If you’re looking to start managing your business’s online reputation, this guide has everything you need to know, including why reputation management online is important, how your business can improve it, and some examples of big brands that got it wrong.We look at how your business can use SEO to improve your online reputation and include some top tips on responding to negative reviews.We have advice on how to manage a brand reputation crisis and explain why measuring and monitoring your brand reputation is so important. If you need some support, we’ve also researched the best tools and platforms to help track your brand reputation online.<h2>What is online reputation management?</h2>Online reputation management is the process of successfully managing the messaging around a brand online. You can use it to monitor digital mentions of your brand, giving you the opportunity to address negative feedback and improve your image.Online reputation management is sometimes confused with PR. The biggest difference is that PR is proactive, whereas online reputation management is reactive. With PR, you are proactively trying to strengthen your business presence. With online reputation management, you’re reacting and responding to content online.<h2>Why is online reputation management important?</h2>Online reputation management can affect your company’s visibility and customer perceptions. While no company can ever have complete control over what is said about them, you can manage the messaging. Managing online reputation can help:<ul><li>Identify potential areas for concern and alleviate customer problems early on</li><li>Increase lead generation through the enhanced perception of a company online</li><li>Boost recruitment efforts, as potential new hires will want to work for a business they’ve heard good things about</li><li>Improve business financing opportunities, as banks and lenders are more likely to support businesses with a good reputation.</li></ul>Online reputation management also puts a business in a strong position should a crisis occur. A company with a proactive and approachable online presence will be able to manage a crisis situation better than those with a slow or limited one.<h2>Online reputation management examples</h2>There are many examples of online reputation management companies that have transformed a business's reputation overnight. Let’s look at some:<h3>Metro Bank</h3>In May 2019, shares for Metro Bank fell by 11% because it was unable to address <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/12/metro-bank-quashes-false-rumours-of-financial-instability-" target="_blank">social media rumours</a> regarding its financial health. Rumours quickly spread across social media from WhatsApp, and the bank was left scrambling to recover.<h3>Ryanair</h3>In 2018, Ryanair came under fire after a <a href="https://www.mediafirst.co.uk/blog/ryanairs-crisis-response-fails-to-take-off/" target="_blank">video from one of its flights went viral</a>, where many called the company racist with some calling for a boycott. Media outlets and social media users accused Ryanair of a weak crisis management approach.<h3>Dove</h3>In 2017, an advert from Dove appeared to show a black woman 'turning white' after using their product. Just three years earlier, some Dove products suggested they were suitable for ‘normal to dark skin'.The common theme in these examples seems to be the lack of online reputation management strategy and crisis management in the companies’ response to business errors.<h2>How to improve your online reputation management</h2>Fortunately, you can learn from the mistakes of others. Follow a few easy steps to improve your online reputation management:<h3>Create positive content</h3>Positive content supports your brand. When you ensure you’re making the most of your brand by presenting it in a positive light, you reduce the risk that any negative exposure or reviews can present.<h3>Offer great customer service</h3>When customers feel great about the service they have received, they’ll talk about it publicly, especially if you encourage them and <a href="https://www.feefo.com/en/business/products/media-gallery" target="_self">make it easy to do so</a>.<h3>Entertain your audience</h3>Today’s consumers <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/a-global-view-of-how-consumer-behavior-is-changing-amid-covid-19" target="_blank">do more research</a> about what they are buying than ever before. Get to know what <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-experience" target="_self">your customers value</a> and think about how you can entertain them in a different way.<h3>Always respond</h3>If you become known for the quality of your responses to both complaints and compliments, it could have a positive impact on your brand.<h3>Be consistent in brand tone and message</h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-tips-brand-consistency-across-multiple-channels-louise-johnson" target="_blank">Remember who you are</a>, what you do, and how your customers recognise you. If the look, feel and tone of your communications are inconsistent, your customers may question your reliability.