6 (More) Tips for Online Reputation Management

by Lyndi Lawson

No, you have not lost your mind and yes, I have already written a post about ORM. So in answer to your next question: no, I am not beating a dead horse – my horse is very much alive and kicking, thank you. It’s just that there is more to Online Reputation Management than initially meets the eye.

In my last ORM tips instalment, mention was made of:

• Understanding the importance of your online reputation.
• Maximising positive references to your brand.
• Measuring your reputation to facilitate managing it.
• Following the all important three step system.
• Seeking opportunity in inevitable online brand attacks.

This was just the tip of the iceberg. Not only that, but it was aimed mostly at large businesses and corporations. This sequel is aimed primarily at bloggers and small businesses. I know that I am treading a fine line here – the marriage between bloggers and corporations is not always a happy one – but in honour of the bold steps that BrandsEye has taken to make ORM more accessible to all and sundry, it seems important to point out that Online Reputation Management is for everyone.

Credit: Nilag

1). Own as many domains containing your name as possible: Domains are relatively cheap to register and if you own joeblogsucks.co.za, not only will it prevent anyone from buying the domain to spread negative sentiment, but you can also use it as an opportunity to actually build up your reputation. Not only will it meant that you have more control over the SERPs, but you will be seen as having a sense of humour. A little blurb about yourself explaining exactly why it is that you don’t, in fact, suck and a link to your main website will inevitably drive traffic and give visitors the opportunity to have a little chuckle, which in turn might make them more likely to talk about your brand.

2). Avoid arguments in online forums: This will give the search engines more fodder and keep the negative mention high up in the search results. If there is a negative forum discussion going on around your blog or brand, participate only to the point where you can enter into a private email conversation with the instigator. This is particularly true if there is some truth in the accusations or remarks that have been made about you. If this is the case, apologise and suggest that further communication between you be conducted in private.  

3). Be nice to the people who are nice about you: Let’s face it; other than Robert Mugabe, George Bush, our very own suspected fraudster - Jacob Zuma and various other miscreant political leaders dotted around the globe, not many people enjoy the blind support of a mass following. Few people are above criticism. But while criticism is often more forthcoming than praise, many people are complimentary. For bloggers particularly, it is important to be nice to people who are nice about you. Not only does this present an excellent link building opportunity but it also builds friendly relationships and encourages them to be complimentary in the future.

4). Know what people are saying about your brand: A recurring theme, I know, but nonetheless a crucial one to remember. Like politicians, bloggers will be the best of friends one day and will be questioning the integrity of their own cyber neighbours the next. If you want to respond to the comments or the challenges issued by your counterparts or friends, it is necessary to know that they are out there. There are many software packages that do this. BrandsEye is an awesome one :).

Credit: Zeno_

5). Don’t ignore attacks on your reputation. Face them head on, preferably without drawing attention to the negative sentiments. Ignoring attacks appears cowardly - a weakness of character that you may not want vicious consumers or fellow bloggers to see. Survival of the fittest applies just as much in the online world as it does in the wild. This ruthless trait of nature will weed out the old, the sick and the fearful and these will become food for the young and brave. Sad but true. Keep your chin up, practice some well thought out WebPR (I have some advice on this too).

6). If you are cornered, benefit from the scandal: Sometimes an attack will unavoidably go public before you can do anything about it. If you are on the back foot – akin to the aforementioned position of the president of our ruling political party – you can do a number of things to mitigate this situation. Most of these are highly unethical. If however, you are inescapably drawn into such an interaction, the best thing to do is interact with your attacker honestly and openly. If nothing else, this will drive traffic to your site: everybody loves a bit of a scandal, and if you are in fact in the right, you should have nothing to worry about and can rely on public opinion to back you up. 

2008/08/05 | permalink | comments (0) | trackbacks (0)

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