Managing your online brand reputation is becoming increasingly important if you’re a business professional. If you’re a small business owner, it’s even more essential.
Here are 7 steps you can take to manage your online reputation.
1. Google Yourself.
It may sound like an exercise in vanity, but if you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, you’ll want to show up on page 1. Your website, social media, and those sites that mention you are your 21st-century business card.
Assuming you want to be found (and most professionals should), a few factors will determine if you appear on page 1. This includes how common your name is.
If you have a very distinctive name, you won’t need to do much work to appear on page 1. That’s good news—IF what OTHERS are saying about you and what YOU are saying about yourself are both positive. Otherwise, you’ll need to do some damage control.
On the other hand, if your name is John Smith or Sue Miller, you may have to work harder to create an online brand reputation.
I’ve found that “Nancy Burgess” is a surprisingly common name. When I used to write for the Chicago Tribune, another Nancy Burgess also wrote for the Tribune and lived in the suburbs. Let the record show that neither I (nor Nancy, the other writer): mistreats animals, has four DUIs, is missing, or has died. But that’s all true for other Nancy Burgesses.
What do search engine pages return when you search for your name?
2. Be Thoughtful About What You Write and Post Online.
Think twice about what you write and post on social media. In a moment of anger, frustration, or temporary insanity, you may want to post something hateful, sarcastic, or distasteful online. Pause.
How will that message impact potential customers, employers, or clients? Remember it’s not a momentary lapse. Online lapses are forever. They could follow you (and your brand reputation) for the rest of your life.
Be yourself, but don’t offend others in the process.
3. Create Your Personal Marketing Brand Identity.
As a business owner, you should have a personal brand identity with brand positioning, messaging, and a story to tell. Does your LinkedIn profile (and other social media profiles) reflect your brand? Do they tell your story?
Tell your brand story before someone else does.
4. Optimize Your LinkedIn Portfolio.
Speaking of LinkedIn, it’s the giant “Rolodex” of the day. (GenZ: this was a rolling phonebook with contact information for your business associates.) If you’re not on LinkedIn, it’s time to join millions of other U.S. professionals who are. Or you may want to join a specific social platform that has professionals from your industry.
Is your profile optimized to get found? Again, if you have a common name, you’ll need to work harder to achieve that number one spot in the LinkedIn return. For example, if I type “Nancy Burgess” in its search tool, LinkedIn returns 20 pages with the names of 194 professionals.
Worse, type in John Smith, and LinkedIn returns 100 pages with 1,000 names! Imagine the effort John Smith has to exert to manage his personal brand. Is your profile optimized for your name AND what you do?
Put in the effort it takes for your name to get found. As a business owner, you can’t afford to hide online.
5. Check Your Google Business Profile, Yelp, and Other Company Reviews.
Reviews of your business impact your reputation. Plus, reviews may mention YOU by name. Do you know what they say?
I’ve seen poor reviews that reflect on an individual’s credibility, honesty, or trustworthiness.
Once your reputation has been smeared online, it’s hard—but not impossible—to recover.
6. Recognize the Goal of Repairing Your Online Reputation
You almost assuredly won’t be able to delete what’s out there or any harm that’s already been done. But you can work to create positive content that pushes any negativity further down a search engine return page. Furthermore, positive company reviews, such as those on Google Business Profile, can positively influence your brand reputation.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a review. Just make it simple for your reviewer by providing a link to write a review.
Remember to always respond to any review, positively and professionally—even if the review is negative.
7. Set up Google Alerts to Monitor Your Online Reputation.
Finally, monitor your reputation. Google yourself monthly, and set up Google Alerts with your name and your company’s name to see if any new content has posted.
Nancy Burgess
