Many brands focus their marketing efforts purely on trying to reach as many people as possible, but actually, it’s what your target audience thinks about the brand that has the most impact.
You could reach a million people, but if they don’t have a positive impression of your company, then it’s unlikely that you’ll get as much value from your extensive online reach as you could.
Enhancing your brand’s online reach and reputation often go hand in hand (i.e., they support each other), and, when done correctly, can have a transformative impact on a company’s growth and all-around success. In this post, we’ll run through some of the most effective strategies for doing both of these things — ensuring as many people as possible hear about your brand, and that the image they have is a positive one.
Encourage Reviews
Everyone knows that positive reviews are important, but they’re so influential that we have to include them in this list. For one thing, they can boost SEO; positive reviews indicate that the brand is trustworthy, which is one of the key metrics that Google looks for when ranking websites. Second, they tell potential customers that your brand is worthy of their time and money. So not only do positive reviews increase your reach, but they also ensure that what newcomers learn about your brand is positive.
You can’t force customers to leave positive reviews (don’t do this! You’ll only annoy them, increasing the chances of a negative review). You can, however, gently encourage them to do so by letting them know how helpful reviews can be for growing your business.
Social Media Relationship Building
You can learn a lot about a brand by looking at its social media accounts. A rarely-updated account can be enough to put distrust in a person’s mind; so much so, in fact, that you could argue that it would be better to have no social media account.
It can take time, effort, and money to build your social media accounts, but the payoff is worth it. A strong social media presence is about more than reaching people; it’s about building community. Done right, your social media followers will become loyal advocates for your brand, which in turn can bring new customers into the fold.
You’ll need to have a robust social media strategy to get the most from your channels, including a content strategy, a tone of voice for engaging with your customers, and setting objectives that ultimately drive growth.
Online Mentions
Positive online reviews can help with reach and brand reputation, but you usually need quite a lot of reviews before they begin to have an effect. What if there were a way to get all the benefits of hundreds of reviews via mentions from just a few voices? It turns out, there is such a way. It’s called digital PR, and it can be a game-changer for brand visibility and authority. You can think of it as the 21st-century version of traditional PR; instead of seeking mentions in newspapers, you’re seeking mentions in authoritative online publications or collaborating with an influencer to tap into their audience. It’s a level above SEO and online reviews, and is particularly recommended for brands that are looking to step up their marketing approach.
Become an Authority
If you’re an expert in your field, then don’t assume that your target audience will simply figure it out. They might do so eventually, but in a hypercompetitive age, you need a surer thing than sitting by patiently. The better approach is to go out there and show them that you’re an authority in your industry. In doing so, you’ll naturally increase your reach and build trustworthiness with your target audience.
There are a few effective ways to share your expertise. You could write in-depth guides and articles and host them on your website, record a podcast in which you take a deep dive into your industry, or write opinion pieces for authoritative websites. In doing so, you won’t just get your voice heard, but you’ll ensure that what people are hearing reflects positively on your brand.
Give Employees the License To Be Brand Advocates
Have you gone above and beyond to create a welcoming, positive workplace where your employees love working? Then you might have an in-built team of ambassadors just sitting there! While you can’t force employees to post work-related content on their social media channels and websites, you can give them the license to do so. This approach can be effective on two fronts; it can expand your reach among like-minded people, and it can reflect positively on your brand. People are more likely to engage with brands that treat their employees well — and there are few things that suggest an employee is happy at a company than if they’re voluntarily posting about it on their social media accounts.
Dominate Your Brand’s SERPS
Try as you might, it’s not possible to ensure that every online mention of your brand will be overwhelmingly positive. If you’re in business long enough, then there’ll always be some negative — or at least not positive — mention. Maybe someone left a bad Yelp review in your early days, or a Reddit user preferred a competitor. Whatever it is, you’d be happier if a potential customer didn’t see that mention. While you can’t delete it from the internet, you can significantly reduce its visibility by dominating your brand’s SERPs (Search Engine Results Page). Whenever someone searches your company’s name, the first page — or beyond — of results will be messages that you want them to see.
Hear Your Customer’s Feedback
Finally, focus on soliciting feedback from your customers — and then taking action. Ultimately, your happy customers will be your biggest advocate, whether it’s online or with their friends and family, so it makes sense to extract as much value as possible from their advocacy. By making ongoing improvements to your business based on feedback, you’ll be able to tailor the customer experience so that it’s positive from beginning to end.
Read more:
7 Strategies for Enhancing Your Brand’s Online Reach and Reputation
