Essential guide to protect and boost brand reputation monitoring

In the online world, how people see your brand can influence business success. That's why keeping an eye on your brand’s image and finding ways to improve it is an important action.

You can see how your brand is doing by tracking data, using smart tools, and taking a strategic approach. And if you need expert help, QWERTYLABS has you covered! In this guide, we will show you what areas to pay attention to, how to track them, and ways to boost and manage your brand reputation.

What is brand reputation?

Brand image is how folks see and feel about a brand. It's the mental picture they have when they think about your business. This image comes from things like how the brand looks, its mission statement, the quality of its product, how it treats customers, and its overall public presentation.

Credibility is also vital for brand image which focuses on how much people believe in and trust a brand. If a brand is seen as trustworthy and reliable in its industry, it gains the support of the public. This comes from keeping promises, being transparent, and meeting what customers expect. This drives long-term success in your business as people are more likely to choose it and stay loyal.

What is brand monitoring?

Brand monitoring is the act of tracking what people are saying about your brand online. It means watching various online channels like social media, reviews, news sites, and blogs for any mentions of the brand or what it offers.

Its main aim is to spot any negative comments or feedback about the brand and quickly respond to them. This helps prevent any harm to the brand to maintain its positive image in the public.

Importance of online brand reputation monitoring

Tracking your brand image through online monitoring is vital for a few reasons, such as:

1. Doing so helps you know your customers’ opinions about your brand. By watching closely what people say about your brand online, you can get helpful insights into preferences and areas for improvement. This knowledge will help you know how they view your products or services, which allows you to make improvements tailored to their needs.
2. By tracking your image online, you can quickly address any bad comments or feedback. When you actively monitor brand reputation and answer possible negative feedback, you can prevent it from becoming a bigger problem. This approach helps protect your brand image to potentially attract more people.
3. Observing helps you stay in the loop about your competitors and industry trends. Once you keep tabs on their online presence, you can stay informed on your competitors’ brand approach, find emerging trends and fine-tune your approach to stay competitive.

Key factors in online reputation monitoring

When tracking your brand, you should focus on key areas to stay relevant to your target audience. That’s why online brand reputation should be a top priority. This means paying attention to social media, reviews, and other relevant platforms to quickly gather feedback and tackle any concerns.

By being proactive in monitoring and managing your brand image, you can maintain a good image and build stronger connections with your audience. Here are the vital aspects you should monitor to boost your brand’s success:

Customer reviews

When it comes to review management, it's all about being up to date with what your customers are saying about your brand on platforms like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and online stores. Positive reviews are like free marketing, but negative reviews can harm your image. Here are three vital reasons why review management matters:

1. Customers do their research: When people are about to buy something important, trust becomes a big deal for them. For example, over 90% of Americans think about trust before buying. That means having a website that provides information is a must. It gives your possible customers a way to easily access information about your brand.
2. Trust in customer referrals: People trust other people’s opinions way more than what businesses say about themselves. They listen to their friends, family, and even random people on the internet. If someone leaves a bad review about your brand, it can negatively affect the perception of many potential customers. It's vital to keep a keen eye on what customers say and fix any problems quickly to keep a good image.
3. Negative reviews are powerful: Bad experiences tend to stick in people's minds more than good ones. When people have a bad time, they can't wait to share it with others and some may believe the negative reviews they come across. That's why it's essential to gather more positive reviews. Positive reviews balance out the negative ones and make your brand shine. So, it’s better to aim for more happy customers leaving rave reviews. By focusing on reviews and having a plan to handle them, you can protect your brand image and make it better.

Branded and non-brand keywords

When it comes to finding the right keywords for your brand, there are two types of searches you should look at: branded and non-branded searches. This enables you to track how your products are found on search engines. For instance:

• Branded keywords should include your brand’s name and the services you provide.
• Non-branded searches, on the other hand, are more general. In the context of online casinos, a non-branded search is not tied to a certain casino brand, such as searching for general terms like ‘online slot games’ or ‘best casino bonuses’

By checking the branded keywords, you can see how people view your brand name or what they’re looking for related to your brand. However, don't forget to also focus on non-branded searches as they can tell you about your competitor and show the opportunity to connect your brand with popular search terms.

How to do research keywords

You don't need fancy keyword tools to learn about the words people use. Believe it or not, you can find out a lot just by using the tools already available in your market research platforms. Let's say you want to test your campaigns to see how they will perform. In your research, you can ask survey respondents a question like, ‘What's the first word that pops into your head when you see this?’ The answers you get will give you various keywords that can help you plan your future strategy.

Social media conversations

Keeping tabs on social media conversations for your brand means checking who's talking about your brand and what they're saying on various social media channels. It's about looking at discussions, hashtags, and keywords related to your business on social media. 

Let's explore some helpful tools to make this monitoring process easier.

How to watch social media?

Make it a habit to frequently check your brand's social media channels for mentions of your brand, products, and even your rivals. Respond positively to both good and bad posts.

With so many platforms and users out there, it can be a bit tricky. But don't worry, some tools can help, these include:

• Google Alerts: Google Alerts is a free and easy tool that helps you keep track of any mentions of your brand online. You can easily type your brand name and set up an alert. With this, you will be notified whenever your brand name pops up.
• Social Mention: Social Mention is an effective and free social media search engine. Simply enter your brand name into the search tool, and it will show you real-time results.

