These days everyone is sharing information about their business and/or personal life on some sort of social media site.
Social media has changed the way we relate to one another. Gone are the days where one bad review on a product, service or business was only seen by a few. With social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, one bad review or comment can explode into a firestorm. According to eMarketer, 83% of consumers say that online reviews impact their opinions about a particular company, and 8 out of 10 of these people added that an unfavorable review online was the cause of them changing their mind about that particular company.
These days everyone seems to be sharing information about their business and/or personal life on some sort of social media site. This makes your online reputation important, but managing it can seem like a daunting task. Here are a few tips to help you manage your online reputation.
Take It Seriously
Assume everything you post online will be public even if you have a private profile. A good rule of thumb is don’t post it if you wouldn’t want your mother to see it. If you know you are going to be posting funny photos of yourself or posting comments that may not reflect your company’s views, be sure to set your profile on private or create a separate profile only for professional relationships. Make sure to treat your online profile as an asset and make sure it positions you in a professional way.
Another tip is to Google yourself and/or company often and see what the world sees when they look you up. Also, consider monitoring your company and personal names to keep track of what’s being said about you. There are lots of free tools to help you, such as Google Alerts, Social Mention or Reputation.com.
Invite Feedback & Engage
Instead of waiting around for people to post reviews about your company, products or services, consider creating a place on your own website for people to leave feedback. An easy to use and easy to find location for people’s feedback on your website might actually discourage negative posts.
Also don’t forget to interact with people writing comments on your Facebook page and respond to tweets. This is an excellent strategy to stop any negative posts from getting out of hand from the get go. If there are negative posts about your company, don’t participate in mud slinging. Instead, thank them for their input, try to smooth the situation over and move on. It may be difficult to do, but it’s the best way to keep your company from looking bad in front of a big audience.
Be Proactive!
It’s not just enough to have your company information online. You need to optimize your presence on all your social media sites. Make sure to fill out everything in detail on all your social media platforms, customize the URL when you can and repeat your name where appropriate.
For example, LinkedIn gives you the option of scrolling down to where it says “public profile” on your profile page and editing the URL to your full name or company name. Another important tip: if a social media site gives you the option of showing links to all your other social media sites, do it! It’s important to give all of your social sites as much visibility as possible and it will only make your online presence stronger.
Managing your online reputation can be time consuming, but it’s essential to know what is out there about your company. Don’t neglect it!
What tips to you have to keep your online reputation positive?
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Photo Credit: Jason A. Howie