This online sentiment may be positive or negative and 'new' consumers are turning more and more towards social media, search and online product comparison to drive their purchase decisions. 'Consumer recommendations are the most credible form of advertising among 78% of the study's respondents.' (Nielsen 2011) It has become brands' responsibility to manage their online reputation and proactively monitor, engage and lead the conversation around themselves, theirs products and even their industry. There are multitude of software solutions available online, each offering various ORM capabilities and features.

Here are links to great resources with some of the top paid and free ORM & SMM solutions available.

• http://www.stayonsearch.com/9-professional-social-media-monitoring-tools

• http://www.online-reputationmanagement.org/glossaries-and-tools/free-online-reputation-management-tools

• http://www.pamorama.net/2010/10/12/100-social-media-monitoring-tools/

Online Reputation Management(ORM):

is defined as the understanding and influencing the perception of an entity online. (eMarketing, Stokes, Jan 2012) ORM involves Listening, Discovery, Engagement and Reporting and each aspect can be leveraged to benefit brands on various levels:

Listening:

refers to actively monitoring the internet for content containing brand mentions and keywords relating to products, competitors and industry related terms. It is has also proved useful for monitoring internal communications. This highlights customer service issues, product complaints or queries, as well as positive sentiments (testimonials) for the brand. By taking prompt action brands' can manage complaints and create positive sentiment out of a complaint and in helping a (hopefully repeat) customer add value to the brand experience.

Discovery:

refers to using the software to identify opportunities and problems areas that pertain to the brand and its industry. By being the first to act on these can prove most profitable and provide strategic direction for a brand. Using relevant keywords and other data-mining tools brands are able to identify key influencers online, those who would have the greatest reach and influence in relevant fields, and engage with them in conversation in order to build brand awareness and positively influence online sentiment towards the brand.

Engagement:

entails proactively involving oneself in what is being said about the brand on social platforms with a view to leading and positively influence the conversation. Consumers want to be interact with brands, '41% of social customers expect to share ideas with brands on Facebook' (Lithium, Sep 2011). By communicating with consumers where they are most comfortable, it is possible to more easily gain their trust, leverage their creativity and powerful voices (WOM). Consumers love feeling as though they are being heard by brands and that they are helping to shape the brand, this is a great way to build brand loyalty and create brand evangelists, whose amplified voices have massive reach among fellow consumers.

Reporting:

is the last step in the ORM process but its importance is as great as any of the others. Whichever package is used by the brand, there will be a reporting function (often easily exportable as a CSV or pdf file) with which to review campaign and communications activity on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The information is displayed in easily digestible graphics and graphs and can provide a lot of insight for the brand. It is possible to identify what content is having the greatest impact, what is not receiving much attention and which areas to focus further marketing activities on. Reports also highlight your largest demographics and content can be tailored to suit them. It is through this continuous sequence of reporting, controlling and optimising that the brand's online presence can be effectively managed, positive online sentiment garnered, reputation crises averted and optimal online ROI generated.