50 Shocking Stats About Online Reputation Management [Infographic]

What is Online Reputation Management?

Online reputation management is the practice of attempting to shape public perception of a person or an organization, a way to influence how people perceive you or your business online (TechTarget). How many of you have grabbed your phone and looked up that shopping mall, restaurant, or hair salon before heading out or while making plans?

I bet you’re all nodding your heads right now. What about coming across organizations or places with low ratings or negative reviews when you have searched them on the Internet, would that locale be your first preference? I’m sure most of you agree with me and are saying of course not, right? With all the options that are available in today’s digital age, you can basically access everything and anything on the Internet today.

Scroll past the image below to see the '50 shocking stats' presented in plain-text format

Scroll below to see the '50 shocking stats' presented in plain-text format

Here are 50 stats that show the importance of online reputation management

1. 58% of executives believe that online reputation management should be addressed, but only 15% actually do anything about it
2. 84% of marketers believe that building trust will be the primary focus for marketing efforts in the future
3. More and more large companies are hiring full-time online reputation managers
4. Four out of five people state that they have received advice via social media regarding what product or service to purchase
5. 31% of employed internet users have searched online for information about co-workers, professionals, colleagues or business competitors
6. 12% of employed adults say that they need to market themselves online as part of their job
7. 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations while only 14% trust advertising
8. According to a study by the world Economic Forum, on average, more than 25% of a company’s market value is directly attributable to its reputation
9. 76% of companies believe their reputation is better than average—a stat that just might illustrate many companies are overly optimistic about the state of affairs regarding their online presence
10. 87% of executives rate managing reputation risk as more important than other strategic risks
11. Customers are the most important stakeholders when it comes to managing reputation management
12. 41% of companies that experienced a negative reputation event reported loss of brand value and revenue
13. 74% of people consult Yelp when looking for a home service provider
14. 86% of people would pay more for services from a company with higher ratings and reviews
15. 70% of employers didn’t hire an applicant because of online content
16. 85% of customers use the Internet to research before making a purchase
17. 80% of college admission offices are using Facebook to assess and recruit applicants
18. A one-star rating hike on Yelp can mean a 5% to 9% rise in restaurant revenue
19. 83% of buyers no longer trust advertising, but most trust recommendations from users online
20. Among U.S. recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 85% say that positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions at least to some extent. Nearly half say that a strong online reputation influences their decisions to a great extent
21. 45% said they have found something in an online search that made them decide not to do business with someone
22. 56% have found something that solidified their decision to do business with the person
23. 88% of adults agree or strongly agree that it would be very difficult to remove inaccurate information about them online
24. 62% of adults have used a search engine to look up their own name or see what information about them is online
25. 47% say they generally assume that people they meet will search for information about them on the internet, while 50% do not
26. Only 6% of adults have set up some sort of automatic alert to notify them when their name is mentioned in a news story, blog or elsewhere online
27. 24% of employed adults say that their employer has rules or guidelines about how they are allowed to present themselves online
28. 11% say that their job requires them to promote themselves through social media or other online tools
29. Every month there are more than 10.3 billion Google searches, with 78% of U.S. internet users researching products and services online
30. 50% of potential sales are lost because consumers can’t find information they are looking for
31. According to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, on average a dissatisfied customer will tell between 9-15 people about their experience, while around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people
32. In the 25-34-year-old age group, 84% have left a website they previously liked because of bad user experience or advertising they found irrelevant
33. 89% of shoppers have stopped buying from online stores after they have experienced poor customer service
34. 17% of consumers would recommend a brand that provides a slow but effective solution. On the other hand, 33% of consumers would recommend a brand that provides a quick but ineffective response
35. 70% of complaining customers will do business with you again if you resolve the complaint in their favour
36. Consumers aged 18 to 29 use a brand’s social media site more for customer service interactions (43%) than for marketing (23%)
37. 74% of consumers depend on social media to guide their purchases
38. 39% of Facebook users like brand pages so they can research different products
39. 30% of mobile shoppers abandon a transaction if the shopping experience is not optimized for mobile
40. 61% of people have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience
41. 70% of customers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than advertisements
42. 84% of all marketers agree that building consumer trust will become marketing’s primary objective in the near future
43. More than 80% of reputation damage come from a mismatch between the buzz and the reality
44. A difference of one star in the average rating in a typical online business profile can lead to a 5–9% difference in revenues
45. 56% adults surveyed don’t actively think about the consequences of their online activities
46. 94% of people only look at the first page of Google results, and only 2% of people own their entire first page of Google
47. More than one billion names are searched on Google everyday
48. Eight of 10 Internet users in the US say that the negative information read online made them change their mind about a purchasing decision
49. The searches done with the intent to find a company providing a specific product or service is 17%
50. Small businesses say online directories are the most used marketing option today

Stats are sourced from: Life Experience Solutions, Deloitte, Expertise, Crocodile Digital, Job Hunt Org, Denver Post, Pew Research Center, Webbiquity, Online Marketing Institute, YokelLocal, Receiptful, Business2Community, Chris Abraham, PCMag, BrandYourself, YahooMarketingDashboard

A company’s reputation should be managed like a priceless asset and protected as if it’s a matter of life and death, because from a business and career perspective, that’s exactly what it is (Deloitte). I think we all can agree that we have seen or dealt with numerous negative reviews or businesses with a poorly managed online presence, and businesses sliding down the hill because of it (or on the other hand, businesses that excel at promoting their brand via Facebook). Whether it be people we know or businesses with negative reviews and ratings by angry customers, your reputation on the Internet today is very discoverable. Therefore, reputation management is crucial to the success of every person and every business.