by Lindsay Pietroluongo
In this article, we’ll explain how consumer public relations (PR) and online reputation management (ORM) both factor into brand strategy.
Today, smart companies consider consumer PR and ORM to be critical elements of their brand strategies. We’ll dive into the differences between the two next, but here’s a brief overview:
- Consumer PR professionals mainly focus on creating and maintaining positive relationships with the public.
- ORM strategists ensure a brand’s digital presence meets its image goals.
When put together, consumer PR and ORM influence the public’s perceptions of a brand while building trust and setting companies up for long-term success.
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Consumer PR and ORM Defined
Consumer PR refers to how a business communicates with the public, especially its target audience. Companies rely on consumer PR professionals to create a positive impression of their brands and products or services.
Online reputation management refers to the process of influencing and monitoring how a business is perceived online.
As you can see, the two are closely related, though they’re not exactly the same. Both strategies involve the public’s perception and the goal of maintaining a positive brand image. The main difference is in how the strategies are carried out.
Consumer PR involves communication efforts such as:
- Influencer partnerships
- Media coverage
- Campaigns on social media platforms
ORM, on the other hand, monitors and responds to online content, including:
- Online reviews
- Search engine results
- Social media conversations
Both consumer PR professionals and ORM teams strive to attract customers, build trust, and positively influence a brand’s image with the public.
3 Popular Consumer PR Strategies
There are a lot of consumer PR strategies used to connect with a brand’s target audience, improve visibility and build credibility. Let’s go over a few of them.
Influencer Partnerships
When brands collaborate with influencers, they’re able to expand their reach and engage with a larger portion of their target audience. Influencers for a consumer PR campaign may include:
- Brand advocates
- Industry experts
- Social media personalities
The influencer a brand chooses to partner with should be well-respected and trusted by their audience, as influencer marketing only works if users feel they’re being communicated with authentically and in a way they can relate to.
There are all sorts of content types that influencers can create when partnering with a brand on a consumer PR campaign, such as:
- First-person testimonies
- Product reviews
- Tutorials
- Unboxing videos
These options are more natural and trustworthy than straightforward advertising, which is why influencer marketing is so powerful. Brands can work with influencers to generate buzz for their company or product/service, increase their visibility, or improve their online reputation.
Moreover, working with influencers can provide brands with user-generated content (UGC) and social proof, which are excellent to use for consumer PR.
You can take control of your online reputation, whether you’re working on your personal reputation or your professional digital presence. Call us at 844-461-3632 for more information.
Omnichannel Marketing
With omnichannel marketing, the customer experience is streamlined across all communication channels, including:
- Online platforms like email, social media and websites
- Traditional media like print, radio and TV
- In-person interactions and events and stores
This allows consumers to engage with the brand wherever they prefer. Additionally, consistent branding and messaging are used to reinforce the company’s identity and build recognizability and trust with its audience.
Omnichannel marketing uses multiple touchpoints to amplify and coordinate its efforts. For example, if a brand is launching a new product, it may combine the following tactics to get the message out:
- Collaboration with an influencer
- Email marketing to generate buzz
- In-store promotional materials
- Live social media engagement
- Print media coverage
By using various integrated channels, brands can be more visible and improve customer engagement, as customers can connect with the brand in any way — or ways — they prefer.
Storytelling
In the world of consumer PR, storytelling is the process of creating a compelling narrative that will emotionally connect with a brand’s target audience. This can make the brand’s message engaging, memorable and relatable as opposed to simply promoting a product or service.
Since storytelling borrows from the human experience, including the emotions and values that many customers have, it’s a way for brands to bond with their target audience.
Types of storytelling that consumer PR professionals use include:
- Brand origin stories
- Cause-driven stories
- Customer testominals
- Genuine influencer partnerships
For example, if a brand is launching a product for an underrepresented community, its storytelling campaign may include the following elements:
- A story from the brand founder about a time when they felt like an outsider
- Media coverage that highlights the far-reaching impact the brand has had
- Real customers talking about how their experience with the brand improved their lives
Storytelling helps brands craft authentic, meaningful stories that improve customer engagement and customer loyalty while garnering positive attention from the media.
Online Reputation Management Techniques
Just like with consumer PR, there are various methods that ORM experts use to improve how a brand is perceived online. These strategies can be used to create a brand reputation from scratch, improve an existing positive reputation, or repair a company’s reputation after it’s undergone a consumer PR crisis.
Content Creation
Content creation involves creating and distributing interesting, relevant and valuable pieces of online content, including:
- Articles and blog posts
- Infographics
- Social media posts
- Videos
The purpose of content creation is to attract members of your target audience, including potential customers, and inform them about something they’ll find intriguing that’s related to your brand or niche.
When it comes to ORM specifically, content is used to shape the public’s perception of a brand and show the company as a credible authority in its industry. Additionally, with high-quality SEO content, brands can take the top position in search engine results. There are a few perks to this:
- Getting the top result on Google for a keyword or phrase can mean beating out the competition. According to Backlinko, the top organic search result on Google has an average CTR of 27.6%, and it’s 10x more likely to be clicked than the No. 10 result.
- By ranking positive brand content, you can push down any negative results related to your brand name. Since most people don’t go past the first page of search engine results, negative content will rarely be seen once you outrank it in those prominent positions.
The brand content you create can have many purposes, including:
- Addressing concerns that many customers have
- Commenting on industry trends with thought-leadership pieces
- Showcasing your team’s expertise in your niche
- Spotlighting positive customer experiences
By delivering key messages through your brand content, you’ll shape the narrative around your company and control your digital reputation.
Review Management
With review management, customer reviews on platforms like Google, Trustpilot and Yelp are monitored, responded to, and — when possible — leveraged to improve the brand. Proper review management can influence the public’s perception of a brand while building or maintaining a glowing online image.
Both positive and negative feedback must be addressed to improve a brand’s credibility and grow customer trust. According to BrightLocal, 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all reviews, both positive and negative, while only 47% would use a business that doesn’t respond to its reviews.
Elements of review management include:
- Encouraging happy customers to leave reviews
- Responding quickly and professionally to negative feedback
- Showcasing positive testimonials in marketing materials
With active review management, brands are able to improve their online ratings and reviews, improve the public’s confidence in the company, and positively influence purchasing decisions.
At NetReputation, we work with individuals and businesses to help them build and take control of their online reputation. Give us a call at 844-461-3632 to learn more.
Social Media Management
Managing a brand’s social media involves staying on top of brand mentions, comments and discussions in real time. When your brand name starts popping up on social media channels, it’s important to get involved by:
- Addressing complaints that unhappy customers share online
- Correcting misinformation before it snowballs out of control
- Thanking users who share good reviews of your brand
Engaging with your audience online shows that you’re committed to them. Most importantly, always be quick to respond and transparent in what you say.
Getting involved in social media conversations, interacting with your followers, and sharing positive brand news will increase consumer trust in your brand. Plus, by always being tuned in to what’s being said about your company online, you’ll be able to respond to a PR crisis fast and take action before the issue escalates.
You Can Reach a Larger Audience and Increase Awareness for Your Brand
At NetReputation, we provide a broad range of services to individuals and businesses who want to create, grow or repair their digital reputation. Whether you’re prioritizing your personal or professional online reputation, our solutions and team of experts can help.
Our ORM services include content removal, review management, branding, content creation and more. It’s time to take back control of how people perceive you online so you can attract the opportunities you deserve.
We offer ORM solutions for individuals as well as businesses. Get started today with a free consultation with one of our experts. Call us at 844-461-3632 or fill out the contact form below.
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