Many factors can determine whether a company is trustworthy or not, and its digital reputation is certainly one of the most important aspects nowadays. Regardless of an organization's size, industry, or way of operating, most people look for information about a company online before making purchases, right?
What the internet says about it – and this has to do with its positioning and the creation of its own brand, as well as what customers say about their experiences – is very important and decisive for new businesses.
How is your online reputation, and how much importance have you given to this topic? Let's talk more about it, stay tuned!
What is digital reputation?
Simply put, digital reputation is how a person or brand is perceived by their audience online , and the search for information about companies' reputations is becoming increasingly common among consumers.
According to Google, nine out of ten Brazilians search online before buying , and this search, in addition to being driven by price comparison, is also related to the company's reputation and credibility in the market.
Think about it and your experiences: how many times have you searched the internet, whether on social media, specific review sites, or the company's own pages, before making a purchase?
Especially when we talk about companies that the consumer doesn't know, whether they are local businesses, recommendations, or new ventures, researching their reputation is essential so that potential customers can draw their own conclusions and decide to go to their store to make a purchase – what we call drive-to-store.
Therefore, digital reputation is the overall impression given to users based on a set of data and information available on the internet about a particular person, brand, product, or service.
The importance and impact of digital reputation on companies
While this topic wasn't even on the minds of companies a few years ago, today it's impossible to talk about business without considering its digital reputation and the consequences – positive or negative – that it can have for an organization.
Increasingly, consumers are playing a leading role in their purchases, wielding significant decision-making power, a wide range of choices, and diverse information to inform their decisions.
And those who think that this reputation only works for online businesses are mistaken; after all, it's also essential for physical stores: according to research by CNDL (National Confederation of Shopkeepers) and SPC (Credit Protection Service), 97% of Brazilians look for information on the internet before making purchases in physical stores.
Therefore, digital reputation is very important and has a significant impact on business results, such as:
Influence on purchasing decisions
People want to know about companies and what other people think about the organizations, their products, and services before making any investment.
According to a study by Grupo Consumoteca, 80% of consumers consider it essential that the brand or product they are interested in has positive reviews from other buyers before making their decisions.
Even if they don't know each other, people influence one another, and each of these evaluations, regardless of which network they are on, is fundamental in leading a potential client to either complete or not complete their transaction.
Leading authority in the market
The better a company's digital reputation, the greater its credibility and authority in the market. This allows it to differentiate itself from its competitors, reach larger audiences, and expand its brand reach further.
It increases customer loyalty
Even though the modern consumer is increasingly critical and discerning, once their needs are met, expectations are achieved or exceeded, and they receive good service, they are more willing to build longer-lasting relationships and even contribute to them, organically becoming ambassadors and promoters.
Social networks and digital reputation
Brazilians spend an average of 9 hours and 32 minutes per day on the internet. This makes the country the second in the world for the most daily hours spent online, behind only South Africa (9h38min – a difference of just a few minutes).
Furthermore, Brazilians also stand out as being among the most active on social media. The study places Brazil second among nations with the highest number of platforms used per month.
Among the most used social media platforms in Brazilin 2023 are WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Messenger, Kwai, Pinterest, and Twitter.
In other words, Brazilians are constantly connected, and beyond their personal and social connections, the relationships between consumers and companies are becoming increasingly clear within these networks.
Whether to speak well or ill of a brand, social media is a great starting point. Through their personal profiles, people have a great influence on others, and their opinion is highly valued when discussing their experiences with brands.
Moreover, there are several factors that strengthen or weaken a brand's digital reputation through social media, such as:
- Visibility and online presence: social media allows brands to create an online presence, and it's crucial that this presence aligns with who the brand is and how it wants to be perceived.
- Content and influence: social networks allow people to share various types of content, from images, texts and videos, for example. Everything that is shared about the brand gives it even more weight and can influence how consumers perceive the company;
- Direct interaction with the audience: social networks offer a great opportunity for companies to get closer to their customers, followers or fans, and it is important to invest in building this relationship;
- Viral effect: whether positive or negative, social media can make content go viral very quickly, meaning it reaches a large number of people in a short time. It's important to know how to leverage this potential, but care must be taken to avoid negatively impacting the brand's image.
How to build a good digital reputation?
