All posts by Shannon M. Wilkinson

About Shannon M. Wilkinson

Shannon Wilkinson is the founder and CEO of Reputation Communications.

Online reputation management
Reputation Reboot

You hear a lot about thought leadership and content creation these days.

What you don’t hear about is how much they have surpassed traditional public relations as a strategy to:

  • Amplify your brand.
  • Build your credibility.
  • Organically attract clients, investors, partners, and influential speaking opportunities.
  • Interest the media in interviewing you.
  • Establish, reboot or improve your reputation.

In this digital age, establishing yourself as a thought leader entails creating unique, quality online content—like articles, blogs, podcasts or videos—showcasing your expertise, point of view, or commentary. The more intelligent, in-depth and helpful it is, the higher the ranking it will receive online.

When people Google you or the topic you write about, they will find it. That is why content creation is one of the most important reputation management tactics you can take.

When you have a series of top-ranked entries on Google, they counterbalance—or even replace—any third-party content about you that doesn’t contribute to your brand capital.

Once your thought leadership content is published, it can be promoted in dozens of ways. Done monthly or quarterly, you can build a substantial, profitable collection of online information that is not only profitable, but also contributes to your reputation capital.

Don’t have time to create content? Outsource it. We’re here to help. We can amplify it, too. What do you want the world to know about you online? Your thought leadership and content creation will tell the story you want the world to know. Manage the conversation, or else you may not have a voice in it.

 
 
Crisis Management, Online reputation management, ,
Reputation Communications

Here is a common question for online reputation management firms:

“What if all the negative online information about people and companies is true?” If you are one of those people or companies, there are a few ways to address it. The first and most common is to  implement a content strategy that puts positive, authentic information online to replace the bad. When the situation is too difficult or high-ranking on Google to be improved that way, there is another option. It is one often used in crisis management.

Acknowledge the truth. Share how you are taking steps to address the issue, or have addressed it. If you are a successful CEO but spent part of your high school years overcoming a substance abuse problem, don’t wait for commentary about it to surface online. Approach an online publication and offer to write a piece for them about how you turned things around – and how others can, too. Look for an agent to get you a book deal. Donate the proceeds to an appropriate charity.

If it is a company issue, present the facts. Admit the problem. Share what you plan to do to fix it. And follow up with examples of how you are doing that. Invite your customers’ input by setting up an online platform where they can contribute ideas, commentary and feedback. For public companies, this will mean convincing your legal team that the concept has merit.

 
 
General, Social Media, , , , , ,
Mindful Messaging Matters

As we’ve seen during the recent U.S. election and the COVID-19 crisis, it’s important to carefully consider any statements you make regarding hot-button issues. Recent history shows a wide variety of public figures have learned this lesson the hard way. Saints quarterback Drew Brees and FSU football coach Mike Norvell attracted blowback from statements they made after George Floyd’s death. Social media influencers such as @traderjoeslist creator Natasha Fischer and YouTube sensation Tana Mongeau also faced backlash for their responses to the crisis. With CNN’s Don Lemon and others calling out celebrities for being too cautious and declining to weigh in, public figures, brands and business leaders alike are realizing that sometimes silence is no longer an option.

To assure you are communicating in a meaningful and effective way, we recommend practicing good social listening and being mindful of the long-tail effect your words could have. As always, authenticity is key—and the best way to achieve that is through honesty and clarity. Avoid vague platitudes and superficial lip service. For an example of carefully considered messaging that still displays unmistakable integrity, read former Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ statement calling for unity, mutual respect and a renewed common purpose during a challenging time in U.S. history. It is evergreen.

 
 
Google, Online reputation management, ,
reputation management tip

Last year, The Wall Street Journal published a riveting exposé about the online reputation tactics used by one agency for high-visible VIPs, from Washington appointees to hedge fund billionaires. 

If you are a high net worth or high visibility leader considering such services, it is an insightful read about the strategies used by many — but not all — agencies in this industry.

“Google removed five websites from Google News after The Wall Street Journal inquired about them. Google, owned by parent company Alphabet Inc., said the sites violated its policies around deceptive practices,” reported Rachael Levy.

That is just one take-away from the article. It is below the Journal’s paywall but well worth the price of a subscription to read.

More recently – in May – a second investigative piece, Google Hides News, Tricked by Fake Claims, came out in the Journal. As a result of the reporters’ in-depth analysis, Google replaced thousands of links to articles, legal notices and other content it had removed as a result of bogus copyright claims and manipulated removal requests.

Our takeaway: there are many false promises, claims and guarantees made in this less-than-transparent industry. As these articles show, it is best not to believe them all. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Related reading: Reputation Reboot: What Every Business Leader, Rising Star & VIP Needs to Know

 
 
Online reputation management, , , , ,
Boston Private reputation management

Edward Marshall, Managing Director at wealth management, trust, and private banking company Boston Private, recently interviewed me to discuss their new White Paper, Surveying the Risk and Threat Landscape to Family Offices.

In the podcast we discuss networks, risk management, partnering with the right vendors, and reputation management trends and concerns. I am pleased to share it with you here: Family Office Connections: Managing Your Online Reputation.

A family office is a privately held company that handles investment management and wealth management for a wealthy family, generally one with over $100 million in investable assets, with the goal being to effectively grow and transfer wealth across generations.

While my insights re serving high net wealth clients are highlighted in the podcast, so are online reputation management tips everyone can benefit from. I hope you will find it a helpful resource.

 
 
Online reputation management, , , , , ,
Reputation Communications

As we grapple with this “new normal,” one thing is clear: now we are all virtual.

Even after COVID-19 is under control, most of us will continue to promote our expertise and stature on the internet. We will have as many real-time video meetings as we are now. That, too, will be the “new normal.”

In this new world, your digital presence is the new you. Remember that, more than ever, you are who Google says you are. This is the perfect time for you to plan, evaluate and, if necessary, reboot your online reputation.

Here’s a brief checklist:

How is your personal branding website? How about your biography and, if you are preparing to pivot, your resume? Have you wanted to write articles, start a blog or contribute an Op-Ed piece to a major media outlet? Or to Medium, Jeff Bezos’ thought-leadership platform of choice? Have you mastered the teleconferencing platform Zoom? (If not, check out their filter that makes you look your best as well as their backgrounds, which display an image or video. You can also upload your own.)

As virtual reputation experts we offer these free resources to help you strategize: Digital Reputation Management for CEOs & the C-Suite. It’s short and to the point. We also have the ultimate insider’s guide, Reputation Reboot: What Every Business Leader, Rising Star and VIP Needs to Know.

For those of you who have wanted to engage our help in attaining an influential Google reset, we are fully operational. As always, we are here if you need us.

If you have high school or college students marooned indoors during this time, please be sure and have them do a thorough check of their social media posts. If they have ever shared or written posts that can be interpreted as being racist, sexist, or discriminatory, they may lose their future opportunities as interns, employees and college students. Our article, Inside the Social Media Screening Industry explains the risks they face.

 
 
Online reputation management, , , ,
Reputation Risks Facing High Net Worth Families

In a digital world, everyone faces reputation risk. But high-net-worth families (HNWFs) and individuals face special scrutiny. 

Having served victims of such issues for a decade, Reputation Communications has organized a briefing to provide HNWFs with my own insight, as well as credible information from colleagues who are experienced in helping such families.

Please click here for full details and registration links.

Reputation Communications: Reputation Risks Facing High Net Worth Families

 

 

 
 
Internet Legal Issues, , , , , , ,
CDA 230

We rarely write about politics.

But President Trump’s attack on the legal loophole that allