Today, thanks to social networks and media, opinions are not controlled or broadcast from a centralized medium (eg, Television Channel, Radio Station or Printed Newspaper) to the general public, but rather the general public who He issues opinions through social networks and the media later capture them.
In this globalized world where all opinions and information are published through the Internet, it is increasingly difficult to control what is said for or against a brand, product or service.
However, this growing situation thanks to social networks can be seen as a threat or as an opportunity for improvement from the point of view of brands.
Clearly, it can be thought that a threat is the fact that a consumer can in a very short time destroy the reputation of an establishment in which he has been very dissatisfied, when he publishes his negative, and sometimes destructive opinion on said social networks. service.
On the other hand, it can be seen as an opportunity to know the opinion of consumers of our brand, products or services without having to do costly or complex surveys from a logistical point of view.
Thanks to the Internet today it is possible to know the opinion that consumers have about brands making use of various marketing techniques to measure what is known as “ Online Reputation ”.
Online Reputation is the reflection of the prestige or esteem that a brand (products, services or people) has achieved in the market.
Traditionally, making use of intense advertising techniques, the target audience can be influenced to generate a positive opinion or an attitude in favor of a certain brand, however, "reputation" is not controlled through these advertising techniques, but rather which is freely transmitted by the consumer public of said brand, which currently makes use of social networks to globally disseminate their conformity or disagreement about it.
What was originally the so-called "word of mouth" has today become the publication of comments giving opinions in online forums, blogs, social networks, videos, audio podcast and everything we can imagine that is transmitted through the Internet.
It is part of the buying culture today to check online forums, blogs or social networks to verify the reputation of a brand, product or service before proceeding with the purchase. In other words, the opinions published by others generate a value judgment that influences our purchase decision.
It is for this reason that companies must take care of their brands, products and services through the analysis of their Online Reputation.
Among the factors that are measured to know about Online Reputation are: Search and analysis of content published in Blogs and Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube (texts, images, videos, audios); strength of mentions in social networks, ratio of positive versus negative and neutral feelings, level of passion of followers for the brand, scope of influence of the brand, repetitiveness of the mentions of the brand, diversity of sources, words or “hashtags ”More related, more widespread users, published bookmarks, among others.
Now, it is not only necessary to search and analyze the online reputation of the brand but to understand that companies must be more proactive in their positioning on the Internet. While it is true that the general public or consumers freely publish content on a daily basis, it is also possible for companies to proactively publish their own high-impact content that helps create the right value judgment for current and potential customers. This must also be supported by the indicators obtained from the Online Reputation reports in such a way that the strategies can be aligned.
Before Web 2.0 (which today involves everyone's interaction over the Internet), brands had a customer service department (usually contacted by phone) through which incidents occurred with products or products were managed. However, due to the current levels of interaction, having a customer service department directly "listening" and interacting with current and potential users through social networks becomes a fundamental strategy.
Responding to customers promptly in the virtual world and following a pre-established policy integrated with the entire company team is simply imperative today.
In social networks, companies must merge their Customer Service and Marketing teams, doing an excellent Social Media Management (Social Media Management), achieving brand positioning and penetration of new markets thanks to interaction with users of the virtual world, addressing their concerns and channeling opportunities, thus generating greater confidence.
In general, people do not buy what we sell for what we say our products and services are or for what they really are, people buy what we sell for what they "perceive" that these products and services are. This perception is often affected by third-party references and not necessarily by buyers' own experiences. This is why we must influence that this perception is correct in such a way that the Reputation of the brand is always positive.
Finally, the most important thing is to work proactively in the total satisfaction of our users and clients in general, while continuing to review and analyze what is said on the Internet since Online Reputation is becoming a nerve center of business.
Success for all…
