Overview
Guest operations, the sales department and revenue management are all areas of a hotel organisation affected by e-reputation. To ensure that the work of these different departments contributes to a hotel's commercial success, more and more establishments are turning to an e-reputation manager.
What is an e-reputation manager?
In recent years, hoteliers have had to adapt. For some time now it is user-generated content that has had the greatest impact on the hotel industry. Indeed, according to a survey by the French institute of public opinion (IFOP), 96% of internet users take e-reputation into account before any purchase or booking. For hotels, managing user-generated content well is therefore a valuable opportunity to increase revenue and gain a competitive edge in a fiercely contested market.
To achieve this, establishments entrust responsibility for their reputation to a specialist: the e-reputation manager. Their role is to ensure the hotel enjoys the best possible visibility online, and they are the voice of the hotel on social media. Constantly attuned to guests, the role of e-reputation manager demands considerable versatility, since it sits at the heart of a company's strategic and operational communications.
E-reputation therefore occupies a strategic position, and its aim is simple: to make comment of every kind (discussions, reviews, rumours, opinions, information and so on) work as favourably as possible for the establishment.
In addition, they are involved in monitoring information, producing content, and creating and running the hotel's digital tools.
What does an e-reputation manager do?
The e-reputation manager acts as the voice of their hotel. It is their job to forge the link between the guest and the establishment.
To take stock of their hotel's reputation, they carry out daily monitoring across social media. They regularly check the websites, forums and blogs connected with their establishment's activities, analysing every conversation about the hotel. Should they come across a problem, it is their responsibility to put in place a plan of action and solutions to resolve it.
This monitoring also allows the e-reputation manager to:
- stay abreast of what their establishment's competitors are doing online
- measure the impact of the hotel's most recent communications campaign
- determine the best moment to launch a campaign on any given channel
The e-reputation manager is also responsible for reviewing user-generated content in order to provide guests with the best possible response.
They also help spread information about the establishment through communications, discussion forums, competitions and events. Working alongside colleagues responsible for the brand's communication strategy, they will therefore also write and regularly update content across the hotel's various communication channels.
What skills & qualities does an e-reputation manager need?
Beyond being versatile, the role of e-reputation manager calls for the following personal qualities and skills:
- Being attentive and responsive to clients
- Being self-reliant
- Being methodical and rigorous
- Being able to anticipate trends
- Being a strong team player
- Knowledge of Social Media Optimisation (SMO) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Excellent writing skills
- Skilled use of monitoring tools
- Sound knowledge of social media
- Strong intellectual curiosity
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
- Excellent general knowledge
What career prospects and salary can an e-reputation manager expect?
A newly qualified e-reputation manager earns between €2,000 and €2,500 gross per month, or between €25,000 and €35,000 gross per year. A more experienced e-reputation manager can expect monthly pay of around €3,200, or between €40,000 and €50,000 per year.
The role of e-reputation manager has emerged only recently and is currently growing fast.
After several years working across different companies, the e-reputation manager can aspire to a position as web and marketing director.
Drawing on their experience, they may also become a trainer, teaching students the best methods for successfully juggling several strands of activity at once.
How do you become an e-reputation manager?
To become an e-reputation manager, you can follow a programme in digital communications, strategic and competitive intelligence, e-business, business intelligence, information management or political science.
To join one of these pathways, you can take the university route, where digital communications programmes are offered. You can also train for the role of e-reputation manager at a communications, business or management school.
CMH Academy can also offer you the chance to move directly into the field of hotel e-reputation. Specialising in luxury and international hotel management, we offer several programmes that give you all the knowledge of the hospitality sector needed to become an accomplished e-reputation manager: a five-year Grande École Programme open to all baccalaureate holders, a Bachelor Pro covering the first to third undergraduate years, and a Masters & MBA lasting two years, open to holders of a three-year undergraduate degree.