<h2>SEO</h2><h3>What is SEO?</h3>One of the most common types of online business reputation management is <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-acquisition/organic-traffic-seo" target="_self">search engine optimisation</a> (SEO). You can use SEO to drive traffic to your website through organic search engine results, encouraging customers to find and click on your results on Google or other search engine results pages (SERPs).SEO works by crawling the content of a website and then ranking that website based on how closely it aligns to what a customer is searching for. You can target specific keywords and phrases using SEO by writing relevant content that includes key phrases. Search engines use many different factors when ranking a website, including content, links, keywords, traffic, usage, social media and more. SEO is all about perfecting these factors for the best possible performance on SERPs.<h3>How is online business reputation management and SEO related?</h3>There's a clear link between SEO and a brand’s <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-acquisition/online-reputation-management" target="_self">online reputation</a>. Successful SEO allows you to take control of your brand’s narrative online by influencing the search results users are presented with when they search for your brand. Both share the same goal: strengthening your business’s credibility and authority online.Content across a range of digital channels, such as websites, review platforms and social media, will affect your online reputation. You can control some of it directly, for example reviews and social media mentions, through how you react to this content, using SEO to improve your brand perception online.<h2>How to improve managing online reputation through SEO</h2>You can create a consistent and positive brand image for your customers using SEO to improve your online reputation. Here are some of the most effective ways to use SEO as part of your online reputation management:<h3>Digital PR</h3>Businesses often incorporate digital PR into their SEO strategy. Digital PR is the process of using online channels to grow and manage the awareness and reputation of a brand, and involves building relationships with bloggers, influencers and journalists to secure media exposure.Digital PR can help you to set up highly targeted campaigns across various channels, including podcasts, news sites and business networks. Using these channels can boost organic traffic and improve rankings on search engine result pages, as well as supporting online reputation management.<h3>Content management and creation</h3>SEO content creation is the process of creating content specifically to improve your search engine rankings. Typically, SEO content focuses on a specific keyword or phrase, in the belief that that page will rank highly when users search it. Regular, unique and high-quality content is critical for SEO. Websites with regularly published blog posts experience <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blogging-frequency-benchmarks?__hstc=97396736.7791082e46488f05061fcc955333f5c5.1688552620532.1690894277349.1690896785531.63&__hssc=97396736.4.1690896785531&__hsfp=2340448485" target="_blank">350% more traffic</a> than those that do not.Good SEO content can help control the conversation around your brand online. You can use it to answer questions that your audience frequently ask and portray your business in the best possible light or counteract any negative articles online by producing positive content.<h3>Online reviews</h3>Online reviews help both your digital reputation management and SEO. Although you can’t control the reviews that customers leave, you can control how you respond to them. Search engines use online reviews to gather vital information to display to users when they search for your business.

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<h2>Advantages of combining online reputation management and SEO</h2>There are many advantages of using SEO to improve your online brand reputation management:<h3>Conveying your brand story</h3>By monitoring your brand mentions, you can swing the conversation to a positive narrative. Digital reputation management can highlight your positive reviews, while SEO ensures your content counteracts any negative search results.<h3>Improving communication</h3>Your website, social media and review platforms all add value for your customers and improve your communication with them. Provide immediate responses to reviews to help manage your reputation online.<h3>Creating strong brand recognition</h3>People publish new information about your business all the time, and not all of it is going to be positive. By using online reputation management and SEO, you can make sure that only the positive content is associated with your brand.