WH

ITE

PAPE

R

Getting Positive Results

w w w . t r i n e t s o l u t i o n s . c o m©Trinet Internet Solutions, Inc. 2012

L A- (949) 442.8900 DC- (703) 548.8900

with Online Reputation Management

WHITE PAPER

w w w . t r i n e t s o l u t i o n s . c o m©Trinet Internet Solutions, Inc. 2012

L A- (949) 442.8900 DC- (703) 548.8900

Without a response, more people will �nd negative information about

your brand online via search engines, in forums, and across social media

platforms. Tra�c to the top 10 review sites grew on average 158% last

year. This means increasing numbers of people are going online to

share content and looking for what others are saying about brands

online. If negative information about you is written on the web, your

potential customers and supporters are bound to see it.

Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the practice of monitoring

the Internet reputation of a business or organization, with the goal of

suppressing negative mentions entirely, or pushing them lower on

search engine results pages (SERPS) to decrease their visibility. With

ORM, it is important to use the information gained during the

monitoring phase to respond with further development of online tools

(i.e. social media, SEO, blog).

People of all ages use the web to research, share and review brands,

products and services. Every organization, from local businesses to

international companies, are daily e�ected by comments and feedback

written and posted on the web.

Challenges Facing Companies Today

What is ORM & Why it Matters to You

What Can Happen Online

Online reputation is complex and there are many components that can

lead to positive, negative, or neutral perceptions online. There are four

main areas that contribute to your online reputation:

1. Local Search

2. Social Media

3. Search engine optimization (SEO)

4. Consumer generated media/ content

Several companies have had to deal with ORM issues in the recent past.

One damaging instance occurred for DKNY when PETA targeted them

with anti-fur messaging during a high pro�le time (Cyber Monday).

PETA organized e�orts on DKNY’s Facebook wall and DKNY did not

address them for several days. The posts reached many of the Page’s

200,000+ fans before DKNY became aware of and removed them.

1

2

WHITE PAPER

w w w . t r i n e t s o l u t i o n s . c o m©Trinet Internet Solutions, Inc. 2012

L A- (949) 442.8900 DC- (703) 548.8900

2. Respond Once you have some information, you will want to respond to your

customers through the same channels they use. Any concerns can be

brought o�ine by encouraging them to contact a customer service

representative via email or phone. Online marketing is a conversation

with your customers and you should encourage those conversations to

build relationships, trust and credibility with your customers and online

participants.

3. Give Customers a Venue to be HeardThere are customers looking to provide feedback, both positive and

negative. By giving these customers an outlet to air feelings, express

dissatisfaction and share positive feedback on your website, you can

decrease the number of people who are likely to air negative comments

online.

As a starting point, a comment form that is easy to �nd and complete on

your website allows customers to have direct communication with your

company. As with other ORM monitoring, a quick and timely response

is critical when a customer submits information via your online contact

form.

Stories like this come up across all industries with the end result being

the same – online damage to the brand and negative perceptions of

thousands of customers.

This is why ORM should not be taken lightly. Some companies

place interns in charge of this task, but without proper planning,

management, response action plans, and experienced people

monitoring your online presence, there can be severe damage done to

your online brand. Putting the management of your online reputation

in the hands of experienced people will ensure it is handled

appropriately.

Steps to Kick O� Your ORM Program

There are some basic steps as you roll out an ORM plan and program:

1. Monitor

Look at social media, search results, online video, discussion boards and

blogs. There are many free and paid software options to customize

tracking and monitoring of your online brand mentions.

Don’t go on auto-pilot! While you can use tools to

automate posts, you should always make sure to continue

to monitor your social media platforms regularly so you can

respond to your customers and look out for potential

threats to your online reputation.

QU

ICK

TIP

A recent study outlined that during the next �ve years, 83%

of companies will face a crisis that will negatively impact

their share price by 20-30%. This can be a devastating blow

for a business of any size.

DID

YO

U K

NO

W

3

WHITE PAPER

w w w . t r i n e t s o l u t i o n s . c o m©Trinet Internet Solutions, Inc. 2012

L A- (949) 442.8900 DC- (703) 548.8900

About Trinet

A team of strategists with experience in ORM ensure your online

reputation is in good hands. Planning, implementing and responding

appropriately are key components. Do you want to speak with

strategists who have gotten results for other companies with ORM? Call

us today at (949) 442-8900 or visit trinetsolutions.com.

Trinet Internet Solutions, Inc. is a full-service web �rm headquartered in

Irvine, CA with an o�ce in the metro Washington, D.C. area. Founded in

1995 and now award-winning with hundreds of clients, the company

has grown to have expert capabilities in web strategy consulting, web

design, advanced development, custom application programming, and

online reputation management along with web campaign

measurement, support and maintenance.

Sources:1 Compete.com

2 Mashable.com

3 Oxford Metrica, 2010

4. Engage Your Audience OnlineYou must provide engaging content in order to keep your customers

coming back to your online properties. By building followers, fans and

online participants with your brand, you ensure that you have a direct

audience to communicate with should the need arise to combat any

negative online activity. Optimizing your website and online entities

allow you to improve SEO as well by including popular keywords.

ORM allows you to monitor and appropirately respond to negative

comments and feedback about your organization that is posted on the

web. Don't go at it alone! Trinet can help you put together an action plan

before it's too late.