Mastering Online Reputation: Reputation House’s Serm Strategy Unveiled

Businesses often equate image and reputation. But in fact, these concepts have completely different meanings. We spoke to specialists from the Reputation House agency about what they are, how they differ, and how to work on them.

What is an image?

It is referred to as the “face” of the company, which is formed by a business through telling about itself, its services, and its products. It is created artificially using mainly media tools: logo, advertising, website, slogans, Tone of Voice, and stories about values and traditions. The main tasks of an image are to form the customers’ first impression, attract attention, and cause an emotional decision to cooperate.

In this case, says Reputation House, customer reviews play no role for the company. Let’s assume that a business positions itself as an eco-friendly brand whose products are not tested on animals and do not harm the environment. Its products are very likely to be chosen by those consumers who feel responsible for the environment. That is, the decision to cooperate will be more emotional than rational.

What is reputation?

This is a customer’s opinion of the company, which may differ from the general perception of the business. As they say in Reputation House, it is formed mainly on the basis of customer feedback, depending on the company’s adherence to its values, fulfillment of promises, that is, its behavior, and the quality of work in general. Reputation, unlike image, is formed over time and is more difficult to control since it depends on the opinion and real experience of the target audience.

What is more important?

For example, a car sales business conducted a large-scale marketing campaign, creating an attractive image. But when customers came to the salon, they were met with rude service, a lack of attention from managers, etc. As a result, its reputation suffered significantly, and not even the best marketing tools are able to save it. A negative customer experience will lead to a drop in sales, a decrease in trust, and up to and including a complete refusal to cooperate.

Of course, reputation is much more valuable. It determines whether a company will get long-term support from the audience and whether it will be of interest to them in the future. Positive online reviews give a huge credit of trust, which allows a business to endure even in difficult times.

Reputation House’s management strategy

The agency has been working in the field of reputation management since 2010. It is represented in 8 countries and has more than 200 employees. Some notable milestones include:

• Winning the Best Data Solutions Platform award at The Recap: Tech Innovation Awards 2023
• Being included in the Top Reputation Management Firms (2020)
• Development of an intelligent monitoring system, IQBuzz
• The launch of two mobile apps powered by artificial intelligence which  allow individuals and businesses to monitor the online space for any reputational risks.
  • Reputation House and My Reputation
• Development of the platform “Reputation Check“

The Reputation House team has developed a comprehensive online reputation management strategy that allows to:

• Build and maintain customer trust in the brand. Seeing positive reviews online makes people much more willing to use the company’s products. Working with opinions is carried out in a variety of ways, one of which is in SERM by Reputation House. This is a technology that allows positive content to be brought into the top 10 search results, pushing negativity to the last pages of the output.
• Increase the effectiveness of marketing tools while reducing their costs. The better the perception of the brand by potential customers, the more willing they are to use its services and products.
• Attract qualified personnel. Experienced professionals prefer to accept job offers from employers with a good reputation.
• Become more attractive to partners and other contractors. They will be much more willing to cooperate with a company that cares about its reputation.

SERM specialists from Reputation house work according to an algorithm proven over the years:

1. Its purpose is to identify and evaluate the client’s strengths and weaknesses. For maximum efficiency, the Reputation House team interacts with the client’s marketing department. This allows an up-to-date overview of the informational space around the client’s brand. The prepared analytical data is transferred to other departments for further work.
2. Strategy development and implementation. SERM Reputation House specialists work closely with copywriters, marketers, managers, and editors. They determine the type and volume of content to be supplanted, as well as resources that need special attention. New content in the form of reviews, comments, articles, forum discussions,  and news is prepared and agreed on with the customer. Information is presented exclusively in its native form – without direct advertising, open product demonstration,or calls to action. The team highlights the strong features of the business, shapes the audience’s opinion, refutes negativity, and brings positive content into the top 10 of search results. Reputation House works with reviews very deliberately, pushing out negative comments from the first pages of the search output. The agency’s employees also negotiate with the owners of websites where inaccurate information is posted in order to remove it.
3. At the final stage of SERM in Reputation House, the achieved results are analyzed. Effective channels and methods, as well as optimal format and content, are determined. This allows to adjust the strategy for a new cycle of work, ensuring its effectiveness.

A comprehensive approach to managing online brand perception helps to gain a serious competitive advantage in the digital realm. Thanks to SERM tools from Reputation House, a company will boost its ratings in the online space, create a positive perception of itself, engage customers, and increase partner loyalty.