Corporate e-reputation: the challenges and impact to know

The use of the web is becoming more and more important in our daily lives. Whether it is to have information on a product or a brand or to read reviews about the services of a company, we turn to Google for satisfaction. For this, any company is required to have an online presence and especially to work on its e-reputation to maintain a very good image on the internet. The issues and impacts that arise from this procedure are numerous and it is important to master them in order to succeed. What is corporate e-reputation ? What are its challenges and impacts? How to improve your online reputation? We talk about it in detail in this article.

E-reputation in business: what is it?

Before addressing the issues and impacts, we will start by defining the notion of e-reputation in business.

E-reputation in business: definition

It refers to the image that a company portrays on the internet. This is the general opinion or perception that Internet users have of it. This judgment can be negative or positive. It is formed from two elements. E-reputation in business depends primarily on the information that the entity publishes on the web. It can therefore produce content and documents in order to improve its online image.

Secondly, reputation on the internet depends on what candidates, consumers, employees and other stakeholders post online about the company. These are the contributions that Internet users make to the image of the entity through:

• social networks,
• a trusted platform for employee reviews,
• customer reviews,
• community spaces such as exchange sites, blogs and forums, etc.

Unlike the first element, the image returned by Internet users cannot be controlled by the company. The latter will therefore have to try to turn it to its advantage. For example, to ensure a good reputation with partners, it is possible to launch an employee satisfaction survey. Similarly, for candidates to have a good image of the company, the ideal is to put in place strategies to develop its employer brand.

Difference between e-reputation and digital identity

There is a big difference between digital identity and e-reputation. The first notion refers to the image that a company leaves on the web voluntarily or sometimes unintentionally. This is what it decides to publish or show through its website, social networks, videos, press releases, etc. This is one of the factors that contribute to e-reputation.

On the other hand, as you will have understood, e-reputation in business is not only dependent on voluntary or involuntary publications of the company. It depends more on what Internet users publish about the establishment, that is to say the opinion of these. It translates into blog posts, comments on social media, Google and other search engines.

E-reputation is conditioned not only by your digital identity, but also by the way you manage your customers and the quality of your products and services.

We can then say that digital identity represents the image that the company can control. On the other hand, e-reputation is the image it undergoes from the reactions and opinions of its customers. Unlike the previous one, this image cannot be controlled. It will therefore be necessary to work on your notoriety permanently to preserve a digital reputation that respects your business objectives.

What are the challenges of e-reputation in business?

Today, the internet has become embedded in all areas and all companies have had to create an online presence in order to comply with the current century. As for consumers, whether for an online or physical purchase, 90% of them search the web. 64% refer to other customers’ comments, opinions and ratings to make sure they make the right choice. They rely more on the latter than on brand advertising. Similarly, to get information on companies, the first reflex is to go on the web. These various percentages prove the importance of e-reputation in business. Here are some cyber reputation issues you need to be aware of.

Optimization of trust capital

One of the challenges of e-reputation in business is the development of real trust capital. This is the reputation acquired by the entity among its consumers. When it is tainted, it can have serious consequences for society. Indeed, as mentioned above, many people go on the internet to learn about companies before a purchase.

In addition, with the internet, events are rarely forgotten or take time to be forgotten. For this, when there is a negative buzz phenomenon, it may be that this bad buzz remains on the first page of Google for a very long time in case of mismanagement.

All of this can result in losses or expenses for the business. With a good e-reputation, you keep your capital trust so that your potential prospects come across negative opinions during their research on your brand.

Guaranteed return on investment

The creation of a trust capital generates a great return on investment: it is the second challenge of corporate e-reputation . Today, it is not enough to be present online to sell. You also need to be in constant connection with your customer base. You can take advantage of the possible actions on Web 2.0 (sharing and exchanges) to get Internet users to trust you.

This way, you gradually create a good online reputation. With your new image, your satisfied customers will talk about it around them, which will allow you to win new customers. It is therefore very important to ensure the management of e-reputation in business. Granted, it’s a big investment, but you’ll get huge additional income from it.

By implementing an e-reputation strategy, you build a kind of digital shield that allows you to control search engine results. As a result, even in case of bad buzz, you will have an easier time facing it because of the strength of your bases.

