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Online Reputation: What you don’t know can hurt you

Wed, August 22nd, 2007 by Pam Fielding | 0 comments

Online Reputation Management is one part science, one part art. It's a combination of search engine optimization, newsgroup and public email list monitoring and management, blogging and public relations. Most associations and corporations, and the traditional PR firms they retain, don't have the skill-set to analyze reputational risks, proactively address online attacks and/or positively boost their reputations online. This is significant, because online sniping aimed at you or your organization can seriously undermine your advocacy issue, damage your personal image or devastate your brand, literally, at the speed of light.

Guard Your Brand:  At What Cost?

How much does a negative comment cost you?  Whether you're an individual searching for a new job or a Fortune 500 company protecting your stock price, what you don't know about your online reputation can hurt you.   Brand attacks add up to tens of billions of dollars in revenue each year for major companies - and when it comes to your personal reputation - these attacks can quickly undermine your livelihood and your future earning potential.  Type in the name "Karl Rove" in Google.  The third entry, Exposing Karl Rove, is one he would likely prefer to appear on the last of his six million plus results.

There are multiple online sources of potential attacks, from blogs to flame sites to consumer opinion sites.  Before angry activists, unhappy customers, or competitors find these avenues for passing on damaging information about you, you need a well-developed system to alert you to news and information about your brand (or your issue) and to nip critical comments in the bud.

"You Stink":  Now What?

You do have choices when you find negative results that relate to your brand - whether that's your personal identity, your company or association, or your issue.  First, you can opt to do nothing.  And while this is a choice, it's not one we recommend: bad news online travels very fast.  Second, you can push the positives - working to push negative results to the second page of a search engine or directory.  You can do this by optimizing your results in search engines and directories and sites that link to yours - from product or issue sites to fan sites you create to boost your positives to partner sites.   Third, you can strengthen your relationships with influential sites and blogs.  

Online reputation management involves regular tracking, careful assessment of your reputation strengths and weaknesses, optimization of your positives, relationship building with online sources who can positively/negatively affect your brand, your issue, or your organization, and an action plan should you face a real online threat.  

Your online reputation is the result of hard work, commitment - and a long-term commitment to solve online problems before they develop.  If you need help managing your brand - whether that's your issue or your organization - call us.  We can help you regain control, one link at a time.

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