When we talk about “reputation management” we aren’t referring to fixing your reputation after making a fool of yourself at last night’s party. The phrase refers to the management of a company’s reputation, rather than an individual’s. Hiring a reputation management firm was not really a thing in the past, but times have certainly changed. 

In 2019 more companies than ever before have invested in the services of reputation management agencies. You’ll be surprised to learn about why there has been such a significant increase in the demand for managing a brand’s rep. 

If you have a bad reputation, it might not even be your fault

Sometimes, no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to establish a good reputation among your customer base. This has happened numerous times for companies facing a scathing review from an unhappy customer. Even if you have hundreds of positive reviews from other happy customers, the one negative review is what sticks in people’s minds. 

What your readers don’t always know is that you have done whatever it takes to try and make that unhappy customer happy. Maybe you sent a replacement, or accepted a return and fully refunded that individual’s money. Even so, the one terrible review could make or break you. Thanks to online reputation management, negative reviews are closely monitored and reacted to ASAP. 

Sometimes your competition will try to bring you down

This is a completely dishonorable tactic in the business world, but let’s face it, a lot of people have no honor whatsoever. There have been plenty of incidents where a company’s main competition has taken extreme measures to destroy a reputation. Look out for competitors leaving fake negative reviews to try and deter customers from you and attract them to their own company. 

Luckily for you, online repair professionals know how to handle this. There is something called online defamation laws that the experts will use to delete false reviews. It is a good idea to have an online reputation representative on your side, and not just for help with defamation. 

Private account content can actually be shared

This has gotten a lot of companies into a major pickle. Even if you have made your personal or business account private to the public, keep in mind that your friends and followers on social media can still see everything. These people have the ability to repost anything you have shared or posted yourself, and don’t underestimate the power of the screenshot. Never assume that just because you have deleted something it is gone forever. 

Hiring an ORM firm isn’t just necessary for negative reputations

Even if your company has a reputation that is crystal clear and sparkling, you should still consider hiring online reputation management professionals. They aren’t just there for times of need and to pick up the pieces of your reputations, they can also help to maintain it and build it up even more. They’ll keep your social media game strong, rank you higher on Google searches, and monitor every review that mentions your brand.