What is Online Reputation Management?
Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the process of controlling what people see and think about you or your business when they look you up online.
It’s your digital reputation! Just like in real life, what people say about you can affect how others see you — online, it’s the same, but it happens through search engines, reviews, social media, and news articles.
People often Google a business or person before making a decision — like buying from them, hiring them, or working with them.
If the first thing they see is a bad review or a negative article, it can hurt your chances.
ORM is about protecting your name on the internet, building trust, and making sure people see the best and most accurate version of you or your business online.
What does ORM involve?
- Checking what’s already out there
- What shows up when someone searches your name or company?
- Are there good reviews, bad reviews, or no reviews at all?
- Responding to what people say
- Replying to customer reviews, both good and bad
- Saying sorry or fixing problems when needed
- Creating good content
- Posting helpful blogs, videos, or social media updates
- Sharing customer success stories or company achievements
- Making the good stuff more visible
- Making sure positive content ranks higher in search results than the bad stuff
- Keeping an eye on things
- Using tools or alerts to know right away when someone mentions your name online
- Using tools or alerts to know right away when someone mentions your name online
360 Crue’s ORM Process
Our continuous ORM focus cycle is the mechanism by which we showcase our clients’ consistent commitment to their brand integrity. Consistency in actions and words is a cornerstone of building integrity, as it demonstrates reliability, trustworthiness, and a commitment to ethical behavior, which are all essential for building strong relationships and reputations (see our philosophy).
Stage 1. Perform Reputation Audit
- Identify client goals (personal, business, brand, etc.)
- Perform reputation audit:
- Google and Bing search results (top 100 results)
- Social media mentions and sentiment
- Review sites (e.g., Yelp, Trustpilot, Glassdoor)
- News articles, forums, blogs
- Analyze sentiment (positive, neutral, negative)
- Identify high-risk content or threats (defamatory, outdated, misleading)
- Map digital assets and presence (websites, profiles, backlinks, etc.)
Stage 2. Devise Reputation Strategy
- Define key reputation objectives (e.g., suppression, removal, enhancement)
- Prioritize threats and opportunities
- Identify target keywords and branded search terms
- Develop multi-channel content and visibility strategy
- Create timeline and resource allocation
Stage 3. Repair Reputation Damages
- Perform web asset optimization and normalization
- Remove/correct inaccurate information across web assets
- Attempt content removal:
- Request takedowns or edits from publishers
- Request removal of social media content that violates policies
- Legal actions (DMCA, defamation, privacy claims)
- Content suppression tactics:
- Publish positive content on authoritative sites
- Build high-ranking properties (social profiles, microsites, blogs)
- SEO optimization of positive content
- GEO optimization of positive content
- Push down negative search results using link-building and content stacking
Stage 4. Monitor Reviews & Ratings
- Set up brand and name (mention) monitoring tools
- Track keyword rankings
- Monitor reviews and ratings across key platforms
- Track sentiment trends over time
- Setup Alerts for brand mentions and reviews
Stage 5. Engage with Fresh Content
- Create high-quality, keyword-optimized content:
- Articles, press releases, blogs, videos, social posts
- Publish across diverse platforms:
- Owned websites, Medium, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.
- Build and maintain authoritative profiles
- Promote content via SEO, GEO, PPC, social media, email outreach
- Solicit and manage authentic positive reviews
- Flag and respond to false or damaging reviews
- Respond to customer feedback constructively
- Implement review generation systems (email/SMS campaigns)
Maintenance & long term control (continue the cycle)
- Continue to audit and to reassess overall sentiment
- Contnue to strategize in response to fresh audits
- Continue to repair and suppress negative content
- Continue to monitor new mentions and reviews (brand sentiment)
- Continue to engage by creating and promoting fresh optimized content and responding to negative reviews and soliciting positive reviews
OUR REPUTATION PHILOSOPHY
Integrity as a Foundation:
Integrity, at its core, is about acting in accordance with one’s own values and principles, even when faced with challenges or temptations.
Consistency as a Key Component: Consistency in behavior, both in words and actions, is a powerful indicator of integrity. When individuals consistently uphold their values and commitments, they demonstrate reliability and trustworthiness.
Building Trust: Consistency fosters trust, which is crucial for strong relationships, both personal and professional. People are more likely to trust those who consistently demonstrate integrity and reliability.
Examples of Consistent Integrity:
Keeping Promises: Following through on commitments, both big and small, shows integrity and reliability.
Acting Ethically: Making decisions that align with ethical principles, even when it’s difficult, demonstrates a strong sense of integrity.
Taking Responsibility: Admitting mistakes and taking ownership of actions, instead of making excuses, shows integrity and accountability.
Being Transparent: Being open and honest in communication, even when it’s difficult, builds trust and demonstrates integrity.