<h2>Negative reviews</h2>What impact can negative reviews and false content have on your business's reputation?One of the most trusted digital information channels is customer reviews. People reading negative reviews are likely to take away a negative perception of the business and are less likely to purchase a product or service from them. The same applies when brands use fake positive reviews – real consumers spot these easily and they can make a business appear untrustworthy.<h2>How to respond to negative reviews</h2>Negative reviews don’t necessarily spell disaster for a brand, it’s how well you respond to bad reviews that makes the difference. Respond to any negative reviews in a professional manner. By being polite and expressing a genuine interest in helping a customer, you’re more likely to resolve, neutralise and even change a customer’s negative perception than discarding the concern as irrelevant or inaccurate.<h2>How bad is bad?</h2>Your business should have a clear vision of what constitutes a negative review. You should judge each review individually on the content within it, but also consider to what extent you have control over the issue, whether your business is at fault, and if you can rectify the situation.<h2>Is the customer always right?</h2>If a bad review relates to a supply chain issue that your business is responsible for, the customer will see it as your problem. While it may be appropriate to explain to the customer what has happened, you should always respond to any issues as professionally as possible. If there is a genuine issue with a product, service or experience, you should offer options to resolve this.Judging how to reply to a negative review for an unrealistic expectation can be trickier, but you should still respond. If the misunderstanding is the customer’s responsibility, you can issue a standard polite and professional reply to highlight this.<h2>Closed vs open review platforms</h2>Open consumer review sites are more likely to attract negative content as anyone can leave a review, which can attract bot content, inauthentic and spam reviews. Closed platforms like Feefo’s invite customers to leave a review once they have made a verified purchase, participated in an experience, or used a service, which minimises the risk of fake reviews.<h2>Top five tips for brand reputation crisis management</h2>While ongoing reputation management should help you avoid a crisis, let’s look at what to do should something go very wrong.1. Be preparedHaving a plan with clear roles and responsibilities in the event of a crisis will help you solve the problem successfully. Organise a team that will run your plan, including employees from HR, Marketing, PR and Legal. The crisis management plan should focus on what could cause issues for your business and how to resolve them.Set out a clear social media policy for employees. The guidelines must be precise and give expectations for acceptable use of branded accounts. Listen to what people are saying about you. Monitor and evaluate your customer feedback using social listening tools – the ability to spot trends could help you predict a crisis.2. Assess the situationIf you’re faced with a crisis, the first thing to do is assess how significant it is. You should have an outline of the different levels of crisis in your crisis management plan. The way you conduct your response will revolve around this evaluation. Understand what the problem is and how the media is presenting it and use social listening tools to establish what your audience is saying and feeling.If you have experienced a significant crisis, such as a data leak, understand people's immediate needs. Speak to your employees and keep them informed of the unfolding situation, giving them clear instructions on how to respond.3. Connect with the customerIn the immediate aftermath of a brand crisis, the way you communicate with your audience is key to moving forward. Removing negative feedback or denying its existence when it’s accurate is the wrong approach. Your customers will respond with more sympathy if you admit your mistake, apologise sincerely, and explain how you’ll fix it. The faster you can do this, the better.4. Present a united frontShare the impact of the crisis with your employees and stakeholders by informing them of what has happened and how you’ll fix it. If your employees and stakeholders understand and agree with your plans, you’re more likely to see a similar reaction in your customers.5. Move swiftlyOnce you’ve formalised your crisis management plan and stakeholders and employees are prepared, run with it. The quicker you’re ready to deal with the situation, the sooner you can respond and manage it.<h2>Tools</h2><h3>Why measuring and monitoring your brand reputation is important</h3>You need to measure and monitor your brand reputation to stay competitive within your field, retain a loyal customer base and maintain a steady revenue stream. Track your brand reputation over time to celebrate improvements but also react quickly to negative dips. Brand reputation also serves as a good temperature check for how your marketing initiatives are performing.A positive brand reputation signals to your current and potential customers that you can be trusted to deliver high-quality products, services and experiences. By being proactive and tracking your brand reputation, you’ll also be in a far better position to spot the early signs of potential damage to your reputation.