What does online reputation management mean?
Online reputation management is the name given to processes and strategies that companies and individuals use to maintain and protect their own reputation or brand image on the Internet.
- Monitor online reviews, comments and feedback posted on various platforms such as social media, rating portals and other online channels. The aim is to identify potential problems at an early stage and respond to them appropriately.
- Creating positive online content to manifest and elevate the reputation of a company or individual. This can be achieved through content creation such as blog articles, social media posts, online PR and other methods.
How can TBA support?
TBA-Berlin can support your team in online reputation management by taking over the monitoring and making suggestions, even on very specific individual cases. Questions about specific incidents can of course only be answered by you, we can help there with the factual formulation of the answers and suggest further measures.
Customer reviews for interested parties
Customer reviews and opinions play an important role in the decision-making process of potential customers. Many people look for reviews online before buying a product or service or deciding on a company.
And for Google & Co. they are an important ranking factor as “user signals”. Customer reviews are used by Google & Co. in various ways when assessing the relevance and credibility of a website or company.
Customer reviews for SEO
Important factors that Google & Co. look at closely:
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Number of reviews: The more reviews a company has, the more likely Google is to consider that company relevant and credible, compared to competitors.
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Rating average: Companies with higher ratings are ranked higher by Google than companies with lower ratings.
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Frequency of reviews: Companies that regularly receive reviews from customers are considered more relevant by Google than companies that receive reviews only occasionally (or suddenly many on a few days).
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Quality of ratings: In addition to length, content plays a role: more detailed reviews are generally rated higher than short reviews with little content. If the evaluator adds his own photos, this is especially good.
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Use of keywords: Using certain keywords in reviews can help the business rank higher in search results when users search for those exact keywords.
Most important rating platforms in Germany
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Google My Business: A platform from Google where businesses can manage their company information, photos and reviews. This is probably the most important platform at the moment, especially for local businesses and practices.
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Yelp: A platform where users can rate local businesses and leave feedback.
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Kununu: A platform where employees can post reviews and testimonials about their employers.
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Trusted Shops: A platform that helps companies collect trustworthy reviews from customers.
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Ciao!: A platform where users can rate products, services and companies.
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Qype: A platform where users can rate local businesses and leave feedback.
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golocal.de: A platform where users can rate local businesses and leave feedback.
- Amazon: For products sold there
Industry-specific rating platforms
for doctors
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Jameda: One of the best-known rating platforms for doctors and dentists in Germany.
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DocInsider: A platform where patients can post reviews and testimonials about doctors.
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Sanego: A platform where patients can leave reviews about doctors, clinics and medicines.
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Arzt-Auskunft: A platform of the Association of Private Health Insurers where doctors and clinics can be rated.
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MeinArztbewertung: A platform where patients can publish reviews and experiences about doctors.
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Med-Kolleg: A platform where patients can rate doctors and clinics.
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Patientus: A platform where patients can rate doctors who specialize in digital consultations.
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Bundesärztekammer: A platform of the German Medical Association where patients can rate doctors and give feedback.
for gastronomy and travel industry
- Tripadvisor: A platform where users can rate hotels, restaurants and other tourist attractions.
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HolidayCheck: Over 10 million reviews from travelers in Europe, provides detailed information on hotels, restaurants and attractions.
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Booking.com: online platform for booking hotels, but it also has a large number of reviews of hotels and restaurants from guests who have actually stayed at the hotels or eaten at the restaurants.
Strategies for positive assessment management and promotion
Positive reviews strengthen trust in a company or product and they increase the potential for future business.
If a company neglects or fails to respond to positive reviews, there is a chance that potential customers will think that your company is disinterested or unprofessional.
Good strategies:
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Monitor review platforms regularly: Make sure you have a presence on platforms and monitor them regularly for new reviews.
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Respond to customer reviews: When customers leave positive reviews, be sure to thank them and answer any questions or concerns they may have. In this way, you can boost customer confidence and encourage them to leave positive reviews in the future.
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Leverage social media: Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram offer businesses another way to receive and manage customer reviews and feedback. Post/share positive reviews on your social media channels to boost your image.
