In this digital age we are living in, a good digital reputation is needed for online businesses to succeed. Your digital reputation effects how people view your online brand and how much trust you have. Will your company be able to survive a negative attack on your brand name? Online Reputation Management is becoming crucial in this day and age online.
Actively listening what people are saying about you on the web is a vital component in maintaining your reputation online. Social networking channels offer a wealth of information and millions of conversations are happening every second. Did you know that people might be talking about you without your participation? If you are not actively “listening” to the online conversation that centers around your company, you could be in the middle of a negative firestorm and you don’t even know it.
Here’s a couple of tips you can use to start monitoring your online reputation immediately.
Twitter is an excellent channel that you can use to keep an eye on your brand. This channel allows users to post short 140 character updates. With this said, your reputation can be destroyed with only 140 characters or less. Once a new Tweet is posted, it is shared with all of that user’s connections and will be visible on Twitter search. Once it is picked up, it can be shared and passed to another group of users, helping it spread. A popular Tweet can spread to any corner of the world in a couple of seconds. There are many free Twitter tools that you can use to monitor for the mention of your name on Twitter such as Hootsuite and Tweetdeck.
You can also use Twitter so that your customer service representatives can monitor what is being said in real time. You can use this to resolve an issue before it turns into a snowball and this is a great way to maintain a positive relationship with your customers. This can also help you protect your online reputation.
With the latest update of Google (Search, Plus Your World), when logged into Google when conducting a search, you will see results from people in your Google+ Circles. Even though it is a little difficult to monitoring your reputation with Google+, it is an excellent channel that you can use to build authority in your market and niche. Create a Google+ Circle around a topic and share some valuable information related to the people in the circle that they will find interesting.
You can also use another tool by Google called “Me on the web“. This tool can also help you monitor your reputation online and you can easily setup Google Alerts to receive notifications when you are mentioned on websites, blogs and news stories. Me on the web can also automatically suggest some search terms you want to keep an eye on.
Keep your digital profiles up to date
If you are a business owner, it is wise to always keep your digital profiles up to date with the latest information about your company and brand. There are many social media channels available online focused on customer reviews whether it be good or bad. As more consumers are looking at these sites for trusted recommendations, a number of bad reviews could keep potential prospects away.
Always encourage satisfied customers to leave a positive comment for you. This can greatly help you with counteracting against negative comments and at the same time, help you build your brand online.