<h2>Supporting metrics for brand reputation</h2>Tracking and analysing brand reputation works best when combined with other key customer metrics, including:<h3>Net Promoter Score</h3>Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures how likely your customers are to recommend you to their friends, using an index that ranges from -100 to 100. You can use your NPS score to create an internal performance benchmark and as an indicator for brand sentiment.<h3>Customer Satisfaction Score</h3>The Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) measures the satisfaction of your customers on a scale of 1-5, 1-7, or 1-10. Use it to measure an immediate reaction to a specific interaction or event, with the option to set multiple questions to measure different aspects of the customer journey.<h3>Web traffic</h3>It’s important to monitor all your website traffic, not just organic visits. A steady stream across all channels indicates a consistent flow of potential and actual customers to your website.<h3>Domain authority</h3>Domain authority indicates how well a website domain ranks in online searches based on its quality and trustworthiness. The more high-quality and trustworthy websites that link to your website and are associated with your business, the clearer it is you’re a brand with a good reputation.<h3>Email subscription</h3>When someone subscribes to your newsletters or emails, it’s a sign they trust your brand and want to hear more from you. The stronger your brand reputation, the more likely people are to subscribe.<h3>Customer Lifetime Value</h3>The lifetime value of a customer represents how much money you expect a customer to spend on your business during their lifetime. When used with brand reputation, it can indicate how positively or negatively your customers view your brand.<h3>Word-of-mouth referral</h3>Everyone knows how powerful a recommendation can be. It’s important to measure the source of your customers and how many are referred by people they know, even more so if you have a referral scheme.<h2>Tools and platforms to use to track your brand reputation</h2>Monitoring and measuring brand reputation isn’t a new phenomenon. Software companies around the world accurately track brand reputation and help businesses succeed.<h3>Service and product reviews</h3>Review platforms like Feefo ask customers about their experience with the product or service they have recently purchased. Managing your reviews is an important part of managing your brand reputation.<h3>Company/employee online reviews</h3>Websites like Glassdoor give employees the opportunity to leave reviews about their experience with your company, which – when the reviews are bad – can be damaging to your brand reputation. Try to understand the root cause of your employee's feedback and take steps to resolve similar issues others might have.<h3>Social listening and mentions</h3>Social media is the perfect sharing platform for feedback about your brand. It’s essential to listen to what’s being said and act on the information. Social listening programmes can find mentions of your business in harder-to-reach places like message boards, which gives you the chance to identify and resolve complaints fast.<h3>Customer satisfaction surveys</h3>The best way to find out how your customers feel is to ask them. Reach out via email <a href="https://www.feefo.com/en/business/products/feefo-surveys" target="_self">using an online survey</a>, which you can tailor to get feedback on a specific product or service. Act on the insights you receive and keep customers informed of any improvements you make.<h3>Organic search volume change</h3>Businesses find that most of their <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-acquisition/everything-you-need-to-know-about-seo-report" target="_self">organic search traffic</a> comes from brand searches. In other words more people find their websites via a search engine, with no paid promotion involved, when they search for the brand. The more organic website visits you have, the more your company is resonating with and reaching your target audience.<h3>Sentiment analysis</h3>If your customers are talking about your company at scale, you might not be able to keep track of every mention. This is where sentiment analysis tools, such as Feefo's Customer Sentiment Insight tool, can help you to spot key themes, highlighting areas of concern, areas for improvement, and areas that are performing well.<h3>Share of voice</h3>Share of voice refers to brand awareness you can measure, for example the number and reach of online mentions, your website traffic, campaign successes, and more. Measuring your share of voice can reveal how many people know your brand, how often they see and engage with it online, and how frequently they talk about it.

