More often then not, a lot of people have something in their past that could put their entire business’s reputation at risk. The keyword here is “could,” as you have a number of online marketing strategies you can take to help ensure your brand will be in good standing. After all, your careless mistakes as a teen or college student shouldn’t be the cause of your your business failing.
Savvy Strategy Choices
Businesses raked in an all-time high of nearly $37 billion in online advertising revenues, according to a report from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, proving choosing a strategy that works best for you can come with a major payday. Choices include:
- Social marketing: Promoting your service or product in such a way to point out how they benefit the consumer and society as a whole.
- Ad retargeting: Mashable describes this as using cookies from online consumers to serve up targeted ads for products they may want or use.
- Paid search: Dedicating part of your online marketing budget for a prime spot in related search results on Google and other search engines.
- Product feeds: A list of your products and product details that can be automated and uploaded to e-commerce websites (as Digital-Marketing-Glossary.com points out)
- Affiliate marketing: Partnering with companies to help spread the word about your and their products and services.
Where to Start?
All online strategies can play a role in your company’s overall reputation, but a reputation that may need a bit of protection and amending may best benefit from social marketing and reputation management.
Social Marketing
A prime example of an effective social marketing campaign outlined by CBS Altitude Group is Nike’s campaign that let consumers design their own personalized sneakers. By giving consumers the power of choice, the campaign underscores the value of individuality, perhaps paving the way for an enlightened future full of new ideas rather than a flock of folks following the same old tired and true routine.
If your company is currently doing a good thing for society the move can help downplay any not-so-good behaviors of the past. Read or subscribe to Social Marketing Quarterly for ideas and research about creating and following a social marketing plan.
Additional Reputation Management
Managing your online reputation is an umbrella strategy that applies to your social marketing campaigns as well as any online information. Techniques that can help keep your company reputation intact include:
- Monitoring all online info about your company
- Responding immediately to negative comments and feedback
- Protecting your personal information from Internet exposure
Being on top of all of these aspects means you can stay on top of your company’s reputation, even if your company ends up linked to past unsavory behavior. It also involves a lot of manpower and time to keep track of the massive scope and speed at which the Internet works.
Investing part of your online marketing budget in a service that keeps track of your online reputation, such as Reputation.com, could be a wise move. You’re busy managing your product or service and doing its part to change the world. Taking on every single role, yourself, could detract from your mission.