A reputation analysis examines the way online content reflects the sentiment of your brand. A SWOT Analysis can be used to better understand online brand.
A brand reputation SWOT analysis takes into account:
- Positive brand indicators (what the brand is doing right): A brand that is putting out good content will have some consistency in the way it's portrayed online.
- Negative brand indicators (what a brand is doing wrong): A brand that is putting out bad content will have a hard time maintaining a positive reputation if negative brand indicators outweigh positive brand indicators.
- Online reviews: Online reviews are a key indicator the online sentiment of your brand.
- Online mentions: Mentions on social media, review sites, or other authority sites reflect the sentiment of your brand.
The analysis also takes into account relative visibility of search and social results that might affect the sentiment of people performing searches for your brand.
Brand strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
A SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis is performed to ascertain the reputation landscape. This includes mapping of relative brand strength in comparison to similar entities (similar people, brands, products or services). Strength or weakness can be measured by identifying the authority, level of influence, branded search term relevance, and sentiment of various online content.
A. Strengths of a brand online
Control of high authority branded online content that performs well in search and social results is considered a major strength because they tend to receive a much higher percentage of online visibility for the brand. A strong search profile, including inbound links from authoritative sites to positive online content generally increases visibility of targeted positive brand-related content.
Positive reviews, press coverage, and other beneficial media are also considered helpful to a brand.
B. Brand weaknesses to eliminate
Weaknesses in a brand sentiment profile may include negative online content. Content that weakens a brand include bad reviews or testimonials, negative journalism, less than positive blog posts or images that could diminish positive sentiment for the brand online.
C. Opportunities for brand improvement
Opportunities include aspects of a brands online profile such as gaps in coverage.
For example, if most similar brands reflect a certain group of online publications that are missing from the online profile of the target brand, this can be considered an opportunity. It means that search and social engines as well as information consumers may have an expectation of a specific type of content that may perform well online.
D. Threats to the online brand
Threats to online reputation include events and trends happening industry wide, as well as existing threats to the target brand. For example, financial service firms may experience reputation threats during a downturn in the economy. Though it may not yet affect the target brand, it could.
Other threats to brand reputation include an uptick in negative online reviews, corporate scandals, service level problems, and competitors wishing to damage the reputation of brands.
Summary of a brand reputation analysis
An analysis is an initial part of an online brand reputation strategy. It informs decisions that will be made about how to strengthen a brand, mitigate threats, control online image, and deal with brand crisis.
Brand reputation analysis FAQs
What is a brand reputation analysis?
A reputation analysis examines the way online content reflects the sentiment of your brand. It takes into account positive brand indicators, negative brand indicators, online reviews, and online mentions.
How can I improve my brand's online reputation?
Improve your brand's reputation by identifying gaps in coverage. Complete online profiles, create content that adds missing information about your company, and invest in SEO, review management, and social media monitoring.
What are threats to my online brand?
Threats to your online brand include events and trends happening industry wide, an uptick in negative online reviews, corporate scandals, service level problems, and competitors wishing to damage your reputation.
