Online Reputation Management Blog

Online Reputation Management for Investment Professionals

September 1, 2013 by 1 Comment

reputation-management-for-investment-professionalsFrom Bayou to Bernie Madoff, it feels like every day brings a new scandal in the investment world.  From hedge funds to venerable investment banks, after each scandal, new regulations are put into place to protect consumers and civil and criminal enforcement actions follow.  After the Great Recession and the collapse of the some of the biggest names on Wall Street, people are skeptical about trusting anyone with their money and retirement savings. Consumers are checking references and even searching online for disciplinary actions and other evidence of unprofessional behavior or misconduct.

Investment professionals, financial planners and investment advisers need to take a proactive approach to managing their online reputation.  Below are some online reputation management recommendations for investment professionals.

1.  Strength in numbers.  Join a networking group like the National Association of Investment Professionals (NAIP) or the Finanical Planning Association and become an active contributor on LinkedIn, the largest online professional network in the world.  Networking with experienced practitioners and potential referral sources in complementary practice areas, like accounting and estate planning, will provide you with daily advice and additional resources to market and grow your business.   You will also discover opportunities to speak at or attend conferences and other industry events, establishing your expertise on personal finance and wealth management related topics.

2.  Monitor your name.  Setting up a simple Google alert can help you save time when monitoring your name and your firm’s name.  A Google alert will allow you to be contacted immediately when your name is mentioned in the news or online so you can take immediate action.

3.   Give your website a makeover.  If you haven’t changed or updated your Web site in the past few years, maybe it’s time for a renovation?  Google, Bing and other search engines are favoring Web sites that have social sharing features and are updated frequently.  Adding a blog is a great way to educate and inform clients about the latest tax changes, investment news and market research to help your clients achieve their financial goals and will increase traffic to your site.

4.  Leverage social media.  Don’t underestimate the power of social media marketing for an investment professional.  Facebook allows you to target potential clients and referral sources in your local area.  Google+ is an emerging platform which allows you to effectively separate your personal and professional connections.  If your firm policies allow you to post or solicit endorsements and testimonials associated with your LinkedIn profile, you will have a tremendous advantage over your competitors who may not be as socially savvy.  Getting your name out there in a positive, managed way will help you win clients and reduce the visibility of any negative results that may show up on Google.

5.  Get help with reputation management.  A top-rated online reputation management company like Reputation Rhino can help you create a powerful, positive online presence in compliance with applicable state, federal and SRO regulations.  Negative posts about you cannot be removed, but an online reputation management firm can help you respond to online defamation and enhance a positive, authentic image that will promote and protect your business.

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Online Reputation Management for Restaurants

August 15, 2013 by 1 Comment

reputation-management-for-restaurantsThe Taco Bell beef scandal will probably go down in history as a great example of how to use social media to repair your reputation in the face of negative press.  Based on a former employee’s claims, Taco Bell came under fire for stating that its meat is “seasoned beef” when it contains oat products as a part of its seasoning. The issue is that oat products are filler, not seasoning, which lowers the classification of the beef. Taco Bell’s reputation defenders, in the best tradition of modern crisis communications, dedicating its website to the controversy and taking to Twitter with a mixture of serious tweets (from the CEO) and  links to humorous news about the scandal (like video from the Colbert Report, which was referring to the controversy as “tacogate”).  Staying consistent with their fun image, yet seriously addressing the problem, gave Taco Bell an advantage when communicating with its core customers.

You don’t need to have the marketing budget of Taco Bell to succeed in improving your restaurant’s online reputation.  Below are some reputation management tips for restaurant owners:

1.  Monitor online customer reviews.  Websites like Yelp, Urbanspoon and Google+ for business let customers discuss their dining experience at your restaurant.  As these user-feedback type websites gain popularity and exposure from Google and other leading search engines, restaurants around the country are paying attention to online reputation management.

However, a recent study by The NPD Group found that online reviews and recommendations do not drive a ton of business to restaurants.  The survey found that only 14 percent of diners’ destination decisions were influenced by online reviews.  This is good news for restaurant owners who have received negative reviews online since it may not have a huge impact on their business.  Regardless of the statistics, restaurant owners can’t ignore online reviews and no business owner is willing to give up on 14 percent of potential customers.

2.  Use social media to connect with diners.  While The NPD Group’s study found that diners aren’t as likely to choose a restaurant based on online reviews, they did find that diners are highly motivated by deals and special offers.  More than one-third of dining decisions were based on what deals and specials the restaurant was offering.  Use Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and other social media sites to communicate your daily specials to your existing and potential customers.  Offer exclusive deals to Facebook users and encourage feedback on review sites.

