Corporate Online reputation issue
Online reputation: its challenges, its importance
To understand what online reputation is, we must first define what reputation is. This concept is the set of beliefs and opinions that a public develops about a given identity. For companies, brands and managers, reputation has always been very important, but it has become even more so with the development of mass media and web 2.0. The amount of information exchanged has completely exploded, greatly modifying the stakes of reputation management for companies. e-reputation is therefore the reputation of a brand, a company or a person on the web. It is also the sum total of photos, videos, comments and posts that are found online concerning a company. Monitoring one’s online reputation is therefore crucial, especially as the new challenges of e-reputation for companies have a direct impact on marketing strategy.
Building trust
The first challenge of online reputation for companies is to create a real capital of trust. When this trust capital is engaged, it can have real consequences. A study has revealed that 80% of consumers go on the Internet to find out about a company or a brand before making a possible purchase. Moreover, the right to be forgotten is not really the norm on the Internet. As a result, if a bad buzz occurs, it can stay in the top search results for a very long time if it is not dealt with quickly. All these parameters can therefore represent a certain financial cost for companies and brands. The challenge of good management of a company’s e-reputation is therefore to maintain this capital of trust so that, when Internet users carry out searches on a particular brand, they do not come across negative links.Return on investment
From this first challenge, a second one follows: maintaining a good image on the web leads to a huge return on investment. A company or a brand must not be disconnected from its customers. Web 2.0 is a place for exchange and sharing. It must therefore be used to gain the trust of Internet users. Thus, little by little, a positive e-reputation is created. This can be enhanced by satisfied customers who can also talk about it around them and bring in other customers. E-reputation management is therefore now a matter of course. It is a digital marketing lever for all companies present online, an investment that generates additional income. Even if implementing such a strategy is not necessarily easy, the investment for digital companies is not a problem. Moreover, it is now a matter of course given the importance of e-reputation. The aim of an e-reputation strategy is to build a digital shield in order to control the results on the first page of search engines. This way, even if a bad buzz or crisis occurs, it will be easier to deal with it, because the foundations will be solid.BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE IMAGE
The ultimate challenge of online reputation for companies is therefore to build a lasting positive online image. With the increasing presence of the Internet and social networks, no company is immune to an e-reputation crisis. To counter this, it is necessary to build a sustainable image and this involves setting up a digital shield that will counter any negative links and establish the company’s or brand’s supremacy on the first page of search engine results.
