6 Must-Have Online Reputation Management Tools
The internet is a wonderful tool that has literally transformed the lives of nearly everyone on the planet. This complicated series of fiber optic cables and wireless transmissions, switches and software create a worldwide network that allows for the movement of voice, video and text anywhere in the world at nearly the speed of light.
The invention of the internet has allowed for humanity and businesses to quickly access information, purchase things from anywhere in the world, store and retrieve any type of records, automate our cars and several other forms of appliances, access our money any hour of the day, enjoy live and filmed entertainment interactively, and do dozens of other tasks and activities utilizing internet connected devices that range from computers to smartphones, to wristwatches.
The key to the power of the internet is that it connects us together and gives us access to each other 24/7 and 365 days of the year. There is no doubt that the internet rivals or surpasses the greatest inventions of all time.
But although the internet provides wonderful benefits to anyone who uses it, it also has its drawbacks and some of these can cause serious problems for individuals and businesses.
This article will discuss one particular downside to the internet and how online reputation management can be used as an effective tool to protect yourself. Included are the top reputation management tools for 2020. They can be used to protect yourself, and your company against damage to your reputation. But to be clear, although these tools are quite effective, they should be combined with hiring a top digital marketing firm that specializes in online reputation management like Local Digital to work with you and ensure that you are fully covered.
What is Online Reputation Management
Online reputation management is the practice of attempting to shape public perception of a person or organization by influencing online information about that entity. It is also the act of removing or limiting any negative information that appears online about a person or entity.
One of the downsides of the internet is its ability to give anyone a platform to disseminate information – as long as you have access to an internet connection you can write anything about anyone on the internet. Whether it is a social media post, a website or blog, or one of several other ways to upload data online, a person or organization has nearly free access to the distribution power of the internet. In addition, any information uploaded whether accurate of made up is immediately disseminated and searchable online. And this information will stay online forever unless it is removed.
For individuals and companies with a need or desire to understand, protect and control what is said about them online, online reputation management is an indispensable service. Online reputation management utilizes a set of tools and strategies to remove unwanted information on the internet or to bury it so deep that it is difficult to locate. It is also a powerful tool to understand how you are perceived online. The top online reputation management tools allow you to respond to those making mention of you. And the smartest companies use all of this date to improve their companies in addition to protecting their brands.
For anyone individual or company with a concern about negative information being either currently placed on the internet or in the future or who want to get close to customers and potential customers, online reputation software is a necessary tool.
Here are the top online reputation management tools for 2020.
1. HootSuite
No company can beat HootSuite as an in-depth social media reputation management tool. The software is the market leader in in customer sentiment analytics relating to your brand. HootSuite contains the widest variety of filters and an ability to target particular groups or types to get an understanding of how they feel about your brand. Use the software to determine how people feel about your brand based on keyword, location or even hashtag and use this info to determine your reputation management strategies. There is a free version but the paid version is so much more powerful giving you a range of tools that let you zero in on customer and potential customer sentiments.
2. Reputology
If you have a need to track reviews of your name, company, products or services anywhere on the internet, Reputology does an outstanding job. More and more people are going to review sites to get customer and reviewer feedback on a product or service or to determine whether a brand is highly thought of before they make a purchase. The software lets you track what people are saying on review sites about you. Site like Yelp and Trip Advisor are great examples of where your brand might appear and Reputology will provide you with alerts when someone writes something about you on these and other sites that cater to your industry. The software is easy to use and is filled with features.
3. Brand Reputation
Some companies realize the benefits of being able to determine how your customers feel about your brand. This data can be very useful in developing or modifying products, services, and marketing and sales campaigns. Brand Reputation by Digimind is the perfect tool for letting any individual or company analyze and take action on how you, your brand or company offerings are discussed on blogs, websites, journals and social discussions. You can use this information to determine how you are perceived and if that perception is positive or negative. The analysis is done on the fly giving you an ability to make decisions that make up-to-the-minute impact.
4. Google Alerts
Listed in the top online reputation management since it was created, Google Alerts is deceptively simple, yet powerful. The tool allows you to receive automated alerts any time your name, brand or products are mentioned on the internet. When this happens you receive and email alert and the information on where the mention occurred. Google Alerts does not have many of the bells and whistles of many of the software listed here, but it is accurate and can be programmed easily. For a simple and effective online reputation management tool, this one delivers.
5. Brand24
You need a tool that can locate something mentioned about you or your company no matter where it resides on the Internet and you need it when it happens. In terms of real time data collection tools that do a comprehensive scan of the internet, Brand24 is a top choice. It offers a free to try and a paid service version that lets you create multiple accounts. The software scans for any relevant information on Google reviews, forums, news websites, social media sites, and even in videos. And provides you with a complete and constantly updating list. It can give you the information all together or allow you to search for a particular date or time period and you can filter based on certain words and phrases.
6. BrandMentions
Too often online reputation tools excel at finding instances of your name or brand on social media sites but do a poor job finding them on other websites. BrandMentions excels at both social media and all other mentions on any types of websites. Whether it is a review site, news organization, video, blog post, or other, the software will send an alert to you. The software also goes to the next step allowing you to use the information you discover for business purposes. Some of the mentions you discover will be positive mentions and the software lets you respond to those mentions directly. The software also lets you view what your competitors are doing in terms of keywords and their online marketing strategies.
Each of these tools offers a great way for you to manage your company’s reputation online and to use the date you collect to make your company more successful.
About the Author
John Guevara is an Outreach Specialist and Content Editor at Local Digital. He is the adventurous type and he is never afraid to take on new challenges. He likes tech-related stuff, but he is also crazy about cars and motorcycles.
