The Public Relations Blog

Many companies search for themselves online to ensure they’re ranking well on search engines. In reviewing your company’s positioning in search engine results, you may find that you have an online reputation problem. If there is negative content about your company ranking relatively highly, you’re almost certainly losing business because of it.

Know the difference and get to work improving your online image.

Maintaining a positive online image for your company is critical for success. How consumers perceive your brand on the internet determines whether they will be your customers. A positive online image also cultivates mutually beneficial relationships with other companies.

Many people use the terms online reputation and online reviews interchangeably. The two terms actually differ in many ways. Find out if it’s your company’s online reputation or online reviews that are stifling your business growth. 

3 ways your company can deal with internet trolls in 2017 and beyond

Earlier this month, fast-food chain Wendy’s earned numerous headlines because its social media team challenged a heckler on the Twitter playground. Upworthy writer Parker Molloy captured the entire exchange before Wendy’s deleted its comments and the critic, @NHRide (aka Thuggy-D), deleted his Twitter account. It went like this:

Preserving your image online is paramount to your company’s success

You may never know the true value of your company’s good reputation until you lose it. Your online reputation can be severely compromised by just one disgruntled former employee or dissatisfied customer with a grudge. To ensure your image remains positive, it’s vital to hire a PR firm to handle your online reputation management (ORM). How do you find the right one? Axia Public Relations can help you choose the PR agency that is right for you.

4 ways to protect your company’s online image

If negative or unfounded reviews or comments from consumers or former employees have marred your company’s reputation, the uphill battle of refuting them is both costly and time-consuming, with little hope of remedy. Hiring defamation lawyers or public relations professionals to repair damaged credibility takes time, and on the internet, information can still remain, especially when review sites or search engine behemoths don’t agree to removal.

3 ways to help your clients prevent the spread of misinformation

In his farewell speech in Chicago, President Barack Obama mentioned the fake news phenomenon as a threat to democracy. “Increasingly,” he said, “we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether it’s true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that is out there.”

Learn how to use this tool for maximum advantage

You strive to deliver accurate messages about your company. This helps to improve your reach, online reputation and brand. One important site that consumers turn to for information is Wikipedia, billed as the free encyclopedia, but your company doesn't have a Wikipedia page.

Companies frequently ask their PR firm to write Wikipedia articles on their behalf. Some have even hired PR professionals to edit Wikipedia pages to delete negative information and make the company look better than it is. If this is something you have considered as well, read on to learn why this is not a good idea.

How your decision will affect your online success

A staff member takes to social media to complain about your customers after a particularly stressful day at work. It seems that your employees spend more time checking their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and online dating sites than they do on work. With such a huge potential for disaster, you may be ready to ban social networks at your company altogether.

This is one story about PR and small businesses. Read How small companies do PR and what big companies can learn from them, 5 Things big companies know about PR that small businesses can learn from them, PR firms should avoid startups, and Why small businesses struggle with PR firms for more.

When you combine smart spending with strategic planning, your company wins

In 1971, two teachers and a writer in Seattle opened a shop to sell coffee, teas and spices for customers to take home and brew on their own. That was the birth of Starbucks. Facebook began in a dorm room and was only meant to be a method of communicating between Harvard University students. Every business starts small, but thinking big can bring you incredible success. Sometimes, all it takes is the right mix of bold courage, hard work and good public relations.

Improving your brand’s online reputation

When your company gets negative press, you may hesitate to publish anything online in your defense for fear of fueling the fire. It’s a Catch-22 because if you don’t control your message, everyone else will. If you are ready for your customers to move beyond a recent incident, here is how you can be heard through the firestorm.