Corporate standards are higher than ever. Now, consumers expect that brands invest in the environment and treat workers ethically. These topics often affect consumers’ buying decisions. In other words, an adverse headline on workers’ rights could make potential clients overlook years of social responsibility work.
Intolérance towards racial and gender intolerance, as well as religious intolerance, is also at a record high. This means that inappropriate comments on social media or tone deaf advertisements could spark outrage in the public and harm your reputation over time. Customers may not enter your business if you have a bad brand image. It could also damage partnerships, strategic investments and growth opportunities.
Google yourself to understand the scope of any reputation issues you may have. You shouldn’t stop at clicking on the two first results. You should look closely at the most search getdandy results you can. As an example, we analyze thousands of results, sometimes even hundreds. You can track any patterns and trends that you observe. Do all the negative results stem from one single event? Are there poor reviews from customers?
You can easily focus only on negative search results. It’s crucial to assess your overall online reputation by examining both your strengths, and weaknesses. Who are your supporters? What about your critics? Which of your most important content gaps are you experiencing? What is the number of assets that you can control?
A single website is an excellent starting point. However, having several domains allows you to create a digital footprint that includes content under your control. This will prevent others from buying similar domain names to you in an attempt to harm your reputation. Finally, having multiple web assets can make it more difficult for others to manipulate your narrative.
Before you begin, perform a reputational-risk assessment in order to determine the baseline sentiment for your brand. You can then identify issues and problems before they spread. The public’s opinion of your company is important. It also helps you to understand how you compare with your competitors and the industry as a whole.
To prevent negative content from swarming onto Google’s front page, it is important to create a barrier of digital assets to block the flow. It’s important to remember that you will need 10 assets at minimum in order to cover the entire first page of search results. However, it is better to aim higher.
Google prefers to use properties owned or controlled by you when performing branded searches. As long as your social profiles, websites and blogs are relevant and active, they should be included in your digital fortress. Depending on the search query, some third-party sites like Wikipedia and online review websites, as well as videos, images, or articles may be prominently featured by search engines.
Once you’ve secured your main digital assets, look beyond Google’s first page. Develop a strategy for securing interviews, sending journalists pitches, or writing your own articles on thought leadership. You can discuss your philanthropy and social responsibility. Also, you could talk about industry advancements, strategic partnerships, or even your own philanthropy.
Be everywhere online, but for the right reason. By positioning yourself as an authority, you will gain more trust from customers. You can also own more of your search engine landscape. You can also amplify the brand mentions if your social profiles are optimized.