Like it or not, a CEO is the face of a company. They are the one who is most likely to be applauded when things go right, but also the one who will be held accountable when they don’t. CEOs who engage in activities that go against the company image can even impact sales for that company. CEOs who understand this know that they must represent their corporation in all aspects of their life. This means that information shared online should shine a positive light on them.
Online reputation management, or ORM, focuses on helping them do this well. Outside of normal marketing strategies, ORM ensures things like online reviews, employee feedback, and other media don’t speak poorly of the CEO and the company. They might even go as far as using a press release distribution service to ensure all quotes and information about a topic are consistently communicated. If you’re looking to incorporate ORM, here are some of the key benefits for CEOs.
Increases Consumer Trust
A good CEO implies that the company they work for is also doing things with integrity. Consumers like to buy from companies they know, like, and trust. Using ORM helps to increase consumer trust. If they believe the face of the company, then they will also believe claims made by the company about the products and services. Good ORM makes them more trustworthy. Even when something bad happens, using ORM to help mitigate the fallout shows that they are willing to fix mistakes which also makes them more trustworthy.
Improves Brand Reputation
Brand reputation is hard to earn and easy to lose. The second a brand makes a huge mistake, they will pay for it in sales for a long time. Some companies can never quite overcome a huge scandal or faux pas. Companies with a good CEO, who is visible in the community and their industry, are more likely to have a good brand reputation. When consumers read articles about CEOs giving to important causes or helping their communities, they associate good things with the brand the CEO represents. Additionally, when a company uses ORM to help repair a CEO’s damaged reputation, it also improves brand reputation.
Helps Your Company Attract High-Quality Candidates
People love to work for companies where they feel like their ideas are heard and their work is valued. Nothing speaks worse of a company than the quality of its CEO. Since leadership is top-down, if the CEO has a bad reputation, it doesn’t speak too highly of the quality of management under them. For CEOs who want to improve employee retention and gain better staff in the first place, they need to focus on reputation management. People feel good about working for places with great leadership.
Sets You Apart From Competitors
Want to be at the top of your industry? Then get a great CEO with an excellent online reputation. Using ORM to promote the work that your CEO does in and out of the boardroom is a good way to stand out in a sea of competition. Giving to causes, attending fundraisers, and doing good things are all ways to help improve ORM. This means that every time the CEO does something good, someone should be sharing about it on his or her behalf.
Impacts Sales Volume
Nothing will hit your wallet more quickly than a scandal. Businesses who find themselves entangled with a CEO who is doing something the public doesn’t like will also find their sales dropping. A benefit to ORM is that it can also cause sales to increase. People like buying from companies that have leaders they feel like they can trust. And because they trust the leader, they are more likely to buy a product and tell their friends about it.
Key Components of Online Reputation Management
Doing online reputation management is a strategic decision with key outcomes in mind. Much like a marketing campaign, ORM uses multiple channels to ensure they are effective. This means addressing customer complaints online, sending out press releases, and addressing customer feedback about products. The three key elements include monitoring, repairing, and building. When companies do all three of these regarding their CEO, they are more effective overall as a company.
