Reputation Management Using Content Marketing

Reputation Management Using Content Marketing

We’ve spent months discussing all the nuances of inbound marketing, putting your information out there, so that you become the authority in your field. We’ve gone over all the pieces of the puzzle, On and Off Page SEO, Paid and Local Search as well as all the types of online marketing; Content, Social Media, Mobile and Video. We’ve talked about what each item is, how it works, what are the best tools to use and what content will gain the best results.

But none of that matters if it is overshadowed by negative information.

reputation_buttonAccording to PC Recruiter, 86% of recruiters said that a good online reputation would increase the chances that they would hire a candidate. That means that a bad online reputation would lower the chances that the hire would go through. The same holds true for your company. A negative online reputation is going to drastically hurt your chances of gaining customers, clients and business associates. As soon as you meet someone new, hear of a potential partnership or go looking for a company to do business with, the first thing you do is research.

Negative Information

There are two big questions surrounding the issue of reputation management:

  • How did it get there?
  • How do I get rid of it?

How did it get there?

Company_OpinionWas it a picture of your CEO doing something unsavory? A story about poor working conditions? A negative review of your restaurant? A vengeful ex-partner or spouse? The list of how it got there could go on and on. Bottom line, it is out there, and now you have to deal with it or suffer the consequences. Chances are it was content that got you in this situation, and it is going to be the content that sets you free.

How do I get rid of it?

The simplest answer would be, ask whoever put it there to remove it. I would say 90% of the time that is not going to work. Either the party involved is not going to comply, you actually deserved the negative feedback and/or even if it is taken down, it stays out there for a long time.

That is where using content as reputation management comes in. If you did whatever it was that is causing the negativity, own up to it. Even try and put a positive spin on it. That example of the CEO, put information out on the web and social networks talking about how the company does not agree with the actions, has removed the CEO and implemented strategies to avoid such problems in the future. That way, at least when that image is seen, it can leave a positive taste in the mouth of perspectives.
Building perfect reputationHow about if the information wasn’t true. Besides the legal ramifications of going after the author of the story, you can be proactive about the situation. Overwhelm the web with articles, photos and testimonials of your wonderful working conditions. If the only story about your company is the one on poor working conditions, then yes, that is what people will see and think of you. However, if all the results on the first 2 pages of Google are positive and talk about your superb working conditions then no one is going to ever see that one bad story.

Another action to do is once a week, Google your company and the owners. Look at tags on Facebook that involve your company and your ownership. Hunt down anything about your company on the web on a weekly basis, so if something negative does come up, you can deal with it right away. The longer it sits and grows, the harder it is to combat.

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