Introduction to improving online reputation management
You must have heard an old saying that “The reputation of a thousand years can be determined by the performance of one hour.”
At no time it has been so apparent in the digital age, that when a particular mistake can be ballooned to a huge size and plague a company forever. In the present day, a single criticism or negative news story can escalate; causing a flood of negative comments re-hashed on blogs, linked to in the reviews on Yelp and tweeted about on Twitter, posted on Facebook and rest of the social media networks. As the piqued tweets and Facebook posts stacks on, they can even throw a company out of the business community.
However, you can save your online reputation with just a few steps, but these steps need to be taken proactively to manage your online reputation. If you take these steps behind time they may in no way help you in bolstering your company for the unfavorable scenario and making the business more visible to prospective customers online.
Managing your online reputation is not a child's play and is not an overnight mission. Instead, it takes a well-implemented strategy and customary maintenance.
So, let the ball roll with these simple steps.
1. Set personal objectives for your business
First of all, you need to understand what you want to achieve with your online reputation. Are you trying to overshadow other content in the search results or are you willing to build a powerful personal brand online?
Start by choosing a consistent “theme” that suits your online brand, because it will help in building search engine optimization (SEO) and organic search results. Try to write three to five words for the business line that portray how you would like to be seen — thought leader, business leader, intercontinental balloonist, adventure seeker — then use these descriptions to show how you create your profile and content.
2. Create a consistent username for your business
If you have an unswerving and unique username across the web it greatly helps with SEO. If you have an exceptional name, this becomes easier. If your name is less distinctive and reserved across online platforms already, choose a username that you can use permanently across platforms.
For instance, if your name is Sophia Smith, then consider a monotony of your name (TheSophiaSmith85) or look for a unique name altogether (ProDigiMarketers). Besides to using this username on all the platforms, ensure you also use a permanent email, name and profile description, which can be finished in the settings.
3. Invest in your URL
Fortified with your new username, invest in a personal URL (for instance, ProDigiMarketers.com). For now, use a “.com,” as it is simple to bowl over with the dozens of iterations as well as domain suffixes.
Once you have the URL, think about putting up a simple landing page with Weebly or Squarespace. For a comparatively simpler solution, use sites such as Flavors.me or About.me for setting up a fundamental personal landing page, this can then be diverted to your personal URL.
4. Register your business on various social media platforms
Now that you have decided a permanent username, email address as well as a website, you must register your space on other web platforms, just as the “big boys” do. Then after register on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. If you make use of any of these sites for yourself, considering creating a professional account or a business page (Google+ or Facebook pages, for illustration) with the personal brand and username you are trying to put into effect.
Then after, register and secure your account with as many diverse online platforms as possible, counting those in your industry or niche and also with not very popular sites such as Quora, Tumblr, Disqus, SoundCloud, GitHub, just to mention a few.
This may appear like overdoing, but doing so enables you to build organic SEO and, more significantly, guarantees that someone else does not secure these accounts. To manage them all properly, just maintain a spreadsheet with logins and passwords.
5. Fill in the basic profile information pertaining to your business
As you do not require using each and every profile online, you must take a few minutes to finish filling the basic profile information. Again, mentioning your name, email address, and place with your unique username will foster you in enhancing SEO. Moreover, select one photo or picture to characterise you across platforms, which will assist others to recognise you faster.
6. Create social media profile URLs of your business
The majority of online platforms will set your personalized URLs with your account (for instance, www.twitter.com/sophiasmith). Others, still, require you to put it up as per the format. It is not a waste of time but useful sparing the time to create these personal URLs for all social media accounts, as you will see your business reputation improving in a long-run.
Building a personal brand online is not for one and all, and a few might find it ineffective or a waste of time. This is why, you must have total control of your online reputation before someone else does, and similarly, this is for everyone.
7. Monitoring online presence
Regularly monitoring your online presence is crucial to manage your online reputation effectively. Set up Google Alerts for your brand name and keywords related to your business to stay informed about any new content or discussions around your brand.
8. Responding to negative feedback
It's essential to address negative comments, reviews, or feedback quickly and professionally. Show empathy and understanding, and offer a solution to the issue. This will not only help to resolve the issue but also demonstrate to other potential customers that you are committed to providing excellent customer service.
9. Encouraging positive reviews
Actively encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on relevant review sites and social media platforms. This will help to boost your online reputation and create a more balanced representation of your business.
10. Producing and sharing quality content
Regularly produce and share high-quality, valuable content (articles, blog posts, videos, etc.) that resonates with your target audience. This will help to establish your business as an authority in your industry and attract more customers.
11. Networking and building relationships
Connect with influencers, partners, and customers in your industry to build a strong network of supporters who can help promote your brand and endorse your products or services.
12. Implementing a crisis management plan
In case of a significant reputational issue, having a crisis management plan in place can help you act swiftly to mitigate the damage and protect your brand's image.
Conclusion to improving online reputation management
The moral of the story here is that you must take action and be down to business in defending and growing your business through Reputation Marketing. It’s no longer enough to just deal with and monitor your online reputation. You must take the additional steps to connect and control your online reputation for promoting your business. The only technique to do so is with a carefully planned and when the time comes, implemented plan. If you lack the expertise to secure and improve your digital reputation, choose to hire a leading online reputation management company with vast experience and versatile resource.