3.  Share your secrets and your specials.  Start a blog to share some insider tips to engage your customers.  Post recipes, hold contests and offer prizes to drive traffic to your restaurant and connect to your best customers.

4.  Hire an internet reputation management company.  Leave online reputation management to the experts so you can focus on running your restaurant.  A highly rated online reputation management firm will help you achieve positive search results, while diminishing the visibility and impact of negative reviews.  While you can’t delete negative reviews, you can fight back with a strong, positive online public relations campaign.  An online reputation management company, like Reputation Rhino, can help you grow your business by making sure your customers see your restaurant at its very best.

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How to Remove a Complaints.com Complaint

August 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

Business Reputation ManagementWhen someone has a bad experience with your company, service or product, you expect that they will tell as many people as possible. It’s human nature and a fact of life for reputation management companies who are called upon to help a business deal with a public relations crisis.  Stories of on-time delivery, friendly customer service or accurate billing does not make for interesting conversation in “real-life” or online.

However, on the Internet, people can hide behind their anonymity and embellish on their negative experience, or even invent a bad experience. Read on to find out what should you do if someone is posting a negative review on a popular website like Complaints.com about your company.

How does Complaints.com work?

One of the main differences between Complaints.com and other review sites is that Complaints.com aims to engage the businesses in a dialogue with the complainant. Their hope is that the complaints, which score high in Google rankings, will be heard by the company. They encourage posters to describe their experience and close with what they hope to achieve through posting their complaint.

How can I remove or amend a complaint?

Posts can only be removed by the original poster, working with Complaints.com’s administrative team. Complaints.com does not alter or remove the posts by themselves.

How can I reply to a complaint?

Complaints.com encourages business to engage in the conversation. There is a form to fill out, which allows the business to address the complaints of the original poster.

Before engaging with anyone on Complaints.com, it’s important to engage the original poster by specifically addressing their issue and coming up with a solution to change it.

The best course of action is to consult with an online reputation management company before engaging with any member on Complaints.com. In addition to utilizing search engine optimization techniques to elevate positive things people are saying about you or your company online and suppressing negative content, a reputation management firm can help you craft an appropriate response to a site like Complaints.com.

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Online Reputation Management for Insurance Companies and Insurance Agents

August 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

reputation-management-for-insurance-companiesNegative blog posts can quickly go viral and reputation management can’t always repair the damage, as Progressive Insurance recently found out.  An angry consumer posted a blog on Tumblr detailing the struggles his family had with Progressive Insurance following the death of his sister in a car accident.  His sister was insured with Progressive; the man who killed her was underinsured.  Progressive declined to cover her significant expenses.

The family was forced to sue the person who caused the accident in order to force Progressive to pay up.  In a shocking move, Progressive actually sent a team of lawyers to defend the at-fault driver in order to avoid paying out on the policy.  The post caused a firestorm on social media.

The bereaved family ultimately won the case, but for Progressive, the reputational damage left Flo flummoxed…

The Progressive Insurance example demonstrates how quickly a customer complaint can spin out of control and be magnified under the harsh light of social media.  It is an important lesson in online brand reputation management.

The following strategies can help you keep your insurance company or insurance agency out of trouble.

1.  React quickly when faced with criticism online.  You’ve probably already encountered unhappy customers; it’s the nature of the insurance business.  But when people who are upset and stressed take out their feelings without a filter online, you need to be prepared to react immediately.  Set up Google alerts or a more advanced social media monitoring service so that any mention of you or your company (and employees) is immediately emailed to you.  This will help you immediately react to the comments.  While you’ll need to work quickly to respond to the negative comments, still take the time to cool down and proofread your response before posting it to a site like Yelp.com or via Twitter or Facebook. The last thing you want to do is argue with a customer online.

2.  Ask clients to give you an online review.  To help prevent negative comments from making it to the front page of a Google search, ask your happy clients to give you a positive online review.  By proactively working on your online image, you will have a fence of goodwill to keep out negative reviews.

3.  Communicate actively via social media.  Use Facebook and Twitter to talk to your customers on a daily basis.  Don’t just wait till a crisis when you need to do online reputation repair.  Offer tips on how to save money on insurance, explain the different kinds of products available and respond to customer questions and concerns.  By offering advice, especially on how to save money, you are positioning yourself as an insurance expert and your company as a “go to” provider.

4.  Hire a reputation management agency.  It’s hard to manage an online public relations campaign and your insurance practice. Hiring a top-rated online reputation management firm will help you dominate the first page of Google while helping to bury any negative reviews or defamatory posts.

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