ORM programs are a tactical response to a strategic problem. They involve a variety of mechanical steps designed to bury negative information on the Internet. Tactically, these steps can and often do work. But strategically, they do nothing to prevent future reputation crises when people post negative comments that go viral on the Internet.
Hiring an ORM firm is like taking a pill to mask a deep-seated medical problem. It makes the symptom go away for a while and makes you feel better. But without addressing the underlying condition, your symptoms may get worse and ultimately kill you. The same is true with reputation management. If there’s negative information about you on the Internet, it's better to ask yourself why people are complaining and how you can prevent complaints in the future. Only by asking hard questions will you be able to create a strong and sustainable business reputation. Companies with excellent reputations can weather isolated reputation “events” without spending money on ORM firms.
So how do you create a strong reputation without an ORM firm? First, understand that reputation is multi-faceted. It consists of the perceptions and expectations—true or false—that the public has about you. Everything you do—as a person and as a business—has an impact on your reputation. And the biggest impact occurs when your decisions and behavior affect customer experience.
To have a truly strong reputation, you need to become the most ethical outstanding and operationally excellent firm you can be. And the only way to do that is to walk down the following six paths.
1. Commit fully to ethics and compliance—In other words, commit yourself to adopting ethical business practices and to complying fully with all laws and regulations. This involves “walking the talk” by expecting ethical and compliant behavior from all employees, strategic partners, management—and yourself!
2. Offer truly excellent products and services—Don’t offer “good enough” products and services. Strive to develop and sell market-leading offerings that attract fans to your firm. Most important, make sure your company is perceived as a high-value provider. You might not offer the cheapest prices, but over the long term, you should try to provide the greatest value.
3. Become an effective and ethical brand marketer—Even if you sell tangible “widgets,” understand that you are in the business of creating intangible consumer impressions. Strive to create positive, yet reasonable, expectations, and then to exceed those expectations at every point of customer contact. And in your marketing program, make sure you communicate truthfully. What you gain in the short term by stretching the truth you’ll lose in the long run by triggering negative Internet reviews.
4. Provide truly excellent customer service—Customer abandonment is not an ethical business practice. Once a customer buys your product or service, support the person after the sale. Help him or her make effective use of the product and respond quickly to any problems that may arise.
5. Become a great employer—It’s easy to be a good employer. But it’s difficult to become a great one. Set your sights on becoming the latter type by valuing and rewarding your employees. Start by designing jobs in such a way that employees are excited to come to work. Then make sure to solicit—and to hear—their concerns. Finally, reward their contributions both financially and non-financially. If you treat employees as true partners in excellence, you will become known as an “employer of choice.” Soon, job candidates will be finding you rather than you having to recruit them.
6. Manage your online reputation—Although we don’t believe in ORM as a substitute for creating strong reputation, we do think it’s important for business owners and professionals to monitor their online reputations and to respond when problems surface. To these ends, make sure to take control of your reputation by publishing profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, and other sites. Also, monitor conversations about you on Facebook, Google+, on review sites, and in the blogosphere. When negative comments occur, respond judiciously with an apology and an offer to make things right.
In short, growing a strong reputation isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about doing business ethically, legally, and with a commitment to excellence. Do the following and you will develop a sterling reputation that no one can tarnish:
• Offer a great product or service.
• Do business with integrity.
• Follow the law.
• Tell the truth.
• Sell people what they need.
• Provide service after the sale.
• Engage with the public online.