EC: Protect Online Reputation


Protect Online Reputation from Digital Vandals

Why are so many companies obsessed with learning how to protect online reputation? The reputation of a business is essential to maintaining its customer base and continued profitability. Customer complaints, derogatory comments, and deleterious media coverage can create an undesirable Internet presence for any business.

Sadly, there are also those who delight in sabotaging a company’s online reputation. A number of potential culprits that are known to engage in such acts of digital vandalism include ruthless competitors, dissatisfied customers, disgruntled employees, former spouses, Internet trolls, and other sinister entities. RepManagement.com is a recognized reputation management firm that is experienced with providing innovative solutions to reputation crises. Prospective clients are able to request a free consultation to discuss their public relations needs and determine the best strategies to improve the client’s online reputation.

The Tactics of Unethical Competitors

Sometimes desperate competitors engage in the unscrupulous practice of attacking their rivals. These attacks can take the form of deceitful allegations, false claims, negative reviews, and bad press releases. Competitors will play dirty and commit heinous acts such as spamming competing URLs and poisoning the quality of links, causing the competition’s search engine ranking to decrease. A company is often blissfully unaware of the attacks that are being undertaken. Companies need to protect online reputation using a trustworthy reputation management firm that is able to actively monitor their status and take immediate corrective actions.

Are They Really Dissatisfied Customers?

Businesses want to make their customers happy. But, sometimes, a customer will be dissatisfied and will write online reviews documenting their experiences. Online reviews, such as those on Yelp, will populate search results and can really impact a company’s reputation.

It is not unusual for a business to occasionally receive a negative review. If a company notices trends in negative reviews and comments from customers that do not coincide with their normal business practices, then there is a chance that these are not written by customers. The only way to defend against these types of cyber-attacks on your reputation is to monitor your reviews and use a reputation management firm to help combat the negative publicity.

Handling Disgruntled Employees

Employees should be your company’s most valuable asset. But, sometimes a staff member will become discontented and will voice their resentment about your business online. This airing of your company’s dirty laundry can be quite concerning, and result in damage to your reputation. Past employees will sometimes use their creditability as a former employee to make unsubstantiated allegations about a company and its staff. These false claims can run the gambit from business practices, to diversity issues, and even sexual harassment complaints.

A trustworthy reputation management firm will be able to counter these false allegations and restore your online reputation. Depending on the situation, there might be legal recourse available to companies; therefore, it is important to consult with a legal adviser whenever a business’s reputation is damaged by a current or former employee of that business. It is also suggested that businesses consult with their lawyer to determine the best course of action.

Chaos Theory and Trolling the Internet

Trolling refers to the activities of a person who engages in incendiary writings that are designed to antagonize and anger their target. A troll will identify a subject for their attack and then begin to post information and comments about their target. The more insidious trolls will attempt to disguise their actions as legitimate, and then escalate the situation until it becomes a big ball of angry chaos. The objective of most trolls is to cause anger and mayhem. Unfortunately, for businesses, the damages can be long-lasting and have fiscal consequences. Active monitoring of social media sites and feedback forums by reputation management firms assists companies in quickly identifying and halting trolls.

What Happens if I Don’t Protect Online Reputation?

The consequences of failing to protect your business’s online reputation can be shocking. A poor reputation can result in elevated stress levels, a reduced customer base, lower sales, and eventually could ruin your business and result in bankruptcy. Depending on the nature of your reputation crisis, you may even face boycott threats, hate mail, and undesired media attention.

Using a reputation management firm such as RepManagement.com will provide your company with the support it needs to recover from damages to its reputation. If handled correctly, a good reputation counseling service will be able to successfully repair reputation, improve public relations, and continue to provide your company with ongoing support to protect online reputation.