Maintaining a Strong Reputation More Important than Ever
Communicating globally is now at the fingertips of virtually everyone on the planet. With a smart phone, Skype, or a subscription to any number of social media Web sites, you can interact with people in any part of the world whenever you chose. Such a powerful means of communication is not to be underestimated for both its ability to make you aware of information instantaneously as well as allowing you to disseminate information just as quickly. And while the magnitude of this power may not make such an impression on the casual user, all it takes is one well-placed innuendo or a publicly displayed photograph not meant for mass publication before you realize that your reputation can be made or destroyed by other people. And that your reputation can be spread far and wide in a matter of minutes.
These are especially important concepts for everyone to grasp but for businesses, professional organizations, politicians, sports stars and entertainers, and other noteworthy individuals their fortunes can be made and lost by information that makes its way onto the Web. With this knowledge, many people are taking much greater care with the things they write and post on the Internet and some have even gone so far as to hire people to manage their reputations online and to guard against those that seek to undermine them in cyberspace.
Knowing what people are saying about you or your business is an important part of marketing these days. And just as you should always note feedback that you are getting from clients, you should also be aware that information about you traveling on the Internet can reach coast to coast and continent to continent in a matter of minutes so managing your reputation is more important than ever.
There are a few ways to manage your reputation online and some are simple, obvious, and yet still not followed by so many people that should know better. First and foremost is that you should be aware of what people are saying about you or your company and organization. If you don’t know what is being said, how can you take control of the situation? It is easy enough to go online and find out what people are saying about you on message boards, blogs, or other media outlets. It is also easy enough to set up a Google email alert, which will make you aware when someone or something is being written about you on the Internet.
Make a conscience effort to become part of your online community and to have those in your neighborhood know who you are. You can do this by participating in neighborhood bulletin boards, message boards, and blogs related to your profession or service. The more active you are on these communication networks, the more positive responses you will get and the harder it will be for someone to tarnish your reputation.
Anyone that doesn’t quite grasp the power of social media just isn’t looking and don’t let yourself be one of these people. Make good use of then social media networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and any other community that you or your business is associated with. In addition to setting up your own pages and identities on these sites you should consider doing the same for your business or organization and then to monitor very closely what people are saying about you on these pages. And while it is not a good idea to engage in a cat fight online, you can certainly address any customer concerns while trying to put the best face on your efforts and show your clients that you do indeed care about what they say.
One last suggestion is to embrace and encourage customer reviews and then do your best to promote and highlight the best of them. You are certainly going to be taking some risks here but if you are confident in your business you shouldn’t worry too much about getting people to tell the world what they think of you.
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