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How to succeed with online reputation management: your ultimate guide 

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In this article, we'll discuss the importance of a strong brand image, how to build one, and the value of collecting and monitoring customer reviews to shape consumer perceptions of your business.<h2>What is brand image?</h2>Brand image is the impression customers have of a business, shaped by their interactions and experiences, be that positive or negative.By developing their brand personality, tone of voice, and other strategic elements, businesses can influence their brand image and contribute to how customers perceive their brand. However, regardless of how it is shaped, consistency is key. The ideal brand image is one that's instantly recognisable by consumers.It's often the case that businesses learn from their mistakes as they go in order to improve and strengthen their brand presence, or, in some cases, re-brand entirely. In order to develop and stick to relevant and appropriate branding, knowing and listening to your customers is key.<h2>Why is brand image important?</h2>Without a consistent brand image, there's no way for consumers to tell businesses apart — and certainly, no reason for them to choose one over another.That's why it's no surprise that the most successful companies are usually those with strong branding and values. When a brand presents itself consistently and authentically, it creates a sense of trust and reliability in the minds of customers. They know what to expect and can rely on the brand to deliver on its promises.In fact, a <a href="https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/social-media-connection/" target="_blank">Sprout Social</a> study found 57% of customers will increase their spending if they feel connected to a brand, and 76% will buy from them over a competitor. So there's no denying the importance of brand image.<h2>What is the difference between brand image and brand identity?</h2>In simple terms, brand image is how people perceive a business, while brand identity is how the company wants to be perceived.Businesses have the power to control and shape their brand identity by developing their personality, values, tone of voice, and more. And this contributes to the way their customers think of them – their brand image.

<h2>How to build a strong brand image</h2><h3>1. Determine your values and mission</h3>Building a strong brand image requires a solid foundation: understanding your brand and its identity. It all begins by determining your values and mission, and this becomes the guiding compass for your brand identity, ensuring that everything you do aligns with these core elements.Knowing your mission and values enables you to create a strong brand image that resonates with your audience. In fact — our <a href="https://www.feefo.com/us/business/resources/business-insights/brand-perception-report" target="_self">2021 Brand Perception Report</a> found 74% of Brits always consider a brand’s values before purchasing from them. When consistent, this clear and authentic representation of your brand helps you to be perceived as reliable and trustworthy, building a loyal customer base. A study by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelfertik/2019/01/14/as-trust-among-consumers-wavers-authenticity-is-critical/" target="_blank">Forbes</a> even found 86% of people say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they support.<h3>2. Identify your customers</h3>A crucial step in building a strong brand image is identifying your customers; before you can effectively connect with them, you must truly understand who they are.Take the time to conduct market research and gather insights about your target audience, understanding their demographics, preferences, needs, and behaviours. This knowledge forms the foundation for creating targeted messaging and experiences that resonate with your customers.<h3>3. Let your personality shine through</h3>Reaching the heights of major brands like Nike and Google may seem a long way off, especially with so many brands now vying for consumer attention both online and off — but every brand has got to start somewhere.All of the best and most well-known brands own what they do. They transcend their product by creating a personality that sets them apart from their competitors.Giving your brand a distinct voice and persona that your audience can relate to is the first step toward making your business more engaging and memorable to consumers. The oversaturation of products and services across most mainstream industries means that, more often than not, it doesn’t matter how good your product is if your brand personality doesn’t get people excited.With so much competition, people will simply go elsewhere as soon as there’s something more interesting, so give them a reason to stick around.<h3>4. Spread the word using social media</h3>Once you have established a compelling brand identity, you can start promoting it. Brand awareness has always boiled down to one thing: word of mouth. Getting people to talk about you and your brand has been integral to marketing a business for years, and what started in town squares and around office water coolers has now found a new home online.Social media has become the platform of choice for businesses looking to grow their brand's online presence. With <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/" target="_blank">4.89 billion social media users worldwide in 2023</a>, It's safe to assume that if your brand isn't present on at least some of these platforms, you're missing out on a huge opportunity.For your social media to really contribute towards improving your brand image, you need to be proactive. You must establish your own unique voice that speaks directly to your target market and then work towards establishing a presence that's both engaging and shareable.For some, this could mean direct promotion, giveaways and competitions. For others, it could be establishing a social presence that is more personable and indirectly linked to the product or service on offer. There's no right or wrong way to do social; it really is all about understanding your audience and creating content you know they'll engage with.The one thing that is universally agreed is that you need to be consistent and active in whatever you do. Post content regularly and engage wherever possible in conversations about your product or industry, using established hashtags to show up in the feeds of people who are interested in your sector.<h3>5. Collaborate with influencers and brand partnerships</h3>Encouraging respected social influencers in your field to endorse your business in some way can help elevate your brand by introducing it to new audiences. When partnering with reputable individuals or other companies, your brand naturally becomes associated with quality. It starts to be used and spoken about as a brand people respect, trust and ultimately want to buy from.

