There’s a lot to be said for online reputation management. I mean, using articles, blog posts, social media, etc. to management your reputation online. But can you use off line material? Can print publications be used for online reputation management?
Absolutely. But I’m not talking about replacement here. I’m talking about enhancement.
You still want to use traditional online marketing resources to manage your reputation online, but writing articles for print publications, networking at physical events, and writing and publishing a book in print can do wonders for your online reputation as well.
The big thing to keep in mind is using online and off line resources for an integrative approach to marketing. That’s where print comes into play with online reputation management.
When you write articles for print publications, do you add your web address to your bio? Do you let people know where to find you online? You should. And that’s a part of your overall reputation management plan, or should be.
You can do this simple thing every time you engage with an audience off line. Direct them back to where they can find you online. Every time you do that, it helps your online reputation. And that will replicate the more you do it.
Neil Glassman says it is.
There are two sides to reputation management. There’s the reactive side and the proactive side. Social media can be used for both, but it’s most effective when used proactively.
Reactive reputation management is the practice of using social media, SEO, and other online marketing tools to combat negative information about your company. Most companies that engage in online reputation management are being reactive, but if they had a proactive approach to begin with then the reactive approach might not be necessary.
Why wait until your company’s reputation has come under attack before you start trying to improve your company image? It should be an ongoing thing.
The proactive approach to reputation management is an ongoing strategy of highlighting what is good about your company. Do you support a particular charity? Do you give to local community organizations on a regular basis? Do your products help the environment? These are all social responsibility positives for you and your brand. You can use social media to bring attention to these initiatives at any time in your company’s life.
Online reputation management is not a zero-sum game. Your reputation in the marketplace is based on a number of factors that lead to an aggregate perception of your brand without regard for what your competition is doing. Manage it well and it doesn’t matter what negatives there are – the positives will outweigh them.
When it comes to Internet marketing there are services that are worth pursuing and services that you can afford to put on the back burner for awhile. In other words, not all services are created equal. The following 7 services are services that I’d say are worth considering today and that will likely be necessary services five and ten years from now.
- Pay Per Click Management – PPC has become a staple of online advertising. You pay for traffic and if you do it right then your traffic will be targeted and conversion ready.
- Search Engine Optimization – The original search engine marketing. There is no reason not to pursue a search engine optimization strategy. It’s the perfect search engine marketing.
- Online Reputation Management – Don’t wait until you need it. Incorporate reputation management into everything you do.
- Social Media Optimization – Social media is here to stay. This is evidenced by Facebook becoming the No. 1 trafficked website online. Develop a strategy and make it work for you.
- Competitive Intelligence – Learn everything you can about your competition, then use it against them.
- Web Design & Development – It all starts with your hub on the Web. Web design is one of the most important things to do in your total marketing strategy. Give it some thought.
- Video Marketing & Production - Video marketing is the Internet sleeper. It’s taken awhile to catch on, but it is catching on. This is where the money will be in the future. Count on it.
If you’re serious about Internet marketing, these 7 strategies should be a part of your plan – starting today.
Few online marketing concepts are as misunderstood as online reputation management. It is often thought of as a reactive model, but in truth it is proactive. Reputation management in its best sense is nothing less than effective online branding.
A recent survey shows the top online brands in 2009 are:
- Google
- Yahoo!
- Amazon
- Facebook
- Ebay
- Microsoft
- YouTube
- MySpace
- Apple
- Sony
The one thing that all of these companies have in common is a strong brand. Each one built its online reputation by building its brand. And the attributes that make them all reputable brands – and recognizable brands – are trustworthiness, helpfulness, and relevance.
The lesson here for the rest of us is to build trust by being helpful and being relevant. If you can do that in your niche then you will simultaneously be building your brand and your reputation. There’s no better reputation management than building a positive and recognizable brand in any niche.
New Internet marketers may not understand the terms that get used online and reputation management is one that gets confused a lot. To be sure, it’s not a one-time event. It’s an ongoing project when done right and it should be started long before you really need it.
I’ve met far too many website owners – and even some non-website owners – who think of reputation management as a last minute resort, or as a cleanup activity. Once they’ve met with someone online who is trashing their name and trying to ruin their reputation, that’s when they think about protecting it. At that point, it’s too late.
Online reputation management should begin the moment that you start thinking about building an online presence. Reputation management should be a part of your overall strategy for building a business online.
The tools that you’ll use to build and maintain your reputation online are many. Which ones you focus on depends on your personality, your business goals, and your budget, but here are a few ideas to get your mind spinning:
- Online video
- Search engine optimization
- Search engine marketing
- Blogging
- Article marketing
- Podcasting
- Display advertising
- Social media marketing
- Viral marketing
- Reciprocal push marketing
- Newsletter marketing
- E-mail marketing
- Link building
As you can see, the tools in your arsenal are plenty. And you can use them all together. The key is to develop a strategy and stick with it. Your reputation is too important to leave to chance.
