When businesses look for ways to improve brand reputation, we often default to online reviews as our primary source of validation—and for good reason. Reviews come directly from customers who have experienced our products or services firsthand, making them feel authentic and trustworthy.
We rely on these reviews not only to understand how we’re doing, but also to guide improvements and keep customers happy. After all, positive experiences shared publicly can influence potential customers and encourage them to choose our business.
Here’s the thing: we’ve become almost obsessive about online reviews.
So much so that we often overlook other powerful strategies that could strengthen and elevate our brand, and ultimately help us improve brand reputation in more sustainable ways.
You might be wondering where this is going.
The reality is that online reviews aren’t the only signals people use when evaluating your brand’s reputation. From content and community presence to customer experience and visibility, there are several other factors at play. Below are five essential strategies you need to start using if you truly want to improve brand reputation.
How to Improve Brand Reputation
1. Create Content
It’s very unlikely your business is the only one in town. A fantastic way to build brand reputation and stand out, and a proven way to improve brand reputation over time, is by providing stellar content through a blog.
Create:
- Reviews
- Tutorials
- Interviews
- Workbooks
Do so through a combination of written posts and videos.
These content pieces are what people will find when shopping. The content positions the business as the local authority. People tend to do business with those they trust — content is the vehicle for this trust building.
2. Multi-Channel Participation
90% of consumers want a similar experience with the brand across multiple channels. If you’re placing all effort curating reviews then you’re not putting in time with other channels like Facebook, Twitter, and the blog.
Do this:
- Develop content for your blog
- Reuse snippets across social channels
- Engage in conversations
Starting from the blog establishes the intended message, while using social channels helps you spread it and improve brand reputation through consistent visibility. It creates a seamless experience no matter where customers are coming from.
3. News Pieces
Do a Google search for your name and business.
What did you find?
A great business gets recognized by the community. Appearing on local news sites are positive signs for you (and your business). Negative pieces will turn away potential customers in an instant.
Squash negative news by promoting the positive. Have individuals write their positive experiences on blogs and news articles. Let those rise to the top. Or, contact news outlets for a featured piece.
4. Remarket
Ever been on a big site and saw a banner ad for a local company? You probably thought “wow, I didn’t know they were this well-known!”. That’s remarketing.
Remarketing increases brand reputation by association. A customer seeing your business tied to a well-known brand assumes you’re working with the third-party.
It also creates a point of contact to encourage them to complete their action (checking out). Remarketing is a cheap, effective way to combat the 69.23% average shopping cart abandonment rate.
5. Local Presence
It’s not only Yelp — it’s general searches, too!
Local searches present a mishmash of ads, maps, and search listings. If Yelp is your only presence then you’re risking everything. What happens if one, sour review comes through an drops your Yelp score? Not good.
This is why you need to expand your local presence with:
- A website
- Local listings
- Search content
- Social media
Doing so creates a platform you control. It eases the disastrous events that harm your brand reputation and gives you more ways to improve brand reputation beyond a single review platform. You control the message.
Ready to Own Your Brand Reputation?
Within a 5-mile radius are tens of thousands of potential customers. These are the very same people doing online searches for your business. Own this channel by expanding your local SEO — contact us to find out how we can help.