<h2>How do customer reviews play a role in developing brand image?</h2>It's not only celebrities and industry experts that can act as brand ambassadors. Your existing customers are some of the most powerful advocates your brand has at its disposal, and to ignore them would be a waste.A <a href="https://www.inc.com/craig-bloem/84-percent-of-people-trust-online-reviews-as-much-.html" target="_blank">study</a> found that 84% of customers trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations. When people hear the real experiences of your customers, it resonates on a personal level and helps to establish trust and confidence in your business.<a href="https://www.feefo.com/business/product/respond-to-reviews" target="_self">Customer reviews</a> can also help you understand new perspectives through the eyes of customers. And these insights can inform future brand identity decisions, pivots or tweaks that influence what customers think of your brand. And using an independent review platform like Feefo is a great starting point.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-murrell/" target="_blank">Lauren Murrell</a>, the co-owner of<a href="https://bysarahlondon.com/" target="_blank"> By Sarah London</a>, says that collecting customer reviews with Feefo has helped her brand build consumer trust from scratch:"Prospective customers can see the feedback from real, verified customers, which further builds that positive feedback loop of trust. At By Sarah London, we are about quality, transparency and trust, which is why Feefo works so well for us. That sense of connection it gives us informs much of what we do. We can connect with customers in a way many other legacy brands cannot."<h2>What insights can be collected from customer reviews to improve brand image?</h2>By paying attention to what customers are saying about your business, you can gain a deeper understanding of how your brand is perceived. That's why the more accurate and insightful data behind review platforms, the better.With a customer review platform like Feefo, you can gain access to the following insights:<h3>1. Business perception sentiment</h3>Feefo automatically analyses your feedback for you, giving you valuable <a href="https://www.feefo.com/business/product/insights" target="_self">insight</a> into <a href="https://www.feefo.com/business/product/insights/understand-customer-sentiment" target="_self">customer sentiment</a>. This can paint a detailed picture of what matters to your customer, helping you assess whether your brand image aligns with your goals. That way, you can address any issues or concerns that may have gone unnoticed before, ensuring your brand development strategy is effective.<h3>2. Product quality sentiment</h3>The people inside an organisation understand why their products and services are great, of course — but this isn't always felt as keenly by consumers. Collecting reviews lets businesses determine the real opinions on the quality, value and relevance of products directly as seen through the eyes of the people using them.Learning whether or not a customer would recommend a product hugely indicates their experience and the likelihood of them reiterating that experience to others.<h3>3. Customer experience quality sentiment</h3>No matter how strong a brand image, it won’t be able to survive continued poor experiences, and so the customer experience (CX) quality sentiment is one of the most important measures a business can use to determine its relevance and quality.The consumer sentiment around a brand's CX can often throw up issues and perceptions that were not considered internally, and is a hugely valuable tool for improvement. No business always gets it right, but they can always work to be better.<a href="https://www.feefo.com/business/product/insights/measure-nps" target="_self">Measuring (Net Promoter Score) NPS</a> with Feefo can give you an instant snapshot of how your customers feel about your brand by asking about the likelihood of them recommending your service or products to others. This can help you understand where your business is succeeding and how it needs to improve. You can then make informed decisions and take actionable steps to enhance the customer experience and strengthen your brand's reputation.<h3>4. New product ideas</h3>New product development departments can gain a huge amount of insight for their future direction from business reviews. Common themes around a product issue or customer preferences can help influence future product decisions, increasing the likelihood of creating goods that meet consumer expectations. This, in turn, enhances customer satisfaction and reinforces a positive brand image.And Feefo’s performance reports can help you easily <a href="https://www.feefo.com/business/product/insights/discover-themes" target="_self">discover themes</a> in your customer feedback, highlighting opportunities for new products or necessary changes.To learn more and discover what your customers really think of your business, read our guide to<a href="https://www.feefo.com/business/resources/business-insights/your-guide-to-feefo-reports" target="_self"> Feefo reports</a>. Or, discover how your business can use customer feedback to its advantage by reading our <a href="https://www.feefo.com/us/business/resources/customer-experience/customer-reviews" target="_self">complete guide to customer reviews</a>.<h2>Build a positive brand image with Feefo</h2>There’s no doubt that creating a solid brand image is crucial to business success. And customer reviews play a key role in establishing trust and confidence by sharing real customer experiences.So why not get started by collecting trusted customer reviews with Feefo? <a href="https://www.feefo.com/business/enquiry/get-in-touch" target="_self">Get in touch today</a> to see how we can help your brand do more to become something memorable!