Digital reputation isn't a strategy built overnight, and it's essential to invest in various actions to increase your online reputation and credibility. We've put together some tips for your business:
Have a high-quality website and social media presence
As we said, being present is essential, but it's not just about being present for the sake of being present. It's necessary to have quality in the channels where your business intends to be present. There are many social networks available, and that doesn't mean your company needs to be on all of them, but rather on those that make sense for your audience and your communication.
Once you decide on a few social media platforms, you need to look at them and have well-defined strategies. Invest in content, visual communication, and consistency. Keep your social media and website updated, and remember that they are extensions of your brand, so take the best possible care of them.
Make sure all the important information about your business is on your website and social media, and make sure your proposition and value are clear to your customer from the very first contact.
Put customer service first
It's no use having a beautiful website and great social media presence if your customer service is poor and leads your customers to have only negative views of the business. Investing in customer service is crucial to stand out and offer memorable experiences throughout the customer journey.
Investing in personalization, keeping up with your customers, being agile and transparent, and building relationships are decisive factors in whether customers stay with your services or products or not. A large portion of referrals, both negative and positive, are made through customer service.
Be proactive in solving problems
No customer likes being served by multiple people, explaining their problem over and over again without getting it resolved, right? Delays and lack of resolution are frustrating and compromise the customer experience; therefore, it's necessary to be proactive and quick in resolving problems.
There are many channels people can use to communicate, whether by phone, email, website forms, social media, or even in person. And, whichever channel is chosen, it's essential that they are heard quickly and have their expectations met.
Of course, requests can't always be resolved immediately, but it's important to be honest with the client, give deadlines, and keep them informed of what's happening.
Invest in Local SEO
While search functionality is very important within search engines, it's even more crucial when we talk about "near me." Users not only want quick and efficient answers, but also solutions, products, and services that are physically close by.
Local SEO aims to optimize your content for search engines, but here it takes into account the geolocation of the device performing the search.
Local SEO increases regional visibility, encourages action, attracts new audiences, and is essential for a business's digital reputation.
Encourage your customers to leave reviews
Customer feedback is essential for your digital reputation and should be encouraged. Provide a platform for this type of interaction and make it easy for customers to engage. Remember that customers are often willing to talk about a company, but you need to remind them of this constantly.
More than that, always respond to the reviews you receive, both negative and positive, and show the public that your company cares about the opinions they give you. This is an important moment to build relationships with the consumer.
How do you measure digital reputation?
Measuring digital reputation is crucial for business; after all, what isn't measured isn't managed, right? It may seem like a difficult task, but some best practices will help you better understand how your brand is positioning itself online:
Monitor your online presence
It's essential to monitor what people are saying about your brand, whether on social media, forums, Google, specific review sites like Reclame Aqui, and many other online channels.
Only by knowing what people are saying can you understand how they feel about your business.
Analyze customer sentiment
Sentiment analysis involves analyzing the tone of excerpts from reviews, comments, and texts about your brand to understand what people actually think about it. From words and expressions, it's possible to analyze emotions related to the topic, whether positive, neutral, or negative.
Rate the reviews you've received
Simply responding to reviews isn't enough; you need to evaluate and analyze the comments so the company can use them to grow its business. Especially when it comes to negative comments, they should be viewed as opportunities for improvement and as a metric for the business.
Rely on a tool
Monitoring online presence, analyzing sentiment, managing content from clients, and analyzing online reputation isn't easy when everything is done manually. We know it's a challenge to search across multiple platforms and networks, and having a platform is essential to have everything in one place.
Harmo is the platform that will increase customer traffic to your physical store and, in a single tool , manage all your reputation channels, keeping your information updated and standardized across all channels – all with SEO in mind and to build trust in your business online and with other consumers.
In an increasingly digital world, online reputation is a valuable asset for companies of all sizes and sectors. Consumers increasingly want to know about a company through how it is presented on social media, and therefore this is an essential part of business strategy.
Digital reputation is not a simple strategy with a beginning, middle, and end. It's an ongoing process that must be constantly monitored within businesses to achieve healthy results and sustainable growth.
How is your business viewing its digital reputation? Now that you know more about the topic, reflect on your strategies and talk to our experts. Schedule a demo and find out how Harmo can help you on this journey!