Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Reputation Management -lend an ear to what the world talks about you

Reputation management is all about using the tools and platforms to control and manage the public views about you , your company or your services. More than just a communication or a technology issue it is a multi faceted approach in stalling online slanders and to retain your brand. Posting a few blogs or press releases alone wont help you to come out of the rut you have landed into! Only a smart blend of the most effective ORM tools that will help you to repair and manage the public image about your company.

So, ultimately it’s important for all businesses to perceive what other people are saying, tag along the customer trends, analyse the competition in the market before coming up with a most appropriate plan to even off the damages caused by bad press and negative publicity. Make sure that all the company information such as directory listings, is accurate and updated. Though large companies might have a team of communications specialists to do this monitoring, small- to medium-size businesses either end up spending a lot of their quality time in monitoring online comments, or ignore it altogether, which could be even worse.

However, ORM is not a complex crisis management tool, which needs to be considered only in the event of a catastrophe; on the other hand it is an ongoing process, which becomes part of any corporate administration policy. A few simple steps would make sure that you are always prepared for the worst.

Make sure to update all your online listings to keep in touch with your customers. A phone number that fails to connect or a website URL that shows errors are the last things you expect. Engage, communicate and converse with your customers through online communities in case of any crisis. Keeping them in the dark by remaining mute might damage your repute very badly. Never ignore the customer feedbacks as these can greatly help in your decision making and planning.

If by any chance a negative review does pop up, waste no time; set out on a vigorous reputation management by SEO and SEM techniques to make sure that the customers are guided to the positive content. Remember, according to a research study, 35% of small businesses gained new customers from positive reviews while a staggering 84% of consumers decide what to buy and where based on customer reviews!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Essential strategies for online reputation- SEO and link building

One of the most important factors of modern day optimization is link building. Fortunately link building will allow one to manage their online reputation and so it is important to know the various link strategies. While many of the individuals, who have only a vague idea about SEO, are aware of the fact that mass link purchasing figures is an example of ill-advised activity, performed by ineffective and unethical link building services, it shows that knowledge about the case seems to be a bit sketchy in certain cases. Although it is important to know that what seems to work for one site may not be effective for another.

A common conception, quality counts more than quantity helps in linking with the keywords used in the content. It is of greater importance that an association with a good and high ranking site is advantageous than an irrelevant site. However many of the clients seems to get the help of SEO consultants, a very sensible division of labour, but a bit more interest should be taken in the different categories of links which will have a diverse effect.

Keywords is one of the crucial steps in link building and so gain a clear advantage by the many type of links which is very helpful in aiming higher ranking of site in the search engine results, thereby increasing the reputation of your company. Widely used reputation management tools like blogs, press materials, Twitter and Facebook are important to generate links to the appropriate websites.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

How vigilant you are for your online reputation

What is the biggest blunders people do when its about their reputation? You might be having a big business, may be having a big work force, might be making huge profits. But have you ever thought about your online reputation? If not, then you are really missing out of something quite essential, being vigilant about your online reputation is something most important.

Its really a smart thing to keep an eye on what is being said or written about you online, any negative review or comment can jolt your reputation badly. So one has to be vigilant to all these comments which can either make or break your online reputation. Remember folks your online reputation is very much important for you and any threat to it can bring down your brand value with fall in business.

So, don't risk your online reputation, be smart and vigilant and enjoy a positive online reputation. There are so many tools to make sure your online reputation is safe without any threat. So, its time to reduce the vulnerability of your online reputation with the effective tools of reputation management. Being pro-active is one of the most essential and necessary aspects for holding a positive online reputation.

Whether its your company reputation, brand value or individual reputation, reputation management will be something you will need always. So power yourselves with the dynamics of reputation management system and enjoy a positive reputation.

Monday, May 31, 2010

How to keep your online reputation positive

There are many parameters to decide the fate of your online reputation, and in this new age where online industry has become one of the most standardized and looked after segment, one can't undermine its importance. With so much competition out in the online industry it has really become a big ask to maintain and keep your online reputation on the positive side. But with the effective and advanced tools of reputation management, you can push up your online reputation.

Not to forget the fact that your online reputation remains vulnerable to a large extent with so much space these social media sites and networking sites offering to all. Anyone can comment or post review about your company or brand online and in case its negative, then your reputation is at risk. So, why to take any chance when you have got the dynamic tools of reputation management to safeguard your online reputation.