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What Is Brand Image: How to Use Reviews to Your Advantage

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Brand trust is central to building your business. Described as the ‘make or break difference for brands’ it relates to how customers expect to have a positive experience when they interact with you. It involves consistency in delivery of high-quality products and services. But it goes further, with 53% of respondents in a <a href="https://www.feefo.com/us/business/contact" target="_self">2020 Edelman survey</a> stating trust in the brand was second in importance only to price when purchasing from a new brand.&nbsp;All age groups, gender and income segments saw brand trust as more important now than ever before and looked at the impact that a brand has on society, as well as how brands can protect individuals during times of uncertainty and change.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>What is brand trust?&nbsp;</h2>Brand trust acts as a signal to let your customers know that you’re worth spending their valuable time and money on. It’s invaluable, hard won and based on consistency. Your customers want you to meet their expectations, every time.&nbsp;As Elizabeth Arden, founder of Elizabeth Arden, Inc. said:&nbsp;“Repetition makes reputation and reputation makes customers.”&nbsp;<h3>Shoppers trust brands when they:&nbsp;</h3><ul><li>Deliver high quality products or services</li><li>Receive good ratings and reviews</li><li>Charge a reasonable price</li></ul><ul><li>Treat customers fairly</li><li>Handle any problems quickly&nbsp;</li></ul>Brand trust comes from a combination of great products, consistently good service, meaningful customer interactions, great content, and glowing<a href="https://www.feefo.com/en/business/products/performance-profiling" target="_self">customer feedback</a>.<h3>Why is it important to build brand trust?&nbsp;</h3>People buy brands rather than just products or services. Brand trust is what distinguishes you from your competitors.&nbsp;&nbsp;Brands add value – we all know that a small white T–shirt from Balenciaga will cost significantly more than one from Primark.&nbsp;&nbsp;Brands provide peace of mind - consumers are comfortable with what they’re offering, which saves decision-making time. And they express who consumers are – we identify with them – everyone can choose whether they’re a PC or a Mac.&nbsp;A positive outlook on your brand, created through the delivery of consistently high-quality products and services, drives sales and creates loyal customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How to gain brand trust&nbsp;</h2>Start with a clear value proposition - define what it is that you offer your customers and focus on providing that in as honest, fair and transparent a way as possible. Once your foundations are in place, then use social proof and reviews to build up brand trust.&nbsp;&nbsp;People trust people, especially when they know their opinions are the real deal. In fact, <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/business-insights/review-and-brand-growth-advice" target="_self">84% of shoppers</a> trust real reviews from genuine customers even more than the recommendations of friends and family - making your customers your best salespeople.&nbsp;&nbsp;The more reviews you’re able to collect from your genuine customers, the more trust in your brand increases. And once you have a stream of positive reviews pouring in, you can start promoting them on your website, in your search ads, and in marketing materials to spread the word even further and continue to build a positive brand reputation.&nbsp;<h3>Prove the quality of your products&nbsp;</h3>Collecting product reviews gives you the perfect opportunity to showcase the quality of your products. <a href="https://www.edelman.com/research/brand-trust-2020">Honest reviews from real customers</a> help shoppers feel more secure they are making the right choice, as they get an unbiased view of the products on offer. <a href="https://www.feefo.com/en-gb/business/solutions/customer-feedback">Reading feedback</a> from other customers helps make the buying decision so much simpler. <a href="https://www.feefo.com/en-gb/business/solutions/customer-acquisition">Photo and video reviews</a> add an extra layer of trust by giving customers the chance to show off their experiences firsthand.