Further, it also gives you a summary of the top hashtags linked with your brand, the overall view of social conversations about it, and how far your keywords are reaching.

• Zoho Social: Zoho Social lets you track mentions on various social media platforms. It has a dashboard that shows you live updates from your audience on all the channels you want to keep an eye on.

By using these tools, you can easily stay on top of social media conversations, connect with your audience, and positively engage with them.

Customer’s feedback

Customer feedback is when customers share their thoughts and opinions about your products, services, or business. It can come from folks who are currently using your products or those who have used them in the past.

Sometimes, customers just tell you in person when they are at your store or through online submission forms, or they might ask you questions to know how certain features of your product work. Feedback can come in various ways, so you need to be alert and ready to listen.

Now, let's dig into some strategies that can help you actively get helpful feedback from your customers.

How to get customer feedback

There are lots of ways to collect customer feedback these days. Here are some popular methods you can maximise:

• Surveys: Surveys are great since you can use them repeatedly to track feedback over the long run. For example, you could send a survey to customers after each purchase or on a regular schedule, like once a year.

By tracking customer feedback and reaching out to address any negative response, you can solve concerns before they become big issues and keep your brand image positive.

• Focus groups: If you want more detailed feedback than surveys provide, holding focus groups can be helpful. With this, you gather a small group of 5 to 15 people to get their insights on your future products.

It's also handy for testing how a marketing campaign or other activities might impact your brand. For instance, you can show them ads and get their feedback then.

• Word of mouth: Don't forget to ask customers directly for their feedback. The best time is right after they have used your service or bought something from you when your brand is still fresh in their minds. Ask them about their experience and what they think about it. Their input helps improve and meet their needs better.

When using these methods, you can gather great customer feedback that can boost your brand, make your customers happier, and attract more supporters.

Tracking and assessing your brand's image

Tracking and assessing your brand's image is an ongoing process of watching how people see your brand. Here are some ways to monitor your brand's reputation and achieve a positive image:

Set benchmarks

To keep track of how people see your brand, you need to set goals or standards to measure progress. You can use simple metrics like sentiment analysis, brand mentions, engagement rate, and customer satisfaction to understand your ongoing brand image. By watching these numbers, you can see if things are getting better or if there are areas you need to focus on.

Know your goals

Figure out your priorities and what accomplishment you want with your brand. Is it making customers happier, getting more people to know about your brand, or something else? Having clear goals helps you pick the right things to measure and analyse. It guides your efforts in the right direction and lets you know if you're achieving what you set out to do.

Use online tools

Take advantage of handy online tools like Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Mention, and others. These tools give you useful info about the online buzz that surrounds your brand.

With this, you can find out how many times your brand gets mentioned, what people think, and how engaged they are with your product or services. These tools help you grasp how your brand is seen and make smart decisions to improve its image.

Compare before and after

Once you gather data, compare it to see how things have improved. Look for patterns and trends to figure out what is working and what needs more improvement. For example, if the sentiment analysis shows negative results, you can focus on fixing customer service or product problems. When comparing before and after, you can see the effectiveness of your efforts and discover the next step to take.

Apply helpful strategies

Based on the result of your assessment, come up with strategies to make your customers satisfied, fix product or service issues, or increase online engagement.

Always track your brand's image and adjust your strategies as needed. Being proactive and adapting to feedback is your key to keeping a positive brand image.

Track and manage your brand image with QWERTYLABS

Maintaining a positive image online, where perception is everything, can be a challenge as you can't control how customers talk about your brand and how it can be perceived by other people. However, you can quickly track and enhance your brand's image by setting goals, using online tools, analysing data, and coming up with clever strategies.

At QWERTYLABS, we understand the importance of having a good reputation online, which is why we are here to lend a hand. Our services provide brand monitoring and assistance with other important business needs. With our expertise, we can help you achieve your brand goals. Take advantage of what QWERTYLABS has to offer and contact us to boost your brand's image today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is brand reputation monitoring important?

Brand reputation monitoring is crucial as it helps you understand how people see your brand. By keeping an eye on what others say about your product, services, or overall business, you can figure out what you need to improve and make smart decisions to enhance your brand's image.

How can a positive brand reputation benefit a business?

Having a good brand image can benefit your business in lots of ways. It builds trust with customers, attracts new ones, and keeps people coming back. It also helps your business stand out from the competition and creates a positive impression in the market.

What tools can I use for brand reputation monitoring?

There are lots of tools you can use to monitor your brand's image. Some popular ones include social media tools like Hootsuite and Mention, which help you keep track of what people are saying about your brand and join the conversations.

You can also check out online review platforms like Google My Business and Yelp to get feedback from customers that can help you enhance your brand.

What role does social media play in brand reputation monitoring?

Social media plays a huge role in tracking your brand image. It lets you directly interact with customers, respond to their feedback, and address any concerns quickly.

Social media platforms also give customers a place to share their experiences, making it easier for you to monitor your brand's online reputation.

How can I respond to negative feedback or criticism effectively?

When things get tricky, just remember to keep your cool and maintain a professional manner. Here’s what you can do to face the issue in the right way:

• Start by addressing the concern and knowing how the person feels. Let your customer feel that their concern is valid.
• If needed, say sorry and offer a fix for the problem.
• Respond quickly and openly to show that you care about their feedback and are committed to solving any issues.
• Show genuine dedication to customer contentment and turn negative experiences into positive ones.