So, you’ve thought it over, planned it out, and you’re going to put a lot of your online reputation management (ORM) effort into Google searches. You’ll get the right SEO people to target key phrases and create engaging content accordingly. You’ll put some money into performance marketing (a.k.a. Google Ads) to make sure your name stays up there no matter what. You’ll even do great digital PR so that you stand out on Google News. That should suffice, right? Wrong.
We’ve already discussed some alternatives to Google’s search engine in this blog, but now, let’s take a look a bit further into this ORM horizon. How is your brand or your name doing on video searches? Yes, that’s right. If you’re not there, you’re only doing a portion of the online reputation management work. Whether it’s the ‘video’ tab on Google searches, the YouTube search engine or even the video-oriented social media networks such as TikTok or Instagram, you can’t afford to miss out on this aspect of your online reputation management.
Wait, what?
Let’s take a few steps back, though, in order to understand this phenomenon. We’ve already established that social media search engines are becoming a popular alternative to Google’s tools, and that younger generations are shifting more and more towards these platforms. In other words, more and more Gen Zers are turning to TikTok or Instagram when they want to search for something online, instead of ‘Googling’ it.
That’s why it is no surprise that Google has decided, in its own unique way, to fight back. Its two main modus operandi are the emphasis that they now put on video searches, and the search engine of their own video social media platform, YouTube.
Alright, now it’s inevitable. Open a new tab, and search for your business’ name on Google. Even search for it with the word “review” attached to it. Don’t stop there, though. Go to the ‘videos’ tab as well. We’ll wait for you to return.
Great to have you back. What did you see? Are there any videos related to you, synced with your brand’s name? Did you know these videos exist? Did you know that Google gives them such prominence? Welcome to the world of video online reputation management (video ORM).
Living on Video
As you’ve probably figured out by now, it’s not only about making videos. It’s about having them dominate search engines (yes, even on those platforms that the youngsters use), and staying there for as long as possible. This requires a set of skills, which mixes between classic SEO practices and newer, alongside ones that are newer and more in-tune with the times.
Naturally, this is not something we recommend that you do on your own, if you lack the skilled people on your team to handle that. It’s always best to let ORM professionals handle it. Having said that, we would like to give you a few tips, to pinpoint you in the right direction:
- Controlling your video ORM begins with having an entity. It is imperative to set up your own, official YouTube/Instagram/TikTok account, so that these algorithms recognize you as the source of credible content about yourself. However, owning a profile is not enough. You need to upload content regularly to it – even if it is short and doesn’t necessarily have to do with your business. For example, if you own a pizzeria, a weekly video with fun facts about pizzas can be a good idea. If it’s out there, it will gain traction.
- Once the content is out there, even if it comes from your page, you need to get it optimized. The same methods that are common in SEO, such as meta data, slugs, key phrases and such, are also widely used in video content. Make sure you do SEO right, because in some cases, there’s no second chance at putting the proper data in place.
- Don’t forget that these video outlets are, first and foremost, social media platforms. These demand special ORM attention. That begins with relevant and “tried-and-true” hashtags which will make your content more searchable in inner search engines. That’s not all, though. You need engagements to make your content stand out over time. Likes, comments, shares, you name it. This means that you need to make sure your customers are engaging with your content as much as possible and, obviously, in the most positive manner possible.
- External positive content is always appreciated. This might come at a cost, but you should consider collaborating with influencers and social media stars in order to promote yourself. Just make sure you do it in a legitimate way, because you don’t want to be on the platform’s naughty list for violating its rules. Alternatively, you can encourage satisfied customers to create positive content about you, based on their impression. While this “organic” way does not usually have as much reach as paid campaigns, sometimes a little bit can go a long way.
But wait, there’s more…
In this short blog post, we naturally don’t have the ability to let you in on all the video online reputation management secrets on one foot. We haven’t even talked about how you handle yourself on social media channels such as Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok, where today’s potential customer probably is. We have yet to compare promoted and sponsored content on videos, to decide what’s optimal for you. We haven’t touched negative videos which are posted about you, and how you can deal with them. And, most importantly, we’ve not gone into detail about how your brand or business’ characteristics affect your ORM strategy when it comes to videos.
If you want to know more, there are plenty of materials on our blog that can help you out. The best advice we can give you, though, is just to contact us. Leave your details and we’ll get back to you. Let’s see how we can take your video online reputation management strategy to the next level.