What Is ORM (Online Reputation Management) in Digital Marketing? Role, Function, Examples
By Sriram
Updated on Apr 16, 2025 | 24 min read | 8.0k views
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By Sriram
Updated on Apr 16, 2025 | 24 min read | 8.0k views
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Online reputation management (ORM) is the process of monitoring and improving your business’s online reputation by leveraging various strategies. It often involves analyzing what a potential customer, reporter, or partner will discover about your brand, people, product, or service during a Google search.
In other words, ORM is a way of analyzing whether your online presence is working for or against you. Over 90% of customers read online reviews before purchasing a product, and around 81% read Google reviews before connecting with a business. People searching for your company online may form either a positive or negative impression of your business and services. ORM’s job is to ensure that this impression is positive by managing reviews, controlling search results, and engaging with audiences effectively. Let’s learn more about what is ORM, its importance in digital marketing, and other trends below.
Online reputation management is the strategic process of influencing public perception about an individual or business across various online platforms. With strategies ranging from positive customer reviews to social media trends, ORM ensures that positive content is highlighted while addressing negative feedback effectively.
Businesses that invest in these strategies after learning what is ORM can protect their credibility and build trust. It also enables them to maintain a strong brand image over time in an increasingly competitive market. Pursuing a digital marketing tutorial can help you learn more about the key functions of ORM in detail.
ORM involves a combination of strategies and tools to maintain a positive digital presence for a brand. It plays a key role in shaping how businesses and individuals are perceived online. An effective ORM strategy ensures that businesses control their narrative and enhance customer trust in the following ways:
ORM has significantly transformed over the years. Earlier, online reputation management started as a reactive approach to handling negative reviews. Now, if someone asks you what is ORM, it wouldn’t be wrong to call it a proactive, AI-driven strategy. Professionals looking to work in the field of online reputation management often consider various management courses for their requirements. Here’s how ORM has changed over the years:
Want to learn what is ORM’s role in managing your brand’s reputation? Pursue upGrad’s Online Digital Marketing Courses now.
A brand's online reputation plays a key role in shaping consumer perceptions and driving business success. ORM is a key component of digital marketing that ensures brands maintain a positive image across search engines, social media, and review platforms.
Effective reputation management strategies help brands gain customer trust and protect themselves from potential reputational risks.
Here’s what is ORM doing to improve brand visibility and manage negative feedback.
A well-managed online reputation strengthens brand credibility to promote consumer trust and long-term loyalty. When customers see consistent positive reviews, engaging content, and transparent communication from a brand, they are more likely to trust its products or services. Other relevant strategies in this space include:
Addressing negative feedback effectively helps maintain a brand’s reputation. Ignoring or mishandling criticisms can often lead to trust issues and long-term damage. The major ORM strategies that help in these cases are:
Consumers heavily depend on online research before making purchasing decisions. A brand with a strong, positive reputation is more likely to attract and convert potential buyers. Here’s what is ORM doing to influence the purchase decisions of customers:
Want to learn more about ORM strategies? Enroll in upGrad’s Advanced Certificate in Digital Marketing and Communication now.
ORM plays a key role in shaping public perception and protecting brand credibility. It also addresses various potential threats to a particular company’s image. The primary reputation management strategy involves actively monitoring online discussions and engaging with customers to optimize the brand’s digital presence.
Below are the key functions of ORM and how they help businesses maintain a strong and positive reputation.
Tracking online mentions helps you understand how a brand is perceived by customers, competitors, and the general public. This process enables businesses to detect potential issues early and take immediate corrective action. Here’s how ORM helps you monitor online mentions:
Read More: Why ORM is Important? 7 Actionable Tips to Improve ORM for Your Business
Interacting with customer reviews and social media comments is one of the most effective ways to manage brand perception. Properly addressing customer concerns builds trust and improves a brand’s credibility in the following ways:
Producing and distributing high-quality content is a proactive way to influence brand perception. Well-crafted content can highlight a company's strengths, educate audiences, and also mitigate the effects of negative press. The key ORM strategies for content creation and promotion are:
Read More: Must-have SEO Tools to Explode Your Ranks in 2025
SEO is a powerful tool in ORM that ensures favorable content appears prominently in search results while minimizing the impact of negative content. Here’s how:
Want to learn more about the key functions of ORM? Pursue upGrad’s Professional Certificate Program in Digital Marketing.
