How to Do Online Reputation Management Right

Sun, 01 May 2011 04:53:27 GMT

Hearing about your reputation from other people either flatters or disturbs us depending on whether were praised or slandered. Regardless, its not too difficult to figure out your standing as an individual, brand or business by networking with people. There is another reputation, exclusive to a digital venue, with which you may be unfamiliar: online reputation. Small, fledgling businesses as well as leviathans like Apple conduct online reputation management (ORM) to keep their professional slate clean.

Quite simply, ORM is the process of searching the Internet for disparaging, falsified criticisms and then nullifying them by taking proactive steps. Individuals who take their blog seriously need to execute ORM just as much as a business does. Look over these tips to get started with ORM.

Be your own worst enemy. Its hard to counter what your opponents have to say about you if you dont know what it is. Spend time online searching for your name, your company name or derivatives that insult either (e.g. John Doe sucks). Although Google has a strong hold on the search engine market, branch out. Google searches are confined to the Big Gs servers. Try search engines of yesteryear, such as AltaVista, Dogpile and Yahoo. If youre seeing top results that are sharply critical, its time to take action. Either you need to treat your customers better or its time for some damage control via ORM.

Ask for testimonials. This strategy does two things. First, youll find out what customers really think of your business. Ask loyal clients to write brief testimonials for you. If theyre hesitant or refuse to, then you probably need to work on your rapport. Second, you will hopefully find that your customers appreciate you. Then create a page on your website for these testimonials. If customers are uncomfortable giving you testimonials directly, refer them to Yelp.

Develop your brand online. There are several things business do to expand their brand. It never hurts to start a blog that offers insight on your respective industry, sheds light on your companys operations and/or gives advice to others in your field. Starting a forum on your website is sure to please customers who would be able to get a direct answer from you. Of course, social networking is crucial to developing your brand. If handling several social networks at once gets to be too grueling, try a free program like HootSuite to manage everything from one place.

ORM never ends. Its an exhaustive duty at times. Consider delegating the task to a web-savvy employee or ensure that you can set aside the time to fully conduct ORM. If youre on your own, then make ORM a top priority.

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How to Do Online Reputation Management Right