence.

Review customer feedback, comments, and reviews across platforms. Have a detailed outline of your current business reputation.

You can use tools like Brand24 to gather valuable data and insights to measure the online reputation.

02 Set clear objectives

You cannot plan a marketing strategy without setting any goals.

Determine what you want to achieve, such as improving online ratings, increasing positive reviews, or enhancing brand perception in specific areas.

03 Encourage customer reviews

You cannot demand positive customer reviews, but you can carefully craft your messaging to influence and encourage your clients to share their feedback. If you lack positive brand content, you can create giveaways or provide other benefits for leaving reviews on various sites.

You can make the review process easy and accessible by integrating it into post-purchase communications.

Prevent negative feedback by answering every bad review and trying to resolve the customer’s issues.

04 Promote positive feedback

Share positive testimonials, reviews, and case studies on your website, social media channels, and marketing materials. Create stories or content around customer success. Case studies are especially praised in B2B marketing.

05 Engage with your audience.

Respond promptly to comments, feedback, and reviews – both positive and negative. Foster community engagement through events, webinars, and interactive content.

Responding to any online reviews and comments shows that you care as a brand and are ready to improve based on the clients’ feedback.

To never miss any engagement opportunity, use media monitoring tools like Brand24 to catch all brand mentions.

06 Address negative feedback constructively

Take criticism as an opportunity for improvement.

Address concerns publicly, then move the conversation to a private channel if necessary. This way, you will show genuine commitment to resolving issues.

You can use tools like Brand24 to catch all brand mentions and sort them by negative sentiment.

07 Monitor your online reputation

Use tools and platforms to monitor brand mentions, reviews, and feedback. Regularly assess sentiment towards your brand.

We’ve prepared a long list of media monitoring tools you can use in your reputation marketing campaign.s

08 Maintain consistency in brand messaging

Ensure that your brand’s voice, values, and messaging are consistent across all channels. This consistency fosters trust and authenticity.

I highly recommend crafting a tone of voice strategy for your entire company. With this document, all your staff should be on the same page on how to address the customers and present the brand online.

09 Educate employees

Believe it or not, educating your employees is crucial to reputation marketing.

You need to ensure that all employees understand the importance of reputation. Train them to uphold brand values in their interactions and to solicit and handle feedback effectively.

10 Develop a crisis management plan

You should be prepared for potential reputational threats. Have a communication strategy ready for addressing issues that might arise, ensuring a swift and coordinated response.

11 Analyze and adjust

All good strategies need analyzing and adjusting as it is an ongoing process.

Regularly review the effectiveness of your reputation marketing strategy. Use analytics to measure progress towards objectives and adjust tactics as needed.

By taking a structured approach and viewing reputation as an integral part of your overall marketing strategy, you can significantly enhance brand perception, foster trust, and drive business growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does reputation mean in marketing?

In marketing, “reputation” is consumers and stakeholders’ perception of a brand or company. It influences:

• Trust. Brands with good reputations are more trusted by consumers.
• Word of mouth. Positive reputations lead to more recommendations.
• Loyalty. A strong reputation results in higher customer retention.
• Differentiation. In competitive markets, reputation can set a brand apart.
• Employee attraction. Respected companies attract top talent.
• Crisis buffer. Brands with good reputations can navigate crises more effectively.
• Financial gains. Positive reputations can boost sales and stock prices.

Reputation is a key component of effective marketing, stemming from product quality, service, advertising, and other interactions.

What is reputation strategy?

A reputation strategy refers to a planned and structured approach to shaping and maintaining the perception of a brand, company, or individual in the eyes of its stakeholders. This strategy is essential for building trust, managing crises, differentiating from competitors, and achieving long-term business goals.

What is a reputation example?

“Reputation” refers to the collective perception or assessment of a brand, company, individual, or entity based on past actions, behaviors, or performance. Let’s consider some examples to illustrate reputation:

For example, Apple is known for its design-centric approach and user-friendly products. The company has a reputation for producing high-quality, innovative tech devices.

On the other hand, Volkswagen faced a reputation setback with the “Dieselgate” scandal when it was found manipulating emission tests. Although they’ve taken steps to recover, the incident left a mark on their reputation for some time.

What is branding reputation?

Branding reputation, often referred to simply as brand reputation, is the perception and collective impression that consumers and other stakeholders have about a brand based on their experiences, interactions, and exposure to that brand’s messaging, actions, products, and services over time. It’s the intersection of a company’s branding efforts (how it wants to be perceived) and the real-world opinions and feelings that people have about the company.