ORM continues to transform due to rapid advancements in technology and changing consumer behaviors. Businesses and professionals must adopt more forward-thinking strategies in 2025 to maintain and improve their online presence. Below are some of the most effective ORM strategies for the year ahead.
AI helps streamline sentiment analysis and automate response management, both of which play a key role in transforming ORM. Here, sentiment analysis refers to the process of analyzing social media posts, reviews, or customer feedback management to determine the emotional tone or attitude expressed toward a brand, product, or service. Conversely, response management is a systematic approach to developing and managing the capability to respond to and recover from disruptive events.
Businesses often leverage these AI-powered solutions to track brand mentions, analyze customer sentiment, and generate appropriate replies to online feedback. This improves efficiency and ensures a quick response rate.
Some key AI-based ORM applications are:
Influencer marketing has become a core ORM strategy because consumers often trust recommendations from individuals they follow. Collaborating with influencers who align with a brand’s values can boost credibility and widen the reach of the same company.
The benefits of influencer partnerships are:
Are you interested in learning more about the pros of influencer marketing? Check out upGrad’s free course on Influencer Marketing from a Brand's Perspective now.
Social media plays a key role in shaping brand reputation. Engaging with audiences on platforms like Instagram and YouTube allows brands to maintain control over their narrative while promoting direct relationships with consumers.
Here is an overview of the best practices for social media ORM:
Building consumer trust requires transparency in brand communication. Companies must prioritize honesty in marketing, customer service, and product or service quality to enhance credibility.
The key transparency initiatives for brand management include:
For professionals looking to specialize in online reputation management, various courses and certifications can provide the key skills. Below is a detailed table outlining the required expertise and relevant programs, including upGrad offerings.
Program Name |
Duration |
Key Skills |
12 months |
Google Ads, Meta Ads, SEO, and more |
|
4 months |
Strategic marketing, creativity, communication |
|
6 hours |
Social media marketing, audience research, competitive benchmarking |
|
6 hours |
SEO basics, conduct audits, and optimize strategies |
Currently, several brands face constant scrutiny due to poor promotions, employee complaints, and other issues. Please note that a single misstep can lead to reputational damage in such cases. The best initiative that companies can take is to implement effective ORM strategies that can turn challenges into opportunities.
Below are some real-world examples of what is ORM in action, which also showcase how businesses have managed their online reputations successfully.
Negative reviews can spread rapidly and damage a brand’s reputation. However, companies that address these reviews transparently and promptly can often regain customer trust.
Let’s take the example of the McDonald’s #McDStories campaign failure that happened a few years ago. In 2012, the restaurant launched the #McDStories Twitter (now X) campaign by inviting customers to share their experiences. However, the campaign backfired because users hijacked the hashtag to post horror stories about poor food quality and bad customer service. The backlash quickly gained traction and damaged McDonald’s reputation.
Here’s how the restaurant handled it by leveraging effective ORM strategies:
As a result, the restaurant mitigated the damage and gained praise for its professionalism and customer-centric approach.
Social media crises can spiral out of control quickly, affecting a brand’s reputation on a massive scale. However, businesses that respond strategically can turn the situation around.
In 2019, basketball star Zion Williamson’s Nike sneaker split open during a game, leading to a knee injury. The event, which happened on live TV, sparked global criticism of Nike’s product quality. The company’s stock dropped by 1.7%, losing nearly $1.1 billion in market value overnight.
Here’s how they handled it:
As a result, the brand regained consumer trust and even expanded its audience base by handling the crisis with sensitivity and taking corrective actions.
One of the most effective ORM strategies is proactively promoting positive content to shape public perception. Brands that consistently highlight their strengths and customer success stories can build long-term credibility.
In 2016, Airbnb faced a PR crisis when reports emerged that hosts were discriminating against Black and minority guests, leading to the viral hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack. The controversy threatened Airbnb’s inclusive brand image.
Here’s how Airbnb handled it:
The brand successfully repositioned itself as a champion of inclusivity, with the #WeAccept campaign receiving widespread praise from social activists and media outlets.
Want to learn more about running successful ORM campaigns? Enroll in upGrad’s free Marketing Masterclass: Create Your Brand program now.
Managing an online reputation for brands comes with its fair share of challenges. From fake reviews to the rapid spread of misinformation, businesses must adopt proactive strategies to mitigate risks. Below, we explore some of the most significant hurdles in ORM and how they impact brand perception over time:
Fake reviews are a major issue affecting businesses of all sizes in the current context. For example, certain competitors may post negative feedback to damage a brand’s credibility. They may also publish paid positive reviews to create unrealistic expectations. Fake reviews can distort public perception and influence purchasing decisions.
