You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well.
– Jeff Bezos
This quote is an excellent way of thinking about one’s personal online reputation management. On the surface, a personal online reputation speaks to what people think of you when they gloss over your online activity.
Does your online presence speak for itself? Which online platforms best represent your values, competence, and personality? What do other online users take away from their interactions with you? Everyone has a reputation, whether you’re consciously building one or passively settling into it. An invaluable resource for any executive brand is leveraging personal online reputation management services.
Every action you take online compounds your reputation. Social media, user-generated content like opinion pieces or blogs, and reviews make up your online reputation. You build an excellent reputation or tear down your name depending on how well you approach these interactions.
Personal online reputation management is a proactive approach to influencing how you are perceived online. Your online reputation can impact your business and career opportunities. Therefore, developing a reputation management strategy is a necessary precursor that brings you closer to your desired professional and personal networks.
Strategies for Enhancing Your Digital Reputation
Traditional strategies for improving one’s reputation and bridging the gap between marketing and company culture involve procuring the services of a digital marketing and PR firm. However, today’s hyperconnected digital world extends some responsibility to individuals. Let’s look at a few strategies you might implement to enhance your digital reputation.
Be Authentic
Most people on the internet assume characters. While such an approach to building a reputation might work for an entertainer, that’s as far as it goes. Authenticity is a rare commodity, and people respond to authentic voices online. Authenticity allows you to explore your passions uninhibited by the constraints of a curated persona. People will likely relate to your experience because it speaks to parts of our society that transcend the internet. Practicing authenticity lends itself to a more sustainable way of managing your reputation. It manifests itself through an executive brand you can effortlessly build upon without fear of exhausting tropes or chasing trends.
Focus on Your Professional Volume
In your professional capacity, you are responsible for contributing to the collective good of a company. This means people within your immediate professional circle depend on your input and competence to fulfill their responsibilities. It may also mean that other colleagues look up to you as mentors or leaders. Publishing thought pieces about your professional space is one of the best ways to stay relevant, avoid controversy, and expand your value beyond your professional network. Such an approach guarantees your online reputation will be positively received.
Track Your Online Presence
Knowing what you post, repost, or share online is another crucial step when managing your online reputation. User-generated content can be a great way to represent oneself. However, what you consume also informs the algorithms and search engines what they recommend and whether they can recommend your content to others. One way of tracking your online presence is to set up automatic notifications with services like Google Alerts. Such tools notify you when specific keywords like your executive brand are mentioned online.
Be Consistent
A reputation is built over time. You must consistently create posts, share content, and interact with other users to make a lasting reputation. The internet is rapidly changing; what’s relevant today might not be tomorrow. Your online presence and intended reputation depend on how much content you produce, the value your audience gains from you, and the perceived reliability of your publishing habits.
Deliver on Your Promises
There are thousands of brands online making the value of their information only as good as its source. Another effective personal online reputation management strategy is to prioritize delivering on all your promises. Make your upload window if you pledge to upload weekly and back your content with credible references and actionable insights. Such safeguards ensure your executive brand has a reputation of being a reliable resource.
Identifying Potential Risks to Your Reputation Online
Like the physical world, there are risks to which your online reputation is vulnerable. These risks threaten your credibility, integrity, and privacy, sullying your reputation. Here are a few pitfalls you should consider.
Monitoring and Engaging with Your Audience Through Social Media
Your activity online will invite comments from other users. Social media is an avenue where user-generated interactions fuel discourse and expand the discussion on every different topic. Unsurprisingly, the interactions can be positive, negative, or both. Part of personal online reputation management is interacting with their comment section. Let’s talk about how to navigate both situations without tainting your reputation.
a. What to Do When Faced with Positive Reviews or Comments
Everyone loves a positive review; it affirms one’s thoughts and validates one’s online activity. Responding to your audience promptly is an excellent way to ensure positive reviews and comments encourage similar interactions in future. You might also want to extend your gratitude, share other resources your audience may enjoy, or invite them for further conversation on your subject. Such interactions inspire your audience to open up to you online. It also creates an environment of inclusivity, acceptance, and requited socialization. When your business or service gets a positive review, it’s best to be brief when responding. While you are not obligated to respond to every positive review, liking one or two positive reviews or posting a short positive comment should suffice.
b. What to Do When Faced with Negative Reviews or Comments
Negative reviews or comments can be devastating. You might feel discouraged to post content or even question the validity of your online activity when faced with a negative comment. However, the grace with which you handle negative comments is an important skill to master. If you are responding to a negative review about your product or service, try to understand the crux of your respondent and address it within your business and for that customer. Constructive criticism can only make your product or service better. One pitfall to avoid is using your public profile to discredit negative commenters. Try to take that conversation through a private channel. Remember to keep all your interactions succinct to avoid dragging out the discussions further.
Conclusion
Personal online reputation management can be taxing. Different social media platforms and their varying formats demand users to keep tabs on each platform. Consequently, other online platforms like your professional website or email also need round the clock management. This can sometimes feel like a full-time job, especially when your audience grows to the hundreds and even thousands. Lucky for you, you can employ the services of a digital marketing firm to alleviate this burden. Reactionpower is a world-class service with a dedicated community management team for your online persona. Does it sound like something you might be interested in?
