Online Reputation Management: The New PR

Traditionally, a company’s reputation was managed by its public relations division. This usually involved advertising campaigns, on TV and radio, press releases, charitable donations and other things that are all but designed to give a business a good public face.

These strategies are still being used today, but modern technology has put a whole new dimension on PR and reputation management. Not only do companies have to put forth a positive image in the press and television, but they must do so online as well.

Online reputation management has been called the new PR for a reason. When most people want to know about a company and what it has to offer, the first thing they do these days is look it up in a Google search. This is all well and good, but what happens when the first search result that people come across is a scathingly negative review from an unsatisfied customer? The Internet gives practically everyone around the world an anonymous voice to express their opinions, and that anonymity has made people more bold and more willing to badmouth anything that they don’t like. Unsatisfied customers no longer merely tell their friends about a bad experience with a company; they go online and write their opinions on message boards where they can be read by anybody throughout the world.

More people get their news from the Internet than ever before, so it’s not enough for a company’s PR division to stick to the tried-and-true methods of reputation management. They must branch out into the world of Facebook, Twitter and Yelp to make sure that their potential customers are hearing good news about their company. News travels fast online, a fact that could either help or hurt a company. Online reputation management is a must if you want your company to thrive in the 21st Century.