Here’s what is ORM doing or should do to overcome these complications.
The internet enables instantaneous information sharing, making it quite difficult for brands to control their online narrative. A single negative news article, viral post, or misleading rumor can gain traction within minutes. This damages the brand’s reputation before they even have a chance to respond. Some common issues and their possible solutions in this case are:
Consumers demand transparency from businesses, yet privacy concerns make it challenging to decide how much information should be publicly shared. Striking a balance between these two factors is one of the biggest challenges in ORM.
Want to acquire more skills in reputation management? Pursue upGrad’s free course on Introduction to Modern Public Relations now.
As the digital space evolves, so does the complexity of online reputation management. Businesses and professionals must stay ahead by adopting emerging strategies that ensure credibility against reputation threats.
In the coming years, technological advancements, ethical considerations, and employee engagement will shape the future of ORM. Here’s a look at key trends that will define reputation management moving forward.
The future of ORM will be heavily driven by advanced analytics. This will allow brands to proactively manage their online presence. Businesses can predict potential reputation risks before they escalate by leveraging AI-powered tools and big data.
As consumers become more aware of manipulative digital tactics, businesses will need to prioritize ethical ORM strategies to maintain trust and credibility. The future will see a departure from deceptive reputation management practices in favor of genuine, value-driven engagement.
Employees will play a key role in shaping a company’s online reputation. Several businesses will start leveraging their workforce as brand ambassadors to improve trust and credibility. Employee advocacy programs will become an efficient ORM strategy, driven by social media influence and internal digital branding efforts.
Want to learn more about the latest trends in ORM? Check out how a Management Free Online Course with Certification can help you.
ORM is a key skill for professionals in marketing, public relations, and business leadership. Managing brand perception, handling crises, and leveraging digital strategies are essential for career growth. upGrad provides industry-leading courses that equip you with hands-on ORM skills and prepare you for success in competitive job markets. Here’s how:
upGrad offers certification programs designed in collaboration with industry experts. These online courses ensure that learners gain relevant and up-to-date knowledge in ORM. The programs also bridge the skill gap and enhance employability by providing real-world insights.
The primary benefits of upGrad’s courses or certifications are highlighted in the table below:
Feature |
Benefit |
Comprehensive ORM Curriculum |
Covers brand monitoring, crisis management, and SEO strategies |
Real-World Case Studies |
Learn from practical ORM scenarios and company case studies |
Hands-On Projects |
Gain experience by working on live ORM campaigns |
Globally Recognized Certifications |
Boost your resume with industry-validated credentials |
One of the biggest advantages of learning with upGrad is access to mentorship from top industry professionals. Learners get personalized guidance from ORM experts who have managed reputations for leading global brands.
upGrad ensures that learners are job-ready by offering career support services that help them stand out in the job market in the following ways:
Placement Partnerships: upGrad has partnerships with top companies that give learners access to exclusive job opportunities in digital marketing, PR, and corporate reputation management.
ORM is an ongoing process that requires extensive dedication, responsiveness, and a commitment to delivering value to your customers. ORM marketing is one of the most prevalent strategies used in digital marketing. It is especially crucial in mitigating negative impacts.
If you want to learn more about what ORM is and its role in digital marketing, upGrad’s Advanced Certificate in Digital Marketing and Communication can help you upskill. It allows you to acquire the most relevant, expert skills in devising compelling brand communication strategies. Learn how to leverage digital platforms, social media, and analytics to lead impactful brand campaigns. Still confused about the course that works best for you? Contact our experts for a 1:1 consulting session now.
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Reference Links:
https://www.reviewtrackers.com/reports/online-reviews-survey/
https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-twitter-campaign-goes-horribly-wrong-mcdstories-2012-1
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/sports/zion-nike-shoe-ncaa.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nike-stock-drop-zion-williamson-shoe-incident-and-injury-costs-1-1-billion-in-stock-value/
https://www.npr.org/2016/04/26/475623339/-airbnbwhileblack-how-hidden-bias-shapes-the-sharing-economy
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/artificial-intelligence-market-74851580.html
https://blog.yelp.com/news/consumer-trust-survey-2024/
https://www.speakap.com/insights/employee-advocacy-statistics
https://www.bwpeople.in/article/94-of-employees-stay-longer-with-learning-investments-520804
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