» WHY YOU NEED IT?

Who needs ORM? Well, everyone who is anyone.

FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Big companies and small businesses are the first on our list of potential clients for, well, obvious reasons. Managing reputation online requires an even higher expertise as needed in the real world. I mean, we're talking about The Internet here. We all know how important the Web is when it comes to businesses -- from winning clients, keeping them close with customer service and generally doing business with everyone. __

FOR YOU

Of course, we're also talking of personal branding here. (And if you think this is just for celebrities with legions of fans, um, you're wrong.) Everyone with specialized skills/expertise needs that extra boost in their online presence to complete the package/market themselves. Whether you're an artist, an IT person or freelance worker.

Here's why:

Because you need your presence to be recognized online (mainly for marketing purpose).

Once people know you, it will be a whole lot easier to get the right connections to help your group and earn the trust of your target market.

They say there are two types of business owners: those who are proactively finding ways to protect their reputation and those who want to avail of online reputation management services because they've just been hit by a PR incident.

Remember, the Internet is a huge forum which can make or break you. If you're not actively monitoring the sentiment about your business, it could prove fatal to your brand.

So, your company could be in the middle of closing an M&A deal, trying to find an investor or just selling your product but it all comes down to this: what does the search engine show them about you? A hate site dedicated to your brand? Or a news report about the recent recognition your company received?

No one wants to be known for a bad image. Obviously, you want to be found online while encouraging positive action. The thing is, all it takes is one search result with a negative word attached to your company name for your rep to have a serious dent. What should you do?

In order to rank good results, you have to take the helms. If you don't have an official representation of your brand on the web, someone else will make one for you. We all know how easy it is to complain about your services, dedicate a hate site, write an anger-filled blogpost, make a video or post comments against you. Trolls do those to pass the time, but it becomes serious when ___.

Online Reputation Management

More than Positive Rep.

Web Reputation Management (online identity management / personal branding)

An owner understands that his business’ public image means everything – you could lose partners, employees and customers with a negative one. Just look at companies which neglected their reputation for some time. Can’t find one? Precisely.

And even if you’re not a multinational corporation or a large-scale manufacturer of soda, you can still have a business so an overview of reputation management is in order. It might not be mainstream yet but this sector is gaining attention as people and businesses shift the venue of interaction to the online world.

Your reputation in the real world is not enough

If it’s true that your real world reputation will eventually translate into the online world, then it follows that having a stellar rep irl will fix its online counterpart, right? Not quite. You could do everything right with your business in the real world but without being aware of social media and the risks online, you’re a sitting duck.