Building a sustainable image

The last challenge of corporate e-reputation that we present here is the construction of a positive and sustainable online image. Indeed, with the importance of social media and the internet, any business can be subject to an e-reputation crisis at any time. This is one of the common examples of crisis in business. It is a phenomenon by which an incident taints the image of the entity and influences sales and turnover.

This crisis can be one of the consequences of a bad buzz or come from:

• negative comments,
• incidents with customers or on a product,
• a fault of the community manager or another employee,
• bad behavior of the company,
• supplier errors, etc.

It can also be caused by complaints from old or new employees. For this, it is essential to realize the importance of responding to the opinions of employees on your company in order to avoid such dissatisfaction.

To overcome this problem, the construction of a sustainable positive image appears to be the appropriate solution. To do this, it is necessary to set up a digital shield whose role will be to protect the company against negative opinions resulting from the crisis. This protective piece will also restore the entity’s Google reputation by establishing its supremacy over the SERP 1.

What are the impacts of a good e-reputation?

Getting positive reviews on the web is now one of the main goals of companies. This is due to the many benefits that come from good online reputation management. Here are a few.

Acquisition of new talent

A good e-reputation in business is a powerful lever to attract new talent. Indeed, unlike prospects who will be attracted by the opinions of your consumers, talents are interested in the comments of your employees. So, the more positively they talk about you, the more new candidates you will have. To learn more, read this article on “How do employees contribute to improving the image of the company?“.

Boosting company visibility

For a company, it is not enough to have a website to be present online. Instead, make sure you have a large number of visits to each of your digital media, blog, sites, social networks, etc. To obtain such visibility, it is necessary to ensure that the image you send back to Internet users is positive. This is why it is important to manage the e-reputation of your company. The more positive a company’s online reputation , the more users leave positive reviews and the more its visibility is boosted.

More customers and more sales

Before any purchase, Internet users are interested in the image of the brand or company. So, naturally when you have a positive e-reputation, you attract more people to your products or services. More leads mean more customers and sales. You can easily get your prospects to adopt your products and make more sales. Similarly, cyber reputation is an effective strategy to renew the trust of your former customers.

The multiplicity of business opportunities

E-reputation in business also impacts your relationships with your business partners and suppliers. When your image is good, it allows you to acquire more new suppliers and collaborators and retain old ones. In reality, no one would like to invest, partner or collaborate with a company that is frowned upon by Internet users. A positive online reputation is therefore a great source of business opportunities.

Increased credibility

Each category includes many brands and companies and there is virtually no way to distinguish the most reliable among them. Even if the best method to evaluate the quality of a product is manipulation, consumer reviews are still the ideal way to do this verification when it comes to an online purchase. Internet users are therefore more likely to trust a company that enjoys a good reputation based on positive feedback.

Other benefits

In addition to the 5 advantages mentioned above, the e-reputation of companies has other considerable benefits. When it is positive, it allows you to:

• better control your brand image;
• improve your SEO;
• deal effectively with negative judgments;
• better manage competition, etc.

Therefore, you lose nothing by taking care of your image on the web.

What are the impacts of a bad e-reputation in business?

The risks associated with a bad e-reputation are enormous. Indeed, when you mismanage your image, it results in rumors, denigrations, bad buzz or information that can damage your reputation. These various elements can lead to negative and sometimes irreversible consequences. Here are some of those impacts.

The drop in traffic on your media

When content that can create bad buzz or buzz is shared on the web, it quickly becomes viral. Indeed, with digital word-of-mouth, information travels at the speed of light. It arouses the curiosity of cybernauts and comments multiply as well as versions. It is distorting and the situation is becoming very big. As a result, Internet users are losing interest in your activities and your digital media traffic drops considerably.

Loss of customers

The previous consequence is the loss of customers. As the bad buzz has gone viral, the company is gradually losing its subscribers and customers, whether the information is true or erroneous. Similarly, this bad image causes your prospects to give up their interest in your products and services.

