Do you know what people are saying about you online? Consumers today trust personal and peer recommendations and online reviews more than anything else when researching a product, business, or service. Learn how to manage and maintain your online reputation.

1. Your company’s online reputation has never been more important than it is today. In an increasingly social
world, more and more businesses are seeing a growing trend – consumers and customers are going straight
to social media networks and channels to voice their opinions. In fact, consumer opinions online are the
second most trusted form of advertising after personal recommendations.
Social media has allowed consumers to view personal recommendations and online consumer opinions
as many people turn to their online following and relationships to scope out potential buys. After hearing
from their peers, consumers often input a social search for a product, brand, or company to see the kind
of chatter surrounds it. The online conversations about a particular product or brand holds much more
weight in a purchase decision than traditional print, TV, or radio advertising and is often the deciding factor in
whether or not a consumer makes the purchase.
As a result, the online reputation of a product or brand is extremely important in its growth and success,
regardless of whether or not a company is in its infancy or a household name.
Online Reputation Management - Where do YOU stand?
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Online Reputation
Management
While we trust companies with a good reputation and steer clear of companies with a bad reputation, where
do we stand with companies that seem to have either a neutral reputation or seemingly no reputation at all?
And what can these companies do to build a positive reputation and avoid a negative one?
Let’s take a look at some solid examples of companies straddling all sides of reputation – from good to bad
to neutral. And to keep this article honest and relevant, I am sharing my personal experiences and opinions,
much like I would do (and have done) online on my personal social networks.
Virgin America
When you think of Virgin America what comes to mind? Personally, I see a young, hip, affordable airline. As
a San Francisco native who attended college in San Diego and graduate school in New York City, I know a lot
about searching for the cheapest flight. While I loved a competing airline’s cheap airfare and two free bags, I
wasn’t particularly impressed with its lack of online entertainment or absence of certain direct flights. Virgin
America, a direct competitor in the lower price range, completely won me over with its modern, tech-savvy
online flying experience and exceptional customer service.
My loyalty to Virgin America was cemented through its quick online response and caring customer service
team. I expressed my frustration on Twitter with not being able to add my reward points to an upcoming
flight due to their internal system issues and within the hour @VirginAmerica tweeted me asking me to
elaborate. They even followed me in order to engage in a conversation through direct messages and by the
end of the day, my issue was solved and my allegiance was won.
While I loved Virgin America’s witty approach to the on-flight safety speech, awesome internal ambiance,
and tech-savvy in-flight entertainment, it was the unexpected and lightning quick response to my tweet
that proved to me that this was a brand who cared about its customers. Even with hundreds of thousands
of people flying on its planes yearly, Virgin America showed care for individuals. In turn, I am fiercely loyal
to the brand and often recommend Virgin America to friends and colleagues as well as continuously praise
them in my work and on social networks.
Note:
Consumers turn to and trust
what they hear from their
networks and online peers
more than anything else
Tip:
Pay attention to what
people are saying about
you online... then take the
time to RESPOND!
Note:
The ability for something to
go “viral” can greatly help
or hurt your reputation
so pay attention to what’s
happening online.

2. Carnival Cruise Lines
For a few months Carnival Cruise Lines constantly had its place in news headlines, but not for the right
reasons. The company’s reputation took a major hit after the public was exposed to mishap after mishap.
Had it been an isolated incidence of misfortune there might have been room for some damage control, but
unfortunately the company just couldn’t catch a break. So can you blame consumers for being weary to
travel on cruise line that seemed to be accident-prone?
My social media feeds were ripe with discussion about the Carnival Cruise Lines. Most shared the negative
sentiment and stated that they would NEVER (and I mean NEVER) go on a Carnival cruise. Even those who
had previously positive experiences with the company in the past were now adamantly refusing to go on
another. Others, still, added fuel to the fire and commented on other negative aspects of the brand. With
personal recommendations and online consumer opinions topping the charts for who consumers trust, it
seemed like the brand was doomed.
However, there is a silver lining to every negative situation. Is it possible that negative press is better than no
press? Because while people may have been talking badly about the brand, the fact remains that they were
still talking about it. And though I was constantly met with confusion when I expressed my desire to still go
on a cruise, the disbelief set in when they found out I was seriously considered going with Carnival. Because
in the midst of all the negative attention, I knew the company’s executives were pulling out their hair trying
to figure out a way to apologize to the public and regain its trust. One very likely tactic would be lowering
the cruise rates… significantly. So while many others still scoffed and adamantly said no to Carnival, there
are the folks like me who’d be a little more forgiving and willing to take the chance if the price cut were
significant enough.
Note:
Happy customers are more
likely to become lifelong
customers and recommend
your brand to a friend.
Tip:
Take a look at the bigger
picture of the space you’re
in to see where you stand
among your competition.
Tip:
No business is immune to
a crisis or disaster. Make
sure you have a crisis
communication plan ready
to go in case one arises
Financial Institutions
So now that we’ve looked a little into companies who typically have a positive or a negative online
reputation, let’s take a look in a different direction… one that is very rarely talked about but holds a potentially
interesting place in the world of online reputation management. What about the companies that are rarely
talked about or those what have a very neutral reputation across the board? Where do they stand in the
world of online reputation?
Viralheat recently took a look at the top financial institutions in the United States to try and get a read on
which has the best reputation with consumers online. The results were surprising – while it seems that many
of these large institutions are vilified in the news, it turns out that they all have very similar sentiment across
the board. Not one institution is significantly better or significantly worse than the rest.
These financial service institutions can take advantage of this discovery by making the effort to improve their
online reputation. Imagine the reaction to current and potential customers if they were to see a bank with
an extraordinary online reputation according to other consumers. It may be the determining factor for those
contemplating a switch in financial institutions. Because so many people take to social media to voice their
opinions, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, wants, and needs, companies who are looking to boost their online
reputation should turn to social networks to find the conversations happening about them. Upon locating
these lively, real-time discussions, brands should jump in and do their best to rectify a situation, boost
morale, or answer any questions.

3. How to reach us
Email: info@viralheat.com
Web: www.viralheat.com
Note:
Take note at who your
biggest online influencers
are and reach out to them
to develop a relationship.
Tip:
Use a social media
monitoring tool to stay on
top of all mentions of our
brand or product online.
Tip:
If your online reputation
is mediocre at best, take
the time to cultivate
relationships to build and
boost your reputation with
your audience.
About Viralheat:
Viralheat is the social media marketing suite that makes it easy for you to manage social and put it to work for
your business. Trusted by more than 20,000 brands, Viralheat combines social media management and intel-
ligence in a single platform encompassing account management, monitoring, publishing, engagement, and
analytics. With its comprehensive platform and flexible pricing, Viralheat easily scales as your social programs
and business needs evolve.
Maintaining, improving, or establishing a solid online reputation should be at the forefront of business plans
across all markets. This opens the doors to identifying your direct audience and building lasting relationships
with customers. The better your relationship with your consumers, the more likely it is for them to become
lifelong loyal customers who recommend you to their friends and networks. Luckily there are tools out
there that can help businesses monitor and manage their online reputations. Take a look at how one agency
uses a social media marketing suite to monitor its clients’ reputations. All the right avenues and vehicles are
there for a business to monitor, manage, build, or maintain their online reputations for continued growth and
success… are you paying attention to your online reputation?