The wrong kind of attention can change how your clients and potential customers see you overnight. That’s why businesses turn to reputation management services.

But how do you find the right solution for your business? You need something that fits your company, your industry, and understands your specific challenges. 

Let’s take a look at what reputation management involves, and how to find the right one for you.

What is reputation management?

Reputation management refers to the process of influencing a business’s image or reputation. It’s done to control or enhance the perception that customers, prospects, stakeholders, and the public hold of the business.

A business could do everything right, from offering top-tier products to having a sophisticated EPM system in place, and still be vulnerable to the potential crises of negative reviews.

Image from SocialPilot

What reputation management solutions do?

The first impression many prospects have of your business is based on what they come across online. If that impression is negative, you’re already at a significant disadvantage. But having no online presence or reputation at all can be just as detrimental. It’s not just new customers either—a bad image can even impact your customer retention rate. 

To help businesses stay ahead of the curve, reputation management services protect and improve their public presence and image. They do this using a combination of tools and strategies, such as:

1. Online monitoring

Online reputation management tools monitor your online mentions across various platforms to track conversations and detect negative sentiment early. The best ones don’t restrict this monitoring to social media channels and online reviews—instead, they also keep an eye on blog posts, forums, media articles, and other brand mentions.

With real-time alerts you can know exactly what is being said about you, and where. This lets you take action before a couple of bad reviews from customers turns into a PR crisis.

2. Crisis management

For most people, crisis management is the first thing that comes to mind when dealing with reputational damage. A string of complaints or bad press can snowball into a PR crisis, and then you have to deal with eroding customer trust and damage to your credibility.

Through a variety of techniques, reputation management services can help you control the narrative, tackling these issues head on.

3.Competitor benchmarking

How does your reputation compare to others in your industry? Competitor monitoring is an underrated—but valuable—aspect of reputation management. It helps you to identify gaps and capitalize on your strengths. For instance, is one of your direct competitors in trouble with the media for lying about sustainability initiatives? It’s time to roll out an advertising campaign highlighting your commitment to being eco-friendly.

4. SEO reputation management

Potential customers searching for topics related to your industry may come across negative content that misrepresents your business.

With the help of SEO, reputation management services can push positive content instead. Not only does this then outweigh negative sentiment, but it can also put you higher in the search rankings, boosting your online visibility.

5. Analytics and reporting

Through detailed analytics, online reputation management software can provide actionable insights to help you arrive at informed decisions. For instance, they may use sentiment analysis to note a pattern of negative responses in your customer feedback surveys that all discuss the same feature, allowing you to put out a statement and deal with it before it spirals into a full-blown crisis.

Tips for identifying the right reputation management service for your industry

Every industry has its unique challenges, and your business needs a provider that understands the intricacies of your market.

The seven tips below will help you narrow down your search and discover the best fit for your industry and business:

1. Know your needs and targets

A clear understanding of your current or potential issues and goals will set the stage for landing the right reputation management provider.

Do you want to enhance your online presence? Or do you need help managing customer reviews? Are there specific regulations you need to meet (for instance, HIPAA will affect how a healthcare provider can respond to reviews)?

Once you’ve got these answers, it’s time to work out what is a need, and what would be a nice-to-have. Look at the features, tools, and services you need and assign weights to each to help you objectively compare them.

There’s no rigid formula, but your criteria should align with your business goals. For example, if you’re in the middle of a PR disaster, expertise in crisis management should rank higher than affordable pricing.

2.Take time to research

Dedicate time to researching the available options. That could involve reviewing their websites, reading through case studies, and going through customer reviews. Ultimately, you’re looking for a proven track record of success in enhancing the online reputations of other businesses in your industry.

Some key features to consider are:

  • Relevant expertise. While many providers offer reputation management across a broad spectrum of businesses, you’ll likely extract the best value from those with industry-specific expertise. Take the time to look at niche providers with a specialism, not just the big names.
  • Range of services. The breadth of services offered also matters. Unless you’re only looking for a single feature like online review management, you’ll want a solution with a comprehensive suite of services. That way, you’ll be able to seamlessly track and handle your reputation over time, no matter what happens.
  • Key features and technology. Look for solutions with advanced features such as analytics reporting and automation tools. They should also work with other software in your tech stack, providing options like CRM integrations and custom APIs.
  • Ethics. Make sure any providers you consider have clear ethical commitments. That means you skipping providers that:
    • Flood review sites with fake reviews
    • Launch fake websites to cover up bad press
    • Engage in unethical link-building to manipulate online rankings
    • Uses spambots on social media platforms
  • Value. Weigh up the monetary cost against the value a service can bring. Reputational damage can cause financial losses, so consider investing in a service that can deliver results, even if the initial outlay is a little more expensive than originally envisioned.

3.Schedule consultations

Don’t depend on marketing materials or information on the provider’s website. Armed with a curated shortlist, set up sales discovery calls or product demos to discuss your needs and gauge the service’s potential approach.

Make sure to ask industry-specific questions, and look into what platforms and channels they handle. For instance, if you’re a beauty brand and the provider you’re talking to doesn’t have a strategy for handling negative feedback on TikTok, they’re probably not the right fit for you.

4. Ask for a sample strategy

This step will depend on how much you want to manage it internally—i.e., are you only looking for software to help support your own team?—compared with how much of the process you want to outsource. If you’re looking for software to support your own staff, you can skip this.

But, if you’re looking for a more complete solution, there’s one key question to ask: how do they plan to address your reputation challenges? 

Request a sample strategy (tailored, not generic) for insights into the provider’s style and approach. Are they reactive, or proactive? Do they have big changes in mind for your overall organizational communication, or will they work with what you already have? If possible, ask for case studies involving their existing clients, though be aware that these may fall under an NDA. This information will be instrumental in evaluating their ability to deliver results.

5.Speak to and assess the provider’s clients

There’s nothing quite as revealing as first-hand accounts from customers who have already used a provider. If possible, reach out to past and current customers of the options on your shortlist for valuable insights into their operations and effectiveness. That will help you catch any red flags that only user reviews can reveal.

As well as talking directly to them, take a look at their online presence for yourself. If you look up a provider’s client and are greeted with negative reviews and bad PR, then you know it’s time to look elsewhere.

Conclusion

Your business reputation can make or break the perception customers and prospects have of you.

A positive reputation builds trust and attracts new customers. On the flip side, unmanaged negative feedback or a weak digital footprint can push potential clients toward competitors.

However, investing in the right reputation management software or service can reverse your fortunes by enhancing your public image or handling PR crises. Just make sure to carefully select a provider with high-level expertise in your industry and a track record of delivering results.

FAQs

How much does online reputation management cost?

The cost of online reputation management services depends on the provider, tools, and scope of work required. Pricing can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.

What’s the difference between PR and reputation management?

PR focuses on proactively building a positive public image. On the other hand, reputation management deals with both proactive branding and reactive strategies to mitigate a negative reputation.

Can reputation management services remove negative reviews?

Reputable reputation management services can help you address negative reviews by responding professionally, and encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews. However, removing legitimate reviews is unethical.

Originally published Jun 01, 2025