Content Marketing and Online Reputation Management are terms often misunderstood to be the same thing. While they are related concepts, they are not exactly the same. Understanding the difference is important to know where you should focus your efforts.
So how do you know which you need, and where to focus your efforts? How can you make your investments more effective?
Content Marketing
Use Content Marketing to establish the value and character of your brand. This builds the authority of your brand through the creation and publication of creative, informative, not-directly-promotional content.
Renowned copywriter Robert Bly, in his new book “The Content Marketing Handbook – How to Double the Results of Your Marketing Campaigns“ describes it as, “giving away free information to build brand awareness, increase response to marketing campaigns, convert more online traffic, and educate prospects on your technology, methodology, products, services, and applications.”
Content marketing builds the authority of your brand Click To TweetOnline reputation management
Online reputation management (ORM) is the effort to control what online search engines and social networks say about your brand. Brands use ORM to control their image. The objective of ORM is only positive information on the first few pages of search results. It works to suppress unwanted content from search engine results pages, making it difficult to find.
Online Reputation Management works to control what online search engines and social networks say about you Click To TweetSo which do you need?
What you need depends on your objectives. If addressing negative reviews or eliminating unwanted listings from search results your priority, contacting an online reputation management firm might be the best approach.
However, if your aim is building goodwill for your brand or company, then content marketing is likely a more effective and affordable solution. Content marketing establishes your brand as an authority in your niche.
Content marketing tells the story of your brand. Online reputation management focuses on making sure that story is positive. Click To TweetThe aim is to craft a narrative that places your company in the best possible light. All this while building trust among your customers, and expanding your reach on social media and search engines.
Benefits of content marketing which overlap those of ORM include:
- Building trust
- Providing value
- Positioning your brand as an authority
- Building an active and positive presence on social media
- Populating search engines with brand-enhancing information
- Promoting customer loyalty
- Turning customers into brand advocates
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