Using online reputation to build a community of advocates

Key to driving website traffic and converting online sales is building and maintaining a clearly defined online reputation management strategy to enhance your business’s public image and community advocacy.

An online reputation management strategy combines all your business’s digital marketing activities and forms how a brand communicates with its audience, providing a guideline for the type of engagement you want from your multiple marketing channels, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and business-to-customer relations, whether that is B2B or B2C.

A strong online reputation creates the foundation for your activities online, helping to distinguish your brand/company from others within the same market and stand out to new and existing customers while showing off the best version of itself to new and potential customers.

Conversely, if your online reputation management strategy has been handled poorly, your business may suffer detrimental effects, such as dissatisfied customers who can voice these issues online for the rest of the world and your potential customers to see.

A recent study revealed that 91% of those surveyed read online reviews before making a purchase, and 84% said they trust online reviews as much as a recommendation by a friend or relative. This striking figure displays the importance of developing a robust online reputation alongside creating and maintaining positive relationships between brand and audience.

Presuming that your online reputation management strategy has succeeded, the next step will be to transform these satisfied customers into a cohesive group of advocates for your business and brand. Once a positive relationship has been established, you need to provide a platform for this community to interact with your company, each other, and new/potential customers.

As mentioned earlier, online reviews and a space for your community to leave and share them can be very advantageous for a company, as positive online reviews not only provide “free” word-of-mouth advertising but also build a level of credibility and trust for new and existing customers related to your brand.

Maintaining and continually evolving a website for your business is also a key element to reinforcing your reputation and creating a hub for your community. An easy-to-use, accessible and modern website should accurately reflect your brand, appeal to your audience and create positive engagement.

Another channel essential to growing a community of advocates is social media, as much of the buzz and hype surrounding any brand will be centred around its social media presence. It’s essential to create a place for your community to gather and share content, and this is through the social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc.) where your target audience is most active and aligned with your brand.

As a social media network designed for business professionals, LinkedIn is a perfect platform for B2B reputation building and is a great way to create a network to gain new clients, potential partners and professional business advocates.

Being active in these communities yourself will further boost the effectiveness of these platforms, whether that activity is through creating and sharing original content or simply engaging with and responding to your community. These practices will foster consumer loyalty and improve the overall customer experience.