Online Reputation Management is Easier than You Think
10 online reputation management tips for businesses were your reputation is what viewers will find attractive about you. Whether you strive to be funny, sophisticated or a corporate professional, it is your job to see that everything you post is consistent with this theme. The freedom of the internet allows many of us to post without worry on just about any topic that comes to mind without the fear of repercussions.Or so you may think. While many of us have seen commenters on different websites go “left” when venting, the majority may think nothing of it. However, there are a times when people will take to time to look up a person’s IP address and take things to another level.
This is not to be morbid but to make people who are online frequently to be cautious of what they post.
Not-So-Fresh Content
Some bloggers can become complacent with their ranking and traffic numbers and decide to start the first paragraph speaking of a matter that has nothing to do with the topic or their brand.
Once in a while, your audience may be able to relate to bratty kids, a bad dog, and a worse mother-in-law. You can even develop a funny thread around it if there are others who are willing to vent and share their stories.
The key is to not make it a habit and reply to responses privately, if at all. In other words, you don’t want for your micro-niche blog about making gourmet food shortcuts to turn into the “I KInda Hate My Spouse” website.
Yes, balancing personal and professional life is hard. Without a boss looking over your shoulder every couple of hours, respecting the boundaries can be an even greater challenge. If you find yourself tempted to do so, try typing your industry keyword in a major search engine to find news and updates. Even better would be to use the keywords in an RSS (really simple syndication) feeder so that is automatically sent to your homepage.
A True Horror Story
Often we may find an online mentor who can teach us little tips and tricks to help us advance in our careers. They may be on eHow, About.com or other site where expertise is rewarded as the website itself normally comes up first in an engine search.
Last year, a popularAbout blogger chose to reveala negative transactions that involved a subcontractor. While their short tutorials about the writing game were well-regarded and this person was respected in their field, they felt an immediate backlash for straying. Commenters went in hard and strong about how this person used this platform to air out their laundry.
While the blogger did not reveal names, they did try to defend their actions as how aspiring writers should not communicate when things do not go well. Believe it or not, the comments got worse and the blogger had to block new comments before removing the post entirely. This matter was even posted on other sites where some even went as far as to tear down the blogger’s looks.
Since then, this person’s posts are fewer and there has been a difference in the number of commenters.
It should also be mentioned that being an About blogger is one of the best way to enhance a brand. If someone is chosen to write continuously about a particular industry or topic, there is monetary compensation that is similar to holding an entry-level part-time job. And compared to many online salaried jobs, there is a lot of flexibility and status involved.
So if you feel the need to comment on a controversial topic, use an email address that is separate from business. If someone makes a comment about your product or service, try to resolve it privately. Should you feel the need to warn the public about a particular individual who may be involved in shady dealings, make sure that your words are factual and not slanderous and that you have the documents to back up your claims.
Neil Napier is an online entrepreneur, who conducts Marketing case studies on Online Marketing Laboratory. If you are interested in finding marketing ideas that work, hop on over to read more.
