Thanks to web 2.0, anyone can become a content creator and build an online reputation. Here we discuss what e-reputation is and what tools can be used to manage your e-reputation.
What is online reputation all about?
Online reputation definition
Brand positioning and brand image work to shape online reputation. For a brand, positioning is something that marketers deliberately set up, while image is the lens through which audiences perceive the brand. This image is shaped and informed by content that people find on the internet (social media, search engines, blogs), and this is what online reputation is all about.
For some firms, e-reputation is an essential part of their online marketing strategy. For instance, firms who deal with controversial products such as junk food, oil or weapons have to monitor their e-reputation to guard against a bad image.
Bad e-reputation vs bad buzz
People often mistake bad e-reputation for bad buzz. Though they are not the same, bad buzz can lead to a bad e-reputation.
Bad buzz is the result of a viral marketing attempt that fails. This viral marketing attempt is created by a brand, and it is not appreciated by the target audience. Audiences react by sharing negative opinion, creating bad buzz. Unlike bad buzz, bad e-reputation isn’t due to one single action. Bad e-reputation is the culmination of all the negative ideas and contents created by people outside the firm. Bad buzz can be one of the reasons for a bad e-reputation.
For instance, Malaysia Airlines created bad buzz a few weeks ago with the launch of their clumsy and inappropriate contest called “My ultimate bucket list.” As you might expect, this marketing operation wasn’t successful and created audience awkwardness and indignation. The bad buzz this campaign created has further cemented the bad reputation of Malaysia Airlines, which is still struggling to recover from it’s recent plane crashes.
Tools to monitor online brand reputation
Google Alerts
A great online watch tool, Google Alerts allows users to keep track of brand mentions. You just have to give keywords that you want to watch for (brands and brands with associated keywords) and set the parameters for your alerts. Google Alerts allows you to select the kind of content you want to find easily. Finally, receive alerts by mail or RSS feed, according to what you choose. It’s certainly the most famous and used tool to monitor online brand reputation.
Mention
Mention is a tool which allows real-time access to all mentions of your brand online. Social media, websites, blogs, forums — all these sources are scanned in order to find mentions. This tool also synchs directly with your social media account and allows you to react directly to mentions. Thanks to the team work feature (share alerts, assign tasks to team members, etc), collaboration is also easy. One of the most useful features of Mention is the analysis tool. Thanks to to this tool, users can export results from not only their brand but also their competitors.
Kurrently
Kurrently is a free online brand reputation tool specializing in tracking real-time social media mentions. Kurrently includes many parameters that help users to personalize their watch. Kurrently allows users to filter results by social media type and to choose speed results display.
Pay attention to your personal online reputation
Simply managing your brand’s online reputation isn’t enough — you also have to think about your personal e-reputation. Indeed, your personal e-reputation informs your brand e-reputation. Thanks to search engines, social media and blogs, everyone has access to your e-reputation. Paying attention to your personal e-reputation is also useful for your personal career because social media can help you with job hunting.
To manage your personal online reputation, take a look at this infographic from KBSD.
