The growth of a good business depends upon its reputation. Not only should the business focus on how they are projecting themselves to the public, but also how the public is receiving their messages. Reputation, especially online reputation plays a major role in this.
How do I ensure my online presence is positive?
Online Reputation Management (ORM) services implement online strategies to influence how the public perceives an organisation. While Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tools make the company more visible during online searches, ORM ensures that these results reflect the company in good light. Furthermore, it makes negative publicity of a company less visible in search results by adding positive reviews. This pushes the negative reviews lower in search results.
To wade through all the reviews a company receives is a difficult and time-consuming task. Therefore, to ensure that your online reputation is good, it is a good idea to approach an online reputation management service.
What are people looking for in a company? Why does good reputation matter?
When some freshers currently on the lookout for jobs were asked what they look for in a company, interesting answers were unearthed. Some individuals were more interested in who started the company with what goals and how those goals have evolved over time. This shows them the company’s journey and they are going. Some others wanted a fine blend of professionalism and friendship.
“Before joining a company, I always check their social media pages whether or not I check their professional pages like LinkedIn or their website. It is interesting to see who the company follows on social media. It is very defining to see what companies and accounts a company follows. I will see if I know any personal contacts working in the company and find out their work culture. Everybody is doing good work on paper, but how are they treating their employees? So, I will speak to both the employer and employees to get their honest reviews. I will also check online reviews,” said Abhirami Rao, 21, freelance journalist.
The point of this survey is to make you aware of where your company stands. Before proceeding further, try Google searching your own company and see from a third-party perspective how your company is being projected.
Make your reviews honest and believable
On the whole, job seekers and companies looking for partnerships/services predominantly want to find honest reviews that neither oversell the company nor make it sound regular. “I once joined a company because the reviews were great. Most of the employees there were very friendly and welcoming, but one employee was very rude to me. He just yelled at me for no reason on multiple occasions and ruined my overall experience. This made me realise that reviews are very subjective and what one person looks out for in a company might turn off someone else,” said a 24-year-old software engineer who preferred to remain anonymous.
What are some tips to choose the right firm ORM service?
1. Research is key:
It is always a good idea to research about the company and compare it to other companies. Be careful while going about the search, as some companies might have poor services hiding behind a façade of great reviews.
2. What strategy do they use? What packages do they offer:
There is nothing wrong in probing what methods the company is going to follow to improve your brand’s visibility online. Specific strategies and contents of packages offered need to be looked into, as you may not need some of the services/already have some services or it doesn’t suit your budget.
3. Personal connections:
Just like the job seekers we spoke to established contact with employees and employers in the company, try to find out who the people behind the company are. Furthermore, speaking to past clients and gaining honest first-hand reviews about their experience with the company also helps.
4. Enquire about cost:
As mentioned earlier, the package offered by the ORM service provider must be in tune to your budget and requirement. If the company does not willingly disclose an estimated budget or project cost, they cannot be trusted to be transparent in the future. Get an estimated total cost before proceeding.
5. Review their timeframe:
A company might promise timely and quick suppression of negative reviews, but not deliver what they promised. The time frame required for removing negative reviews and improving a company’s online reputation varies depending upon the company. Compare their estimated time frame to your requirement before making any decisions.
6. Ask for access to pages created:
It is of paramount importance that you have full ownership and access to the websites and social media pages created by the ORM service provider.
7. Sign a contract:
Both you and the ORM service provider must sign a contract stating that they will adhere to social media guidelines and search engine ethics. This contract should also stipulate the estimated total cost discussed, the time frame agreement and act as a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
To improve your visibility online and ensure positive reviews of your company, you can approach ORM services in Chennailike Eon8.