As the New Year begins, we thought it would be a good idea to investigate some of the trends in the online reputation management industry. Without a doubt, some of these might phase-out in mere weeks, but others will definitely stay for the long run.
When it comes to managing a brand’s online reputation, the emphasis on success is without question the most important outcome.
As strategies are developed to effectively give you the desired outcome, we’re going to take a look at some of the trends during the early-stage and determine whether they’re capable of delivering the desired outcome.
Without further ado, let’s start listing the online reputation management trends for 2024.
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1. Replace Short-Term With Long-Term
Source: medium
What was previously a short-term solution to your ORM now simply doesn’t work anymore.
This is partly due to Google’s change of algorithms where credibility is rewarded for those that implement a long-term strategy. Google will not allow online brands to trick their customers into thinking they are the “be-all and end-all” in their respective niche, and it will take you much longer to become the trusted brand.
This, of course, is something that the community was desperate for, as too many brands were marketing themselves to be the problem solver, only for them to pull out in mere months. This also comes to no one’s surprise, as Google tends to change and improve their algorithms as technology advances. What online brands don’t know is probably the fact that Google also expects them to change along, and it seems that the only way to do it is through long-term strategies.
2. Backlinks Are Getting Big Again
Source: begindot
Building a backlink profile has never been more important. If you aren’t aware of this trend, or know about it but haven’t started it yet, then you’re already behind.
A backlink strategy is a strategy that allows you to create a large number of backlinks that link directly to your website. A backlink strategy takes a lot of time, hence why you’re already behind in the race.
There are many ways to create a backlink profile and a solid strategy, but why is that important in online reputation management?
Well, as ORM is all about spreading the word on “who said what”, a backlink is what essentially tells the reader who said that. For example, a backlink is a simple “click here, this website, example.com” phrase. The person that requests the backlink will be given a link and it will take the reader to his website whenever the reader clicks on the link.
This is a very solid strategy and a trend for ORM that has been around ever since the beginning of the World Wide Web.
3. Rewards For Brands That Create Excellent Content
Source: asapdatasystems
When it comes to holding a good reputation, it’s all about the level of quality you’re providing to your visitors.
If brands want a way to manage their online reputation, then why not have your viewers manage it for you? This can easily be achieved if you create excellent content that drives traffic and sales.
A clear example of a successful platform that manages to drive more and more traffic by the minute is YouTube. While text is the most popular media on the World Wide Web, it is graphics and videos that drive the most traffic.
What was previously a video strategy that will drive sales is now a strategy that seeks to educate people and provide educational material.
If you want to establish yourself in your own niche market, then the best way to do it and manage your reputation is by creating excellent infographics and video content, according to digital marketing experts at Medianovas.
4. Manage Your Reputation Through Influencers
Source: breeze
Many people thought that 2024 would be the year to end influencers. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth due to multiple reasons.
First off, various social media platforms don’t want to eliminate the people that drive most of their traffic. Secondly, these people are starting to become the center of attention in our society. Celebrities, musicians, actors, athletes, talk show hosts, and influencers are the people that are getting most of the search results.
It is because of this simple reason why influencers will never disappear, and you can use that to your advantage.
Namely, what better way to increase your brand’s name than through a person of high influence? But there is a way to do it.
This has been an ORM trend ever since the first influencers came to be. And since the trend is so old, people are starting to see past through the fake curtains and know that the person is only in it for the money. If you are trying to manage your reputation through the use of influencers, then you need to be smart about it.
People aren’t dumb they are quite smart, and they know a fake ad when they see one. People will only respond to real people, people within that particular niche. The emphasis on “real” is so heavy that you cannot employ an influencer who likes to dress nice and do their makeup for your totally unrelated brand.
If you want to come off as truly authentic and real, then you need to use influencers within your niche. Never settle for something fake and forced, and always focus on creating honest branding.
5. Engage With Your Customers
Source: powerdigitalmarketing
A truly no brainer thing to do, a brand must stay connected with their customers to look real in their eyes.
This is yet another trend that correlates with the need for authenticity and realism. The best way to manage your reputation is to respond to your customers and continue that way even when you grow big.
In a study regarding online shopping, as much as 75% of the people tested said that they choose to do business with a brand as soon as they responded to their questions.
So, the best way to drive traffic and manage your online reputation is to continuously be there for your customers and answer all of their questions.
