This article is a part of the series "Becoming Successful Digitally" by OCGnow's Chief Operations Manager Joshua Lampright. Online reputation monitoring is what makes investing in your online reputation worthwhile. You could very easily overlook any negative trends, miscalculated efforts, or ineffective strategies your brand's presence is having on your audience if you don't monitor your online reputation. This includes strategies that have been implemented that may be hurting more than helping. Below are the top three reasons why online reputation monitoring is crucial to your online presence:

Some Statistics on Social B2C Interaction

• The average Internet user has at least 7 social media accounts.
• 97% of US adults under 65 are on social media at least once a month.
• As many as 89% of customer messages are ignored by businesses.
• 22% of the world population is on Facebook.
• Facebook users and 51% of Instagram users are on it every day.

Levels the Playing Field for Small Business

The opportunities attainable by means of digital marketing shine as a beacon of hope for small businesses. It is the same for brick & mortar locations and e-commerce establishments alike. Digital marketing actually gives smaller businesses the ability to uphold a position within the top ranks of their competition. Take a client we helped outrank Amazon and Lowes with an AdWords campaign in a niche audience, for example.

Easy to Scale & Adapt

As with any marketing, an initial investment is required to get traffic flowing. The importance of digital marketing to small businesses becomes very clear when you see how easy it is to scale and adapt your investments. This becomes even more critical as your business grows, which can be seen as you monitor your online reputation. For instance, you can choose a daily budget for running display and search ads with social media campaigns. Choosing a daily budget gives you very calculated customizability of your advertising investments. It also enables you to know exactly how much the campaign will cost you. Here you can begin to see amazing results. You don’t have to enter in a deal and renegotiate an ad spot to keep your ad running. When you're working within a digital real estate, the ad can continue to run uninterrupted. As you continue to convert that traffic, you can simply increase your daily spend and revenues to secure even more. If you are looking to increase your online reputation, you would be most successful when you begin to monitor your online reputation. If left unchecked, your campaigns could start to lose their effect or even contribute a negative perspective about your brand to your consumers without your knowledge. As always, if you find yourself biting off more than you can chew, OCGnow is ready to jump in to help take control of your online presence. Call or text us at 904-600-3600 to learn more. Visit our website at www.OCGnow.com, Nashville's premium full solutions company for Marketing, Creative Design, Print, Web Design, Analytics, Networking, PR, and Crisis Management. This post was originally published on 5/9/2019 and updated on 1/19/2021 for accuracy and a larger scope of information.