Almost every business owner today knows the importance of reputation management. Local business leaders are no exception to this: 33 percent of the online reputation management (ORM) market is already dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) (Near Media). How can you get some of these reputation management clients?
Reputation management is a clear opportunity for your agency. It complements your other digital offerings well. But how can you grow this service?
With this guide, you can put your agency on the path to discovering—and keeping—more reputation management clients.
Acquire and serve 10x more clients with AI-powered software
Offer reputation management to your existing clients
Step one is to make sure your existing clients know you’re now offering reputation management.
Why?
Existing clients are more likely to buy more services from you (Business.com). They already know and trust your agency team. There’s also a good chance that many of your existing clients are looking for help managing their reputations. You may have even decided to offer it because some clients mentioned it.
Some of your clients may be actively seeking ORM services. In other cases, you might know they have a service partner they’re not happy with.
Even if you haven’t heard a ton of chatter from your existing clients, chances are they can benefit from these services and may invest in it if you pitch it.
Identifying clients who can benefit from ORM
You’ll want to offer reputation management to every client your agency serves. At the same time, it’s helpful to identify which clients stand to benefit the most from it. Offering these clients reputation management is more likely to result in a deal. Since they trust you, they’ll take your word that they need the service. Alternately, they might know they’re struggling and be happy you offer the service.
How can you identify the clients who have the most to gain? It’s easier than you think! A sales intelligence tool, like Snapshot Report, can provide this kind of insight. It will analyze the client or lead’s digital presence and make suggestions for services that will help the client, including reputation management.
In this way, your agency team can zero in on those clients who will get the most out of reputation management. Arming your sales people with timely insights on the lead’s business will also help them get more clients on board.
Engage prospects with a try-before-you-buy model
Whether you’re talking to an existing client or a new prospect, you want to have some trial options available. A try-before-you-buy model helps you deliver value to clients upfront.
Most business leaders are skeptical about having outside teams work on their reputation. In fact, most think it’s a task that should stay in house (Forbes). They want their own team to handle it, even if their own team doesn’t have time or the expertise.
Convincing them that your agency is in a better position to manage their reputation doesn’t have to be a hard sell, though. Combining reports and insights from sales intelligence tools and a free trial goes a long way. With this information, business leaders are more likely to think your team is the right one for the job.
The try-before-you-buy model lets the prospect test-drive tools and services. That, in turn, can convince them reputation management software is something they really do need.
Near the end of the trial period, be sure to follow up with a discussion of reporting and analytics. Your team can show the client what changed during the trial period. With good reputation management, most businesses report increased sales, among other benefits. Helping the client see these improvements is a good argument for ongoing service.
Stay top of mind with email drip campaigns
Your prospects might not be convinced that your ORM services are for them right out of the gate. Offering sales insights and allowing a trial period can turn that around. Of course, some would-be reputation management clients will still hold out.
They might think any improvements during the trial period were a fluke. They might decide to shop around a bit more before committing.
You can stay at the top of their minds by including them in email drip campaigns. Drip campaigns keep you in touch with the client on a regular basis. In turn, they receive useful information and may come to trust your brand.
Drip email campaigns are effective in nurturing leads, since they provide ongoing contact and useful information. Best of all, they can be automated, so they don’t add to your team’s never-ending to-do list.
Fulfill reputation management needs with a white-label team
Now you’ve added reputation management to your list of services. You’ve drummed up a few new reputation management clients, and some of your existing clients are interested too. It seems like reputation management will soon be one of your bestsellers.
Have you prepared for this potential outcome? You want to add more clients for AI reputation management services, but you could run into “growing pains” if you need to scale quickly.
There is an easy way to manage service growth and ensure you can scale up your ORM services. You can work with a trusted ORM service provider to help with fulfillment for your clients.
A team of marketing experts can deliver the work under your brand, so you and your team can focus on finding new reputation management clients.
Best of all, this team is ready to scale with you as you add more clients.
Offer clients the best reputation management tools
Another way to entice new reputation management clients is to offer best-in-class tools. Not only do local businesses get the services they want and need, but they get access to tools to make their jobs easier.
Tools you want to be able to offer your clients include:
- A reputation app
- A customer feedback app
- Freemium software solutions
We’ve already talked about the importance of trials for clients thinking about ORM as a whole. A trial lets you immediately start delivering value.
So too do freemium software solutions. Your clients can adopt tools and test them out. When they outgrow the basic edition of the software, they can upgrade to get even more value.
A client-facing reputation management app is equally as important, if not more so. It brings everything your client needs together on a single dashboard. This centralized location lets them stay in the loop with real-time alerts. It also provides a holistic picture of their reputation online.
A customer feedback app helps your client get more reviews using branded templates.
Make your agency the online reputation management leader
With the right tools and the best reputation management team behind you, you’re poised to make your agency the #1 ORM stop for your clients. With brandable tools and a white-label fulfillment service, you’ll be ready to offer clients more. Your clients get the expertise they need from an agency they trust.
If you’ve wanted to add reputation management or grow this part of your business, there’s no better time to start.
Reputation management clients FAQs
1. What’s the easiest way for an agency to start getting more reputation management clients?
Start by offering ORM to your existing customers. They already trust you and often need help with reviews, listings, and customer feedback. A quick audit or Snapshot-style report makes the need clear and opens the door to an easy upsell.
2. How do agencies identify which clients need reputation management the most?
Look at signals like declining reviews, slow response times, missing listings, or inconsistent NAP data. Tools like Vendasta’s Snapshot Report surface these gaps automatically so agencies can prioritize high-value opportunities and tailor their pitch to each business.
3. Do try-before-you-buy reputation management offers really work?
Yes. Trials reduce risk for the client and show immediate value—especially when paired with reporting that highlights before-and-after changes. Once business owners see improvement in reviews or visibility, they’re far more likely to commit to ongoing ORM services.
4. How can agencies convert ORM prospects who hesitate to commit?
Use drip emails, personalized insights, and small wins during the trial period. Many buyers simply need consistent touchpoints and proof. Automated nurturing tools in platforms like Vendasta help agencies stay visible while demonstrating expertise.
5. What tools should agencies provide to reputation management clients?
Clients want simplicity: a review dashboard, feedback collection tools, automated alerts, and integrated analytics. Offering an all-in-one, branded app—like the tools in Vendasta’s platform—helps clients monitor progress and strengthens your agency’s perceived value.
6. Is outsourcing ORM fulfillment a good option for growing agencies?
Absolutely. A white-label fulfillment team helps agencies scale quickly without adding staff. They deliver the work under your brand, handle volume spikes, and maintain quality while your team focuses on closing more reputation management clients.
7. How can agencies pitch ORM services without sounding salesy?
Anchor the conversation in data: missed reviews, competitor benchmarks, or reputation-related revenue loss. When you show measurable gaps—and how ORM fixes them—the conversation becomes consultative rather than transactional.
8. What are the most common objections businesses have about ORM services?
They often believe they can “handle reviews internally,” or they doubt the ROI. Sharing performance dashboards, trial results, and case studies helps remove those doubts. Platforms like Vendasta provide white-label reporting that makes ROI easy to prove.
9. How long does it typically take for ORM clients to see results?
Most clients see improvements within the first 30–60 days—more reviews, better visibility, or faster response time. The timeline depends on industry competitiveness and engagement, but consistent monitoring and outreach accelerate progress.
10. How can agencies position themselves as reputation management experts?
Show expertise through audits, educational content, transparent reporting, and client success stories. Offering branded tools, automated insights, and white-label services through Vendasta also signals that your agency is equipped to lead long-term ORM strategy.
