SERM

Online reputation has become an integral part of modern business, influencing the perception of the brand by customers, employees and partners. The higher the reputation, the more trust the company has from customers, which ultimately leads to an increase in the number of orders and sales. However, reputation is constantly exposed to various sources of information, such as advertising, social media, media, PR campaigns, customer and employee reviews, as well as information from competitors. The entire volume of such information is called a reputational background, which can be negative, neutral or positive. Managing this background becomes an important part of the company's strategy, as it can change dramatically, and an unmanageable reputation can become the target of unscrupulous competitors.

Components of Reputation Management

Managing online reputation with SERM is a painstaking and long journey, and the first results are visible only after three months. Regular analysis and optimization help to maintain and improve the company's reputation on the Internet.

Effective reputation management on the Internet involves covering as many channels as possible that affect it. The following tools are used for this:

• SERM (Search Engine Reputation Management): This is reputation management in search engines (Google in Ukraine), designed to maintain a positive image of the company in search results.
• HM (Hidden Marketing): This is covert marketing, where influencers create positive debates about a product, service, or company, forming a positive reputational background.
• ORM (Online Reputation Management): It includes SERM and working with other web platforms such as social networks, blogs, media and active forums. This tool covers all aspects of online reputation management.
• HRM (Head Research Management): A tool to help increase the attractiveness of a company as an employer.

Selection of reputation management tools

The choice of specific tools depends on the goals of the company. For example, when entering the market or launching a new product, the use of hidden marketing can be effective. If the goal is to change a neutral reputation background to a positive one, then SERM and ORM will be more appropriate tools. Otherwise, HRM can be useful when the HR department has completely changed and the company wants to focus on the comfort of its employees by improving their conditions, but already has a very negative experience, that is, a negative background, from former employees.

SERM: effective reputation management in Google

When choosing a company or product, users often view information on the Internet. Reading reviews is a common practice, but many do not go beyond the first page of the search results. SERM is designed to ensure that when searching for information about a company, users find more positive and less negative information.

SERM strategies for managing the web reputation of a brand/company/product

The choice of a SERM (online reputation management) strategy directly depends on the goals set by the company and the conclusions obtained from the analysis of the current state of its reputation. Different companies can choose tactics that take into account the specifics of their activities.

Positive Reputation

Provided that there are much more positive reviews and reviews with recommendations from the company than others, everything is exactly necessary, it is necessary to actively manage reputation, since search algorithms are constantly changing. New algorithms, competitors and SEO strategies can move sites with a positive status below or even beyond the top 20. To maintain high positions, it is recommended to increase the amount of positive content, for example, by creating reviews, requesting feedback and finding new sites for publications.

Negative Reputation

In the case of a negative reputation, the main task is to understand the reasons for negative reviews and their objectivity. If this is constructive criticism from real customers, it is necessary to work on improving the quality of the product or service. If the reviews are unreliable or presented by unfriendly competitors, they can be removed from company-owned sites. In case of biased reviews on third-party resources, it is recommended to contact the administrators and provide explanations. At the same time, positive content should be actively posted to increase the rating of the brand/product.

Neutral reputation or lack thereof

In the case when the ratio of negative and positive is approximately the same, or there is no feedback at all (both negative and positive), it is advisable to encourage customers to leave positive comments on different platforms. For new companies and products, those who are just starting to actively promote themselves on the Internet, it is important to expand their online presence. This may include creating a blog, creating company cards on specialized websites and geoservices (Google Maps) and actively publishing positive reviews.

Learn more about the benefits of using SERM

• Increases conversion: reviews play a key role in the final stages of the sales funnel. The positive experience of previous clients increases the likelihood of turning a potential client into a real one.
• Identifying weaknesses of a product or service: Negative reviews often contain objective and constructive comments. These comments allow you to identify problems in a product or service.
• Increasing audience loyalty: Working with reviews, both positive and negative, strengthens user trust and encourages repeat purchases.
• Cost-effective: SERM is more affordable in terms of cost than many other reputation management technologies, since it can be applied without additional costs for paid services.