Start An Online Reputation Management Business - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start An Online Reputation Management Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

An online reputation management business involves helping individuals and companies improve their digital footprints by curating positive web content.

As an online reputation consultant, you pursue search engine optimization and public relations strategies to mitigate damaging commentary.

With services ranging from blog outreach to social media cleanup, building an ORM firm lets you reclaim web narratives.

For PR-savvy founders seeking an accessible startup model, an online reputation venture allows you to monetize internet influence from anywhere while fueling a billion-dollar industry-spanning business and personal brands.

Starting an online reputation management business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell online reputation management, or selling online reputation management online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to start an online reputation management business ➜

Key Stats

revenue (monthly)
$550K
starting costs
$21K
gross margin
71%
avg product price
$299
time to build
300 days
growth
Word of mouth
business model
Advertising
time investment
Side project
work from home?
Yes

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$151

$352

Website Costs

$223

$7,215

Business Formation Fees

$5,600

$20,400

Equipment & Supply Expenses

$66

$700

Software Expenses

$162

$3,094

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$3,000

Total Startup Costs

$6,202

$41,761

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

BirdEye Customer Experience Management

birdeye.com

15,176

Brand Yourself

brandyourself.com

27,328

Reputation.com

reputation.com

40,034

ReviewsOnMyWebsite

reviewsonmywebsite.com

106,733

The Online Reputation Management Services Agency

reputationx.com

108,628

NiceJob • Get More Reviews. Build a Great Reputation.

nicejob.co

121,195

Net Reputation

netreputation.com

172,783

Reputation Management & Business Texting for the Modern Business

kenect.com

174,234

ReviewInc

reviewinc.com

318,888

ReputationStacker

reputationstacker.com

347,058

Olympus Property Management

olympusproperty.com

361,603

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Rewarding work

Starting a online reputation management business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

Traffic to your website

A online reputation management business gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you!

Meaningful business connections

You never know who you will meet as a online reputation management business. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!

Cons Description

Motivation of employees

If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.

Stressful work

This line of work can be stressful for both you and your clients. This type of transaction is a significant financial decision for your client, so expectations are very high for you. Although this career path can be very rewarding, it also comes with its challenges and stressful moments.

Niche Market

A niche business is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, it can be the key to your success. However, it can be more challenging and time consuming to find the perfect niche market and target audience.

Churn

In this business, customers can cancel their membership or subscription for your services - which can make revenue forecasting challenging and unpredictable. It's important to focus on your churn rates and trends so that you can prevent this as much as possible.

Time commitment

With starting an online reputation management business, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business.

Difficult to build trust with your customer

With starting an online reputation management business, there can be minimal face-to-face interaction, which means it can be a lot more difficult to establish trust with your customers. You'll need to go the extra mile with your customer to grab their attention and business.

Marketing Ideas

  • 1

    Affiliate Program

    Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.

    Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.

    The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.

    Learn more about affiliate program ➜

  • 2

    Direct Sales

    Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.

    For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.

    Learn more about direct sales ➜

  • 3

    Word of mouth

    Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.

    Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.

    According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.

    Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

    Learn more about word of mouth ➜