<h3>Focus on your customer experience&nbsp;</h3>Improving your <a href="https://www.feefo.com/us/business/resources/customer-experience/negative-reviews" target="_self">customer experience</a> will create greater brand trust. Reach out to your customers to see how they feel about their interactions with you to find out where you’re doing well and where you need to improve. Feefo Surveys allow you to find out about any part of the buying journey, so you can gain insight on all your customer touchpoints.<h3>Climb the Google search results</h3>Collecting feedback provides search engines with plenty of user-generated content, which pushes your website up the rankings. Higher ranked sites show off your brand and help to build trust. As a Google Premier Partner, you can show your Feefo ratings and reviews on your Google My Business page too. If you want to read more about how reviews can help, check <a href="http://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/09/trends-customer-trust-research-transparency.html" target="_self">our SEO guide</a>.<h3>Keep an eye on what people are saying&nbsp;</h3>Monitoring what people are saying about you allows you to keep track of how you’re perceived. Brand trust can fluctuate over time and Feefo’s Customer Sentiment Insight tool can accurately measure the positive and negative customer sentiment from within your reviews.    &nbsp;<h3>Create loyal brand advocates&nbsp;</h3>Reviews carry on working long after they’ve been posted. If your customers are happy enough to sing your praises in a review, they’re likely to continue to do this on and offline, promoting your brand amongst their network and strengthening your reputation. Consumers respond well to recommendations from people that don’t work for the brand and haven’t been paid, making your reviewers credible and influential brand ambassadors.&nbsp;<h3>Show you can deliver on your promises &nbsp;</h3>Reviews give you the platform to publicly engage one-on-one with your customers. providing a platform to spark conversations, respond to queries, show that you’re willing to make improvements, and let everyone know when you make those changes. Just by addressing your current customers, you’re not only more likely to keep hold of them, but <a href="https://www.feefo.com/en-gb/business/solutions/customer-experience" target="_self">attract new ones too</a>.&nbsp;<h3>Turn critics into advocates&nbsp;</h3>Believe it or not, negative customer reviews can be just as useful as positive ones. They let you know how you can improve your business and help to build on your customers’ trust. The best opportunity lies within how you go about replying – a well written response could even turn your grumpiest customer into a loyal brand advocate.&nbsp;&nbsp;Much better to receive a negative review highlighting an issue that lets you take action to address the problem than having negative feelings towards your business passed on to a customer’s friends and family by word of mouth.&nbsp;Collecting customer reviews lets you take back control of that conversation and use the platform to publicly respond to negative feedback and help solve the customer’s issue long before it damages brand trust. In fact, openly and honestly admitting fault, and going above and beyond to solve the issue they’ve raised, shows your company in a positive light and helps further cement the level of trust people have in your customer service.&nbsp;Find out more about <a href="https://www.feefo.com/business/gb_en/resources/reports/the-2018-feefo-consumer-report" target="_self">responding to negative reviews</a>.&nbsp;With <a href="https://www.feefo.com/en-gb/business/solutions/customer-reviews" target="_self">95% of shoppers saying</a> they are more likely to be loyal to a company they trust, there’s no better time to start collecting customer reviews to build brand trust and prove to the world just how great your products and customer service really are.&nbsp;Nine-in-ten customers are worried about fake reviews affecting their experience with a business - which is where we come in. As an invite-only review and insight platform, Feefo is proud to only collect real reviews from your genuine customers.&nbsp;