Today, consumers demand authenticity from the brands they buy. Authenticity, in turn, leads to trustworthiness. Whether it’s through social media or general research, consumers can tell when a company is being genuine. If they’re not, it could reflect badly on their own reputation. Here are a few ways to be more reliable as a brand: 1. Show off your company culture.
1. Customer Reviews
Customer reviews provide free social proof that can help customers make the right decision about a company. According to a study by Nielsen, people trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations from friends. This is because people can read and research reviews about your products or services without the risk of being misled by biased marketing tactics.
Customer review sites allow consumers to rate their experience with a product or service prices, and they can also post photos and videos of their experiences. Some of the most popular customer review websites include Google Reviews (part of Google My Business), Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato, and G2 Crowd.
Encourage your customers to leave a review by sending a post-purchase email that asks them to do so. Then, post these reviews on your website to help other shoppers decide whether or not your products and services are right for them. You should also respond to positive and negative reviews, as this shows that you care about your customers’ opinions.
2. Social Media
In addition to researching products and services, customers also use social media to ask their friends for recommendations. This is a great opportunity for brands to connect with consumers and build brand loyalty. A good example is Sony, who used Twitter to promote a special offer on their Vaio laptop, resulting in a huge boost in sales and customer satisfaction.
Other uses of social media include catching up on news and public sentiment. Breaking news stories are broadcast instantly, and opinions on the latest trends and movies are shared in real-time. These can influence consumer decisions, especially among millennials.
Business-to-business social media applications include enterprise intranets and collaboration tools like Slack and Yammer. These platforms are a way for businesses to stay close to their employees and customers while ensuring that conversations are kept focused. However, these platforms can also create polarized environments and allow for the spread of misinformation. In addition, inappropriate content can hurt a company’s reputation.
3. Search Engines
Search engines on the World Wide Web are remotely accessible programs that let you perform keyword searches for information. They usually return results that may include news articles, images, videos, or websites.
The most popular search engine in the world is Google. However, it isn’t the only one and has several competitors with unique features.
Bing is Microsoft’s search engine and has managed to hold a slight lead over Google in the United States. It is known for its multimedia search abilities and also offers a rewards program where users can collect points while searching.
Other search engines like MetaGer query up to 50 external search partners to deliver well-rounded results that aren’t personalized to your browsing history. They also offer a “Privacy Protected Search and Find” through their anonymized searches. Gigablast is another search engine that prioritizes privacy and allows you to search without tracking your data. Ecosia is an environmentally friendly alternative where the search engine’s revenue goes towards planting trees across the globe.
4. Online Reputation Management
While a solid reputation can develop organically through branding efforts and business practices, it takes constant attention to keep a company’s online image in line with its real-world reputation. That’s where online reputation management, or ORM, comes in.
A good ORM agency can keep your digital image in the right shape by identifying and responding to negative reviews and other content that may damage your reputation. They can also help you reshape the narrative, turn a crisis into an opportunity, and more.
Some companies can forgo the help of an ORM firm if they are confident that their products and services are above reproach. However, even large businesses that have a stellar reputation can benefit from leaning on an ORM firm to ensure their reputation doesn’t take hits due to an unavoidable issue. One example is Passion Planner, which asks customers to review their experience via email after every purchase and incentivizes them with a discount code.