It is quite evident that most of the people draws an image about the company or brand by its online reputation status, which means, no matter how much your brand scores in the market, if its online reputation is poor, then you might end being a loser. So, be smart and bring in the online reputation management system into the act and enjoy a flawless online reputation for your business.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Your Reputation and effects of blogging

When first started, blogging was a harmless trend where people shared information on various events or activities or simply just their thoughts with the online world. Bloggers kept us entertained, updating daily, weekly or on a monthly basis just a little bit like an online diary. Now blogging has become more than an online diary, bloggers are there to educate us, disagree with us or sometimes even shock us.

As blogs have become much popular and exists on a vast proportion these days, it is seen that a massive increase in people blogging on the current activities within both social and business sense relates to whether they are conscious about search engine optimization benefit or not.

The factors that have made blogging a success has also been responsible for its downfall in terms of the effects it can cause on certain companies, industries and even specific people. Freedom of speech is wonderful but when it comes to blogging, it has its own problematic side when people literally say whatever they like. This is an important thing to remember when considering your online reputation.

Of course there is also a positive side to it when positive posts become a factor for free advertising and publicity. However positive comments need not be managed in the same way as that of negative comments. All it takes is for somebody to run a standard search in the search engines and if you are on the top with any negatives, then whatever is being said about you can cause you danger. This is when SEO can work against you.

Crucial to your company and an integral part of SEO strategies, search engine reputation management, does not only recognize new pages but also covers any customers’ feedback and reviews on the various products and services. Not just a case of researching and identifying the blogs or comments, it also responds quickly and puts a stop to any negative press going further and causing lasting damage.

However blogging still remains an informative part of the social online world and a modern way of knowing what is said about you online, so that you are not taken by surprise and shocked with the unexpected.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

How good is your corporate branding online?

Gone are the days when employee or employer conversations whirled around the tea sessions and the cozy corners of their offices; today these are being beamed all around the world live. HR and recruiters are watching all your conversations and are very much part of the dialogue. Does that sound pretty awkward? May be. But according to a study conducted by Microsoft earlier this year, 70% of surveyed HR professionals in U.S relied on online reputation information in selecting or rejecting a candidate. No scope for any surprise here as the candidates are doing just the same on the other end to choose their employers!


As the recession blues are slowly getting blown over, the corporate rolls are once again buzzing with new recruits. That’s why it might be a perfect time check out your company’s digital employer brand and business reputation. All you need to do is to key in your company name and see what comes up in Glass Door , Yahoo Answers, or Vault. Want to see how your competitor is performing on the same scale? Follow the same strategy and see for yourselves where you trail. This could be a handy comparison tool too and you can use this information in your head hunting drive.

The best thing is that on the forum posting you can see what the past employees tell about your company and if the negative comments are getting a bit too hot for you to handle, then it is the right time to set out on an urgent fire fighting exercise to ensure brand protection . Online reputation management needs a highly disciplined and professional approach and is becoming a big business, as companies track precisely on what’s being said about them and tune their marketing strategies and social media presence accordingly.

You can also deepen the scope of your investigation by signing up for Google Alerts, Trackr, or Social Mention. These updates come right into your inbox! A well managed online corporate branding can make or break your company's repute and legacy. So, make sure that you gather your acts smartly to handle the negative campaigns of your competitors or ex employees and guard your ground properly. In case you are pressed on time, you can engage a professional reputation management company to maintain and to enhance your online reputation.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

How to fight back negative comments and protect your online reputation

Online reputation is something which has been an essential factor for all, whether its a business enterprise, brand, product or individual, online reputation values a lot for everyone. There are many aspects which plays a deciding factor to value your online reputation. From the quality, goodwill, services, trust to PR, everything together decides your reputation. But we can't undermine the most key factors which can ruin your online reputation, they are the negative comments and bad press, which could ruin your reputation online. There has been a lot of debate on this, as to how to reduce the online bashing and how to safeguard your online reputation.

You can shield your well earned online reputation with the help of a decisive and strategic reputation management technique which will safeguard your reputation from being damaged. Reputation management helps you to overcome the negative comments with the help of a well structured plan. You can even take the help of social media websites to highlight the positive side of your company. Blogs, micro sites, google sites, social networking, bookmarks and all can help you to regain that lost reputation.

PR too remains a key area for establishing a good repute for your company and repair your damaged reputation. So, let the tools of reputation management help you to build a positive reputation online.