Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Here are some basic tips to consider when managing your online reputation.
- Create online profiles. Don’t let others create your online identity. Create your own profiles and include the type of information you actually want to be found online about you. Use sites like linkedin, businesscard2.com.
- Check what people are saying about you online. Keep an eye on search engines like Google and see what others are saying about you.
- Stay on top of it. Don’t get lax about monitoring your online reputation. If necessary, perform weekly checks to see if there’s any information about you that could harmful.
- Google yourself. The simplest way to find information about you or your company’s online reputation is to Google. See what kind of results pop up first. If the top results on Google are negative, you’ve got some work to do.
- Assume everything can get on the web. Both in your personal and professional life, what you say online and off can come back to haunt you. Be safe and always assume any emails, conversations or photos can eventually end up on the internet.
- Choose your words carefully. If you are blogging, running a website or just have a social media profile, be careful what you post. What you say may cause you problems in the future.
- Know your weaknesses. If you know your business has a particular weakness that makes you prone to getting online complaints, try to correct the issue.
- Protect yourself from hackers. This may seem like it goes without saying, but many people fail to adequately secure their online information. Make sure yours is as safe as it possibly can be. Hackers can assume your identity and ruin your reputation.
- Keep social networks private. One way to daunt prying eyes is to keep your social networking profiles private to all except those you approve. This will keep casual viewers from seeing your information, good or bad.
- Consider pseudonyms. If you do not want people online to know about you create a name for yourself to hide behind so you can’t be easily tracked.
- Be proactive. Instead of waiting until you have an issue with your online reputation, stay ahead of the game. Search for what’s being said about you regularly so you’ll stay well informed.
- Act fast. If you do find something said or posted about you online that you feel could be for the most part damaging to you, take action right away. Whether it’s your friend posting photos from your party night or someone you don’t know slandering your business, taking care of it sooner rather than later is paramount.
- Keep your cool. You may be furious at what someone has said about you online, but don’t let it show. Keep your fury to yourself and off the internet where it can do more damage than good.
- Hire a reputation management company if you find yourself in a situation you can not handle alone. There are many online reputation management companies that can help you.
Do you have any online reputation management tips to share? Post a comment and let us know!