Your brand’s reputation is everything; AI can ensure it stays secure
By Adam Mohrbacher
It will probably come as no surprise that Abraham Lincoln, famously known as “Honest Abe,” once said, “Reputation is like fine china: Once broken it’s very hard to repair.” Although Lincoln lived in the 19th century, his words have never been more relevant to how we live in the 21st. For many businesses, success in our digital first economy is won and lost on the strength of their online reputation. One study, for instance, reported that more than half of consumers will increase their spending with a brand they feel connected to, and more than 3 in 4 will buy from them over a competitor.[i] With such huge stakes in play, reputation management needs to be an organizational priority. But in the hustle and bustle of running an agency, who has the time for one more task? That’s where new developments in AI can help. Businesses can now utilize AI-powered tools to seamlessly monitor, analyze and respond to online chatter at scale. Here are some of the top ways these applications ensure your reputation stays pristine and your business profitable.
What goes into your online reputation?
Before we start discussing specific AI applications, however, we must clarify what we mean by “online reputation.” Most people know all about the importance of online reviews for influencing buying decisions; but that barely scratches the surface. Your business’s search engine presence, for example, is also deeply important to how your firm is perceived. Social media plays a similarly influential role, as does your company’s website. Then, there is a whole host of third-party listing services like the Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce and directories like Yellowpages and Yelp. All these need to be proactively managed if you want to safeguard your reputation online.
Monitor in real time
Given such scale and complexity, using AI to help with reputation management makes obvious sense. Today’s AI applications can help agencies monitor brand mentions and sentiment in real time. Tools such as Brand24, Meltwater and Mention utilize AI algorithms to scan social media feeds, online forums and review sites, and then catalogue any mentions of your brand by positive, neutral or negative sentiment. Armed with this information, agencies can then respond instantly to important online conversations. Addressing feedback or answering customer queries in a fast, efficient and proactive way reflects positively on your brand.
Compiling and analyzing data
AI-assisted reputation management goes far beyond simple monitoring and response. Applications such as Talkwalker and Reputation are all capable of scraping the web and providing users with actionable, long-term insights. Once deployed, these natural-language models go to work summarizing and auto-tagging online content about a business’s brand. After that, they cluster it into clear themes so you can quickly spot recurring customer pain points and areas where your business already excels.
Real-time dashboards show immediate shifts in sentiment, while predictive modules forecast where complaints or compliments may spike. Agencies also have the option to use these tools to benchmark their brand against competitors and show whether a dip is industry-wide or specific to them. All-in-all, these AI applications foster deeper consumer analysis and faster course corrections.
Fast, efficient crisis communication
Of course, sometimes despite your best efforts, events occur that can cause harm to your brand. Wire fraud. Vendor failures. Persistent bad reviews. Regulatory violations. All of these can imperil your reputation and damage your long-term profitability. One of the best ways to mitigate any fallout is by having a good crisis communication plan in place. Better yet? Having a good crisis communication plan in place that is augmented by AI.
These agents are invaluable in a crisis scenario for numerous reasons. First, as mentioned, AI excels at monitoring online commentary in real time. If there is ever a spike in negative sentiment, they can alert you to trigger your crisis communication plan. Many of these AI programs can also push out automatic updates across your various online platforms, enabling you to take control of the narrative, ensure messaging consistency and reduce staff fatigue.
Lastly, AI programs can tailor content and optimize your online presence to recover and rebuild trust after the initial crisis scenario has passed.
AI is key to a resilient brand
In the day-to-day grind, prioritizing reputation management can be an uphill battle. Yet a strong brand is always a cornerstone of a successful business. Protecting it requires diligently tracking online conversation across the internet, proactively responding to feedback and mitigating potential crises before they fully emerge. With the rise of AI, it has never been easier for even thinly stretched teams to make that possible. By automating routine tasks, collecting valuable insights and mitigating crisis fallout, these tools enable you to stay on top of your brand with less stress and greater consistency. And that’s a ticket to long-term growth if there ever was one.
