“Your brand name is only as good as your reputation.” – Richard Branson.
Reputation and Startups
Startups rightfully focus on creating great products and services. What if I say they should focus on “great online presence” too, and that is a no-brainer.
Customers invariably research companies and products online before making a purchase decision or engaging with a business.
If a startup has a poor online reputation, customers will have second thoughts about engaging with them.
A good online reputation can help startups establish trust and credibility, acquire new customers, increase sales, differentiate itself from other competitors, etc.
Online reputation management (ORM) for startups begins with capturing and consolidating all brand digital assets including social media accounts, enforcing brand rights, review management, SEO, PR, and many such.
Reputation and Growth
As your startup grows and you begin to receive more attention, it is even more important to maintain a good online reputation. Scaling up poses new challenges with reputation management.
While your customer base increases so does the potential risks to your reputation. A single negative review, a misleading press coverage, a ill-conceived social media or ad campaign could irrefutably damage your reputation.
Given this situation, online reputation management (ORM) must be an integral part of your overall digital marketing strategy. I would go as far as to say “Startup should focus on their online reputation right from the word go.”
Reputation and Funding
At the end of the day, an investor wants to invest in a startup that can give him great returns. Investors pay a great deal of attention to the startup’s online reputation when deciding whether to invest or not. Investors invest in businesses that are well-respected and has a good online presence and are seen as reliable and trustworthy businesses.
A good online reputation can go a long way in helping startups to attract investors and secure the funding they need to grow.
Online reputation management for startups is a “must have” to attract investors.
Reputation and Stakeholders
The reputation of the founder, co-founders of a startup is a very important factor in the success of a business. As the face of the company, the co-founders should strive to maintain a positive online presence. Anything that they do in their personal capacity be it in the private space or the public space, will impact the business. It is very important that they are perceived as credible and trustworthy. Online reputation management of the startup founders is an art, and should be handled by an ORM agency that knows this domain and can walk the talk.
Online Reputation Management (ORM) for Startups helps build trust with customers, attract new customers, improve sales and revenues, secure funding, build goodwill, grow faster, etc. It also helps founders and co-founders maintain a great online presence.
Who Can Help
While your business is best served while you do what you are fanatically obsessed with, i.e., building a great startup (a unicorn or decacorn), it is always a great idea to sign-up with a validated and capable ORM company such as AiPlex which renders online reputation management services to some of the biggest EdTech, Crypto, Fintech, Room Aggregators, used-car marketplaces, M & E companies in India. Please drop us a line to know more