To say that COVID-19 has reshaped and redefined the world as we know it would be the biggest understatement of the century (yes, I realize we are only 20 years into this century, but please bear with me). Not only are business leaders and marketers having to rethink the way they advertise their product, but even top reputation management companies are also having to rethink their tactics.
And it doesn’t stop there; schools are having to find workarounds to having in-person classes, families have to find new and creative ways to keep their family members sane and active, and parents are struggling with how to have a work-life balance now that most of them are having to work from home.
Literally, no one is immune from having to change their lives with the introduction of this new virus. However, I am going to focus on how online reputation management has been adjusted in the wake of this new global reset.
What is reputation management?
If this is your first time on one of my blogs, I will give you the basic definition. Reputation management is the practice of monitoring and reacting to reviews, news, ratings, and customer questions to boost your reputation in the online community.
How does online reputation management work?
There are many different ways you can do this, but the most common practice is commenting and communicating with your customers on various social media platforms. While most people think of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter when they think of social media, it goes so much further. There are hundreds of social media platforms, and you need to be aware of most of them. I am not saying that you need to have an account on all of them. You would have to dedicate thousands of hours to creating accounts and monitoring each one of them. There are better ways.
The best way you can accomplish reputation management by yourself is by simply setting up a Google Alert that will search the web for any mention of your name or brand. You will get a notification every time someone mentions you. Then all you need to do is head over to that site and comment on what is being said about you.
For more advanced options, I would recommend hiring a reputation management firm. They have the tools and knowledge to provide you with legendary service. They will conduct those searches for you, they will maintain your sparkling reputation, or in the case of a faltering one, they will make the necessary corrections.
How has COVID-19 changed reputation management for marketers?
Recently, Google turned off reviews for companies in the wake of the pandemic. While this was only temporary, they did it for a reason.
When things started coming off the rails, there were a lot of missteps by companies. They had never experienced anything like this before. These mistakes lead to a plethora of negative reviews. Google felt that these negative reviews were “unfair” to businesses that didn’t have any choice but to conform to the new regulations.
On the other hand, many businesses missed out on positive reviews during this time. These positive reviews could have helped people navigate to companies that had made the changes more quickly. So, just as it was unfair to the big businesses, which Google felt had more to lose, the smaller companies that didn’t have as many chances to make suffered.
Some many people and businesses feel Google should have just left well enough alone. Google has always said they want the most current and accurate results. However, when you take away or reverse ratings, you are only helping people and businesses that shouldn’t be getting that help. A lot of other companies made changes more quickly and would have benefited from the changes.
How are other companies fairing?
Most of the time, when we use Google, we are looking for somewhere to eat, a place to go to the movies, or someplace to go for the weekend. However, there are many other companies out there that rely on ratings and reviews.
Recently, you may have heard of the big squeeze by Reddit users over a few stocks. Once again, the internet proved that they could make the changes they wanted. Not to be outdone, Big Tech stepped in and corrected what they thought was right. There was a company that was trading stocks that halted trading to protect hedge fund investors. When this was not acceptable to netizens, they started issuing negative reviews. Once again, that company’s status was returned, and negative reviews were removed.
In the wake of this global pandemic, it is essential to remember that not everything is as it seems. This makes things hard for businesses trying to do the right thing, but it also makes it hard for reputation management companies to boost ratings for those companies.
What does this mean for you?
During the COVID-19 era, as a reputation manager, you know that maintaining a good reputation for your brand to the public is more critical to your short- and long-term success than ever before. You need to keep your company top of mind for your loyal customers and have your best foot forward to pull in potential new business. Note, your company’s reputation is one of the most essential factors regarded by your ideal customers before investing their money with you, or, if you’re not careful, a bad reputation will drive them into your competitors’ arms.
Conclusion
A lot has changed in the past year. I have a feeling, even more will change in the coming year. Take time to research changes that are being made by government officials and Big Tech as well. At the end of the day, they are the ones that control how we modify our reputation. Stay on top of this so you can best help your company. I wish you the best of luck in the coming year and hope that your business can flourish with an impeccable reputation.