May 5th, 2010 by Nick

One reason why astute firms outsource their online reputation management is that they have had a negative experience of trying to deliver it independently. While some firms have encountered considerable difficulties in this tricky territory through little fault of their own, some firms have behaved with scant regard for corporate ethics. In the latter category, unethical behaviour can be particularly counterproductive as deceitful practices can quite often be detected by users. Furthermore, firms which engage with primitive and dubious online reputation management tactics are in danger of scoring own goals which linger on in the memories of sceptical consumers.

An example is required to illustrate the point under consideration. Imagine a restaurant chain which uses the net to promote its services. After a period of slack business due to external economic conditions, employees of that firm decide to leave fake and unambiguously positive reviews of the performance of their restaurants all over the net. They might leave such material at blagger.com, for instance. The enthusiastic reviews gush about the excellence of the food, the efficiency of the service and the pleasant interior design. Would more customers actually frequent the restaurant chain? A reputable online marketing or SEO company can be the answer to your online reputation issues.

Restaurant goers are not used to digesting superlative reviews. Some of them even go to restaurants which have been harshly assessed by hard-to-please critics. Many potential consumers would be wary of a sudden wave of overwhelmingly positive reviews. They would prefer subtle and balanced accounts of dining which had some correspondence with an actual culinary experience. They would be much more likely to trust a review which expressed delight at a summer pudding but was less enamoured with a starter of sweet potato soup, than a review which praised everything from the aperitif to the final coffee.

In an age of scepticism which is also a period of relative austerity, consumers are harder to fool than ever before. A restaurant chain which markets itself with special offers in the week is likely to make more profit than one which makes unethical efforts at reputation manipulation online. Canny consumers will sometimes check to see whether a reviewer has reviewed other goods or services on a forum apart from those provided by the specific company concerned. If consumers do become suspicious with regard to reviews that are literally too good to be true then they are unlikely to keep their misgivings quiet. The problem can be compounded by the fact that the firm name and its keywords have been added to the site, thus ensuring it a greater level of prominence in the search engine results pages.

The cost, then, of clumsy DIY attempts at internet reputation management can be very high. How many of us would install our new kitchen independently? It makes good commercial and practical sense to use expertise where it is available. Crude attempts to mislead consumers can threaten the brand of a firm, whereas obtaining the services of experts can deliver the necessary protection and subtle promotion that most astute business owners crave. Especially in competitive sectors, mistakes made in this area can permit rivals to prosper while a firm engages in a salvaging operation.

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