Online space not just for business; reputation also a major focus among brands

Online space today has lend itself to a number of business models, from startups to well-entrenched brick-and-mortar brands everybody has realized the importance of being online. While having a presence online is one part of the story, the other part is what is called Online Reputation Management( ORM).

The various blogs, review sites and forums lend itself as good platforms for people to share their experiences. Managing online reputation is now a major focus area among brands that are serious about the online medium. WAT Consult, a Mumbai-based social media agency that provides social media monitoring, management and marketing solutions to brands recently put a ear to what customers were are talking about online travel agencies.

The study monitored social media conversation on online platforms like forums, Q&A sites, social networks and review sites. Only user generated conversations were looked at and any brand lead or sponsored sites were not considered.

Rajiv Dingra, CEO & Founder, WATConsult says, “We did the survey the way a customer would progress online while searching for travel related information. Sites where readers thronged to organically and through WOM were only considered. It is a sort of analysis on pull-based marketing and gives a better analysis of where the brands stand,” he explains.

The study covered about 70% of the travel players both offline and online and only looked at players in India. The results of the survey were categoried into positive, negative and neutral instances.

Cox & Kings recorded the highest positive instances and lowest negative instances among the brands compared. It also had a high amount of neutral instances – these are generally posts asking if the company is a good tour provider – which can be viewed in a positive light.

However Thomas Cook, Make My Trip and SOTC Travels recorded the least positive and most negative feedback in the survey done.

A sample of 250 responses was picked from Facebook, Twitter & Google to ensure a fair representation of what customers really looked at. Sites from where data was collected was only those that customers would have thronged organically and through WOM.