Online Reputation Monitoring

A Chinese proverb says, 'You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.' Although the originator of this saying certainly did not have the internet in mind, it is apropos. As a business, you are a public entity: at some point or another, unflattering, inaccurate, and just plain false material will be published about you. Online reputation management can help keep these birds of sorrow from building nests in your hair.

It is often easier to prevent a problem than it is to fix it after the fact. The best way to approach reputation management is to be proactive. Here are some easy steps you can take to make sure little problems don't become major crises:

• Conduct internet searches on your own name and that of your business so you can be aware of what is being published about you. Google, Yahoo, MSN, Technorati, Blog Patrol, and Blog Pulse are good places to start. (It is particularly important to monitor blogs, which the latter three sites can help you with).
• Optimize your existing content and add positive content. Start your own blog and/or create a social networking profile. There are popular ones like MySpace or Facebook and more professional ones like LinkedIn. These will improve your online presence and help with search engine results.
• Purchase domain names that relate to your business. You can also get sub domains that allow you to add more content.
• Identify influential bloggers and participate in relevant discussions by commenting to their posts. Also, send them press releases when you launch a new product or initiative.
• If you do spot a piece of negative press, respond immediately. Determine if the criticism is deserved. If so, contact the aggrieved party and offer to rectify the problem. Don't hide from the problem. Admitting you made a mistake - and then fixing it - can even help your reputation. If the complaint is not just, then post a reply in your blog, on your company website, and through the site which the complaint came. Don't threaten or belittle - just state the facts and ask for a correction.

At the risk of overloading on proverbs, 'A stumble may prevent a fall.' If your company stumbles, you can use it to your advantage to build a stronger company and avoid bigger problems. This is what online reputation monitoring strives to do, and we're ready to help. Take a moment to contact us today.