Looking for some myth debunkers about Online Reputation Management? You are right where you should be. Here in this article, we will be debunking some of the common myths regarding online reputation management.

In today’s time, where everything is visible and public, there is a plethora of information that floats across the internet about a certain brand and the products or services. The worst part is that it takes ages to build the brand reputation and just one moment to bring it down to ashes. Along with the reputation of your brand, it also gets your sales down because of the impact it holds on the buying decision of the people.

All in all, a reality that the business owners should come to terms with is that the public’s sentiment regarding a brand proves to be a game-changer for the business. So now we will be talking about the fallacies that really need to be debunked.

1. Considering That Star Ratings Are The Only Thing That Matters

Customer reviews make a pretty crucial ingredient when it comes to online reputation. The biggest part of this process is to get the customers to review the products, services as well as the overall experiences. When it comes to reviewing, the bad or good online reputation is way beyond just the star ratings. Consumers are really picky about where and how they wish to spend their money. So for the purpose of third-parties unbiased opinions about a certain service, product, or brand, people get online to read the reviews given by people who have already experienced the services. So as you develop a strategy, you wish to design a brand image for the people and what it feels like to be in business with you.

The tricky part is you need a substantial review but, at the same time, do not really want to suck upon the consumer’s time. It is thus best to keep your prompts simple when sending out a follow-up email when asking for a review. Ask them for a general review, advice to you, pros as well as the cons. This way, your readers get a 360-degree view of the brand from the perspective your customers hold. It is imperative to keep in mind the fact that when it comes to online reviews, it is honestly that reigns the supreme.

2. Leaving The Negative Comments Alone

It is pretty obvious that nobody likes the negative reviews for their brand, product, or services in which they put their soul and heart. Seeing unsatisfied customers despite that in the public domain is a pain to watch. But believe it or not, negative reviews aren’t the ultimate end. It is the way you opt for reacting to these negative sentiments that have the potential of talking volumes about your brand. So irrespective of how gruesome it becomes to go through these bad reviews, you need to respond to these. If you can play it right, you can convert a negative reviewer to a loyal and positive customer.

Responding to the negative reviews demands a certain way. To begin with, you should not be responding right away. Wait till the negative sentiment marinates because the last thing you would want to do is respond when the negative emotion is flaring up. The next important thing is to never forget the power of empathy. The last thing you should do is try the best to take your conversation offline. The initial response should, of course, be public and cordial, but then you should encourage most of your interactions and other in-depth details in private. This is important for the protection of both you as well as the customer.

3. Thinking That You Can Have A ‘Quick-Fix’ To The Reputation Issues

We all know that building a reputation of your brand online takes a really long period of time, but it takes just one bad moment for getting destroyed and tarnished. In case of such an unfortunate event happening to your brand, it is vital to not lose your calm as it can lead you in making rash decisions. Earlier many of the companies used to combat these negative reviews by forging the positive ones by paying the professional writers for writing detailed and long praises on the significant platforms. Though this trick worked for a while, over the time, review platforms wised up against these tactics, and now you can get into serious trouble for doing something like this.

In addition to this, considering the humongous amount of people being online searching about the brand of their interest, they have grown great in spotting such fake and sketchy reviews posted for mending the damage caused to the reputation. This way, you can get into even bigger trouble. It would be best if you accepted the fact that there isn’t any quick solution to these issues. The best you can do in this situation is to listen to what your reviewers have to say and bring about a fundamental transformation.

4. Believing That It Is Better To Have No Reputation Rather Than Having A Bad Reputation

How much ever on the point that sounds, lack of reviews just creates a suspicion that your brand is rather too new or is shady and unworthy. Though negative reviews cause harm but they at least indicate that your business is legitimate.

5. Assuming That A Solid Plan Can Solve It All

Penning down the plans cannot do much for you. The real management occurs on the business level processes and practices. Thus it is best to daily work through the plan of reputation management. Figure out the weak points and work on them. You can also get into touch with the best possible companies that outsource and can ask them to undertake CRM and also damage control. It is a pretty wise long-term investment.

6. Presuming That Deleting The Bad Reviews Will Help

As a matter of fact, the online reviews cannot be deleted, and they are permanent. Valid reviews cannot be deleted because they serve as the signal of trust for the people. You can revoke the review only if you prove it fake, written by the competitor, or has false claims.

7. Bearing In Mind That Customer Services And Reputation Are Separate

Both reputation management and customer services need to work together, and failure in understanding this can cause issues. You cannot manage the wave of negative reviews without proper customer service. Though it may seem like a job with the hassle, but with so many sophisticated tools in the market, it is easy.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, with this post, a few of your ORM myths are debunked for good. It is best to hire for the best ORM Services In India that can fit in your business needs and handle it well so that your brand image is maintained.