Reputation is an asset and, as such, it is your duty as an entrepreneur to make the best of it. First, you start off with no reputation, which sounds bad but there are businesses out there that would kill to start from zero. No reputation is always better than a bad reputation, but building your reputation from the ground up is just one, minor, part of your overall online reputation management, as your public image also needs to be nourished, managed and evolved in the right direction. Here are several tips to make these efforts truly effective.
Stay Relevant
Keep in mind that every single one of online users follows multiple brands and has a myriad of individuals posting stuff online day in and out. This means that, with such over-saturation of information, chances are that you’ll get forgotten unless you post on a regular basis. Quality matters, but when it comes to the question of quality vs. quantity, the answer is nowhere near as clear-cut as one would think.
Sure, if you have a blog, you can’t produce more than one or two pieces of quality content per week. The reason behind this is the fact that, in order to produce quality content, you need to spend, on average 3 hours and 57 minutes just writing it. This is provided that you already have a topic and inspiration (writing is still a creative process). Still, there’s nothing preventing you from posting and sharing the content of others on a daily basis.
Be Proactive
Perhaps the biggest misconception that the majority of people have when it comes to building online reputation lies in the idea that this is somehow a responsive (rather than proactive) process. You see, every statement you make, every piece of content you post online and every interaction with your audience needs to be a part of a larger strategy. The problem, nonetheless, lies in the fact that a layman marketer seldom has the tools or knowledge to develop their own branding strategy. Therefore, it might be for the best to find reputable industry veterans like the digital marketing strategists at Elevate Digital and outsource this task.
Use Different Formats
A trait that the majority of your audience will be looking for is the versatility of your business and there are a lot of ways for you to demonstrate this versatility without going out of your way. First, you can use a plethora of different content formats like text, image, animation, infographic, podcast, video, etc. Even if you just opt for video content, there are so many sub-types that you could experiment with. We’re talking about a direct statement, a product demo, a tutorial, an influencer review or even an interactive video. It is up to you to figure out which of these fits your current objectives the most.
Don’t Feed the Trolls
Perhaps the most important piece of advice that you’ll ever receive when it comes to defending your online reputation is the fact that you should never argue with people online. You see, there are two scenarios when it comes to online criticism. First, you have the one where you’re actually talking to a concerned user who just wants to point out a flaw or a problem. Second, you’re talking to an internet troll who is either outraged for no reason or trying to start an argument because they are bored. In either of these cases, it’s far better to avoid the argument. Just thank them for the feedback and promise that you’ll look into it.
Nothing ever goes Away
One of the truths that a lot of brands have learned the hard way is the fact that nothing that is posted online can truly be removed from the internet. Sure, you have the option to delete the post, however, you have no idea who else has a screenshot. Therefore, it’s for the best to think about this ahead of time. Sure, a tweet from 10 years ago may not represent who you are as a brand, nonetheless, staying away from controversial statements may still be the best possible course of action. So, think twice before posting anything online, observing the principals of ethical reputation management.
In the end, making your online reputation management more effective all comes down to your own goals, objectives and intentions. Just bear in mind that this is a never-ending process. It can take you months and years to establish a solid online reputation but a single moment of inattention may be enough to ruin everything. Against such odds, you can triumph only with major commitment and determination.