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Ask for feedback:
► Encourage customers to leave feedback by sending them emails with surveys or feedback forms.
► When you give documents after successful completions/treatments, include a small printed card with the request for evaluation, with indications on how and where to do it, for example, with a QR code of the web addresses (we can professionally design such a card for them).
► Many shop/restaurant owners also have a sticker with the QR code of their preferred rating portal stuck on the front door (you can also get a sticker through us). -
Be open to criticism: Make sure you listen to suggestions and criticism and make changes to products or services as necessary.
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Offer incentives: Offer customers incentives such as discounts or coupons to encourage them to leave positive reviews.
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Improve your products and services: the best strategy to encourage positive reviews is, of course, to improve your products and services. If you offer a quality product or service and are responsive to customer concerns, they will be more inclined to leave positive reviews.
Dealing with negative reviews
Negative reviews can also negatively impact a company’s reputation and potentially deter future customers.
Important steps to take when faced with negative reviews:
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Read the review carefully and understand what the customer complained about. Take time to fully understand the complaint before responding.
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Remain polite and professional. Even if you disagree with the review, it is important to remain polite and respectful. Do not react “attacked”, offended and with derogatory assessments, even if it is sometimes difficult.
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Avoid escalation: At all costs, avoid getting drawn into a public dispute with the customer, which could escalate the case. Long discussions stand out and make the case seem more important than perhaps it is, provoking further comments of having the “last word.”
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Apologize when appropriate. If the customer has a legitimate reason to complain, you should sincerely apologize and try to resolve the issue. Mistakes happen, customers know that. What is important is how it is handled.
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Offer a solution. Offer a solution that solves the customer’s problem and show that you are willing to solve the problem.
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Use feedback to improve. Try to use the feedback constructively to improve your business and ensure the problem doesn’t happen again.
- In the case of completely out of the air, insulting and defamatory content, there is also the possibility in exceptional cases to have ratings deleted. As a rule, these will violate terms of use of the rating portals, sometimes also the GDPR. In such cases, it may be helpful to consult specialized lawyers in order to present the request for deletion emphatically.
By responding to negative reviews in a professional and positive manner, you can regain customer trust and further improve your business.
The transparency factor
Companies that communicate transparently and openly about their products, services and business practices build trust with their customers and can thus strengthen their reputation online.
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Open and honest communication: Companies should communicate openly and honestly about their products, services and business practices. This means that companies should clearly communicate what they do and how they do it.
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Incorporate customer feedback: Companies should take customer feedback seriously and respond to it. Companies should provide open channels for feedback, such as rating platforms, social media channels or feedback forms.
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Clear privacy policies: Companies should have clear privacy policies and communicate transparently about how they use their customers’ data.
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Open corporate culture: Companies should promote an open corporate culture where employees and customers can express themselves freely and where there is no room for secrecy or hidden information.
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Responsible behavior: Companies should act responsibly and ensure that their business practices are ethical and sustainable.
Special case; crisis!
Crisis reputation management
To minimize potential damage to a company’s reputation in the event of a crisis, the following options are available:
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Detect early: It’s important to identify negative comments or posts about your business early so you can respond quickly and minimize potential damage. Regularly monitor social media, review platforms and other online sources for potential issues.
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Respond quickly and professionally: if you discover a negative comment or post, you should respond quickly and professionally. Offer a sincere apology when appropriate and try to resolve the issue.
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Eliminate the damage: If possible, try to repair the damage by removing the post or correcting incorrect information.
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Use positive content: Create positive content to boost your company’s reputation. Post success stories, customer reviews and other positive information about your business. In the search engines, SEO could be used to try to wrangle one’s content close to or even in front of negative reports.
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Seek professional help: If the damage is particularly severe or you have difficulty solving the problem yourself, professional help should be sought. A specialized online reputation management agency can help improve your company’s online reputation and minimize potential damage. The TBA-Berlin can assist with research.
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Prevention: Prevent such issues from occurring again in the future by ensuring that your company operates ethically and responsibly, with clear communication and transparency at all times.
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