Measure and manage your employer brand reputation

Before the internet, it wasn’t so easy for the public to voice their opinions about your company. Now, in an increasingly virtual world, customer and employee reviews carry a tremendous amount of weight. That’s why promoting a positive online reputation needs to be an everyday priority.

Quick ways to do that include:

• Maintaining consistency across all channels.
• Ensuring that all information on listing sites is correct.
• Encouraging positive customer feedback online.
• Carefully addressing negative reviews when necessary.

An active approach to online brand management can help you take control of the conversation surrounding your company and prevent negative perceptions that hurt business. In addition, a company reputation brand guide can be a helpful tool for your employees.

Many channels can affect your company’s brand reputation. Some can be controlled, while others cannot. Here are three essential areas to consider:

Social media presence: The whole world is online today, including your company’s brand reputation. It’s essential to monitor, manage, and be intentional about your social media presence.

Online reviews: Whether positive or negative, online reviews have a substantial impact on the public’s perception of your company. Respond to positive reviews and use them to develop your brand. Address negative reviews in a similar manner and use them as an opportunity to improve.

Market research: Understanding the ever-changing market is critical to maintaining a solid reputation. Stay on top of trends and know when the time is right for a rebrand.

Monitoring your company’s online reputation should extend beyond looking at your social media accounts and other company mentions. The following tools can help your monitoring efforts and provide valuable insights:

Google Alerts: This free tool allows you to enter your company name or any other text string and receive alerts via email whenever it is mentioned on sites Google indexes.

SEMrush: This tool allows you to monitor your online mentions, find industry influencers, analyze sentiment, measure your reach, and more.

Reputology: This program can help you manage and monitor online reviews on social media and across different review sites within your industry.

Laura Brinton is content marketing director at Energage, a Philadelphia-based employee survey firm. Energage is The Washington Post’s survey partner for Top Workplaces.