Protecting Your Brand Identity

If you are using internet marketing to sell a service or product then the development of your brand strategy is pivotal to success. However this element of online marketing is one of the most challenging. With an effective brand strategy you can quickly develop the identity of your product, service or company.

You can communicate messages about your brand identity in a number of ways. Most companies these days find the internet is an integral part of their business and therefore need to develop strong online reputation management strategies. There are several processes that can help to develop an effective online reputation management strategy and then track and evaluate success.

Why is internet reputation management so important?
Many people see brand management simply as promotion. However it’s not as simple as that – building the brand image is extremely important as the power of public opinion can make or break a business. There are so many sites available allowing disgruntled customers to leave negative comments about their experiences with a company that it is foolish not to develop a comprehensive plan for reputation management. If a company fails to put in place a strategy to protect the company and brand reputation then it’s very easy for a user to support a competitor or to create negative content about your company.

Why should you care about reputation management?
Online reputation management can be interpreted in a number of ways. No matter what your objectives at some point searchers will look for you on the internet. If they find negative content then this can affect you in many ways. In its simplest form a customer could see a negative comment and choose to buy elsewhere. However on a grander scale it can lead to a mass boycotting exercise which can be highly damaging to the brand and business as a whole. Negative brand image can have dire financial effects and can disrupt business growth for several years. You may be completely innocent of the crime cited against your company but the impact of this negative press could cause upset, financial hardship and hinder business prospects.

How do you use internet reputation management effectively?
Online reputation management will ensure that searchers always see positive results on the top pages of SERPs(Search Engine Results Page). When a searcher types in the company or brand name they should see only positive comments and listings. Experts in this field assess factors that could negatively affect your brand. They will look at the company name, the products, services, staff and more. Taking this information they then track all comments made with these key terms in them. It can be time consuming so often choosing to outsource this aspect of SEO is a sensible one. It is a valuable investment as the cost to build up a damaged brand can be considerable and hugely time consuming.

In the meantime you can ensure that there is plenty of positive content out there about your company and brand. PR, positive customer reviews and articles are all great ways of filling the listings with positive content.