The decline in turnover

When a company loses its customers and prospects, its sales drop drastically, because no one wants its products or services anymore. There is therefore no return on the various investments made, from production to advertising. Over time, the company’s turnover drops significantly.

Bankruptcy

In case of mismanagement of e-reputation in business, if nothing is done to improve the situation, it worsens. From the decline in turnover, the company gradually goes bankrupt when all its resources are exhausted. To avoid these various problems, an online reputation management strategy should be put in place.

How to improve the e-reputation of your company?

There are a plethora of tricks you can use!

Adopt quality communication

To improve e-reputation in business, it is necessary to start by adopting a quality and harmonious communication. It is indeed crucial that the customer has an accurate picture of the identity of the company as well as its activities. You must maintain the same speech everywhere while remaining professional. For more efficiency, you can hire a community manager who will take care of your social media strategy.

Develop your online presence

It is not enough to be present on a single platform of opinions and ratings. There is a large number of platforms on which Internet users can have information about the e-reputation of a company and each of your customers surely has their preference. It is therefore important to ensure that you have a presence on the majority of customer review sites :

• TripAdvisor,
• Amazon,
• Google MyBusiness,
• Foursquare
• TrustPilot,
• Verified reviews, etc.

You should also expand your online presence on multiple social networks by setting a specific goal for each one.

Provoke positive reviews and ask for customer reviews

One of the best tips to improve a company’s online reputation is to get it to be talked about positively. To do this, you must offer products and services of impeccable quality. A satisfied customer will inevitably leave a positive review. The optimization of the after-sales service, the proposal of attractive offers and positive communication are also effective tips to guarantee you a positive e-reputation.

In addition to provoking reviews, you should ask your satisfied customers to leave positive comments on your social networks or on dedicated platforms. For more information on the importance of costumer reviews, see the following article: customer reviews: challenges and impact for a business.

Respond to all reviews

All opinions, whether negative or positive, deserve a response. One of the mistakes to avoid when you want to improve your e-reputation is to ignore or remove negative reviews. While these opinions can influence other Internet users, your response or reaction to them says a lot about your credibility. Negative reviews aren’t just destructive. They also allow you to improve yourself. As for your answers, they show that you are listening to your customers.

To positive reviews, you will respond with thanks and a request for recommendation or information depending on the message. In the case of negative reviews, you must keep your cool and then apologize, give explanations or solutions depending on their content. Don’t forget to personalize each of your answers. Finally, you need to perfect responsiveness in responses.

Carry out internal actions

Improving online reputation must also be done internally. The various stakeholders are key players in the e-reputation in business, it is essential to ensure their well-being so that they convey a good image of you.

You need to listen to your employees. Thus, you will know the difficulties they are experiencing and find adequate solutions to solve them. By taking their opinions, you make them feel listened to and give them value, which improves the social climate in the company. In addition, employee reviews show candidates that you have the essential tools to unite a team in business, which leads them to trust you. Also, thanks to employee reviews, you can have ideas or beneficial solutions to perfect your products and services.

In addition, to improve e-reputation in business, you must make every effort to maintain a good relationship between employees and teams. Find out about the steps to follow for team cohesion or to weld a work team in a company. Also, make sure you keep strong connections with the other pieces of the puzzle that make up your business’ success: partners, suppliers, customers, etc.

Constant monitoring

Permanent monitoring is an essential step for improving e-reputation in business. It consists of continuously monitoring your online image. You must be constantly present and on the lookout for all opinions that concern you. You need to be very responsive to be able to respond to comments in the shortest time possible. Thus, you anticipate possible crises in order to avoid a loss of customers.

There are many tools you can use to monitor your online reputation. You have among others Youseemii, Alerti or Google alerts and Google suggests from the Google search engine .

Use the services of an e-reputation agency

The last tip we offer for improving e-reputation in business is to use an e-reputation agency. The latter has all the skills and resources necessary for a good management of your online image. It will accompany you in the construction, monitoring, defense and management of your reputation on the web. Whether you are in Nantes, Toulouse or Paris, you will certainly find a good corporate e-reputation agency that can help you. To ensure the effectiveness of the chosen provider, you will use the NPS (Net Promoter Score) to measure the e-reputation of your company at the end of the service.