One angry customer can reach thousands with a single post. Whether it’s a viral complaint or a harsh review, your business reputation can crumble in minutes. Here’s the silver lining: You have the power to take control of your online story.

Online reputation management (ORM) is how you influence the way customers see your small business on the internet. It’s about monitoring sentiment and customer feedback to take smart steps to address both praise and problems.

Online Reputation Management: Definition

ORM is about proactively shaping how customers view your brand. Every area of your online image matters. This includes your social media presence, online review management, and how you respond to customer feedback.

Some of the key parts of reputation management include:

• Monitoring mentions of your business across search engines and online review sites
• Sharing positive content about your brand
• Responding quickly to customer feedback
• Planning for any hits to your reputation
• Building relationships with industry influencers
• Managing your social media presence

Your online reputation lives in many places online. Customers might find you through online review sites. They might see mentions in social media posts. Or they might read news articles or blogs that talk about your brand. Good ORM means monitoring each one of these channels.

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Why Is Online Reputation Management Important?

How important is online reputation? About 75% of consumers regularly read online reviews before choosing a business. And only 3% say they never check reviews. That means three out of four potential customers care what others say about your business online. It could be the thing that makes them decide to work with you.

The impact on your business can be huge. Poor online sentiment can hurt your sales and drive customers away. 

Even multinational corporations aren’t immune. Take Volkswagen. When news broke about the company’s emissions scandal, their sales dropped almost 25% in a single month. While your business might be smaller, the lesson is clear. Your online reputation directly affects your bottom line and customer loyalty.

Another factor to keep in mind is that internet content rarely goes away. Posts from years ago can still pop up in search results. Old social media comments can resurface. Plus, trying to remove negative content can backfire and end up drawing even more attention. That’s yet another reason why it’s crucial to have a strong ORM strategy before serious issues arise.

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4 Online Reputation Media Channels

Your online reputation spreads across four main channels. Each one plays a vital role in how customers see your business. Let’s take a look at what they are and how to manage them:

1. Owned Media: Your Home Base

These are the channels you control completely. Your website, blog, and email newsletters are all owned media. You decide what to post and how to shape brand awareness. This makes owned media perfect for sharing your story exactly how you want to tell it.

Owned media sets the foundation for all your other online reputation efforts, so your message should be consistent across all of these channels.

2. Shared Media: Where Conversations Happen

Shared media encompasses social media platforms like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok. These are where you connect directly with customers. In a solid social media management strategy, you might:

• Monitor mentions of your business
• Respond to customer feedback
• Share regular updates about your business
• Build community through questions, polls, and contests
• Run customer spotlight programs
• Host live Q&A sessions

Remember to tailor your approach for each social media platform. What works on Instagram might not work on LinkedIn. They have different audiences and purposes. The key is engaging with your audience in ways that feel natural for each site.

3. Earned Media: What Others Say About You

Earned media is organic coverage you don’t pay for. It includes mentions on online review sites, plus mentions in news articles and blog posts. Earned media is powerful because people trust independent opinions. While you can’t control what others say, you can:

• Share press releases about company news
• Respond professionally to customer feedback on review sites
• Build relationships with industry experts
• Join online discussions
• Showcase your expertise in your field

Earned media monitoring is one of the most impactful components of your ORM strategy. Use software solutions, like Launchmetrics and Google Alerts, to get alerted when someone talks about your brand online so you can take quick action.

4. Paid Media: Strategic Promotion

Sometimes, you need to give your online reputation a leg up. Paid media lets you control when and where your message appears. This includes:

• Social media advertising
• Google Ads for better search engine visibility
• Sponsored content on industry websites
• Influencer partnerships

Each type of paid promotion has its benefits. But remember: Customers know it’s advertising. If they feel like you’re trying too hard to sell to them, they may be less likely to buy. Use paid media to support your other channels, not replace them.

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How To Succeed at Online Reputation Management for Your Small Business: 4 Tips

Your online reputation can make or break customer trust. Here are four ways to stay in control:

1. Develop an Online Reputation Management Strategy

Start with a clear plan for managing your ORM. Maybe it’s just you. But if you have a team, decide which team members will handle different parts of your strategy. And make sure everyone understands their role. You might have some team members monitor social media, while others take care of online reviews and customer feedback.

Having guidelines in place keeps your online reputation strategy from getting messy. Include rules for responding to customers and plan out how to handle online complaints. Be prepared for the worst by putting together an actionable plan for crises.

Streamline ORM by using response templates. For example, have a standard response for poor reviews. Just don’t use the same words every time. Customers notice when responses feel copied and pasted.

The key to a good ORM strategy is being open to change. Track how well different aspects of your strategy perform. Then update your strategy to amplify what works and cut out what doesn’t.

2. Analyze Your Online Reputation

Before you launch your reputation management strategy, you need to know where you stand. Start by searching your business name on different search engines. Those first-page results have a huge impact on how potential customers view your business.

A good place to start is with your Google Business Profile, previously called Google My Business. It’s often the first thing customers see. Next, look over all your social media accounts and review site listings. You’ll use this data to assess the existing sentiment around your brand.

An effective way to gauge how you’re doing is to explore how you stack up against competitors. How does your brand’s online reputation compare to theirs? Just like you did for your online presence, look over their social media accounts and reviews. This tips you off to where your reputation is doing well and where it could use some work. Use this data to adjust your own online reputation strategy.

3. Get More Customer Reviews

ORM can’t succeed if you don’t have an online reputation. Try sending a quick follow-up email after purchases or a message at the end of good customer service interactions.

User attention is fickle, so make the review process quick and simple. Give easy-to-follow instructions and direct links to your preferred review sites.

To really go the extra mile, try offering small rewards for feedback, like discount codes or loyalty points. Some customers might respond better to contest entries or special offers. Just check each platform’s rules first. Some don’t allow incentivized reviews. And don’t ask for good reviews. This could get you in legal hot water, and honest customer feedback is more useful anyway.

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4. Be Proactive About Negative Review Management

Handling negative feedback is a critical part of your ORM strategy. Respond quickly, but take time to understand the issue first. Sort complaints by urgency. Some need immediate attention, and others can wait. Either way, always keep your tone professional.

Some businesses categorize customers into different groups, then take different negative review management approaches for each type. Here’s a common framework:

• Meek Customers. These customers are on the quieter side. They’re hesitant to speak up and respond well to encouragement.
• Aggressive Customers. They express their concerns in strong terms. They want a solution, and they want it now.
• High Roller Customers. These customers expect stellar service for the money they shell out for your product or service. Like aggressive customers, they’re after prompt solutions to their issues.
• Opportunist Customers. These deal seekers are looking for extra benefits. It’s important to set boundaries to avoid letting these customers take advantage of your company.
• Chronic Complainers. Complainers are always on the lookout for issues, and they’re not afraid to let you know about them. They respond well to feeling that their problems are being heard.

After responding to each complaint, monitor the situation. Follow up to make sure problems are fully resolved. Document what worked so you can improve your response strategy next time.

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Stay on Brand and Look Professional With Invoice Simple

Every detail of your branding can affect your online reputation—right down to your invoices.

Invoice Simple’s estimate and invoice templates are fully brandable to your business. There are never any watermarks, so your invoices always look professional and match your brand. Start with a clean, modern template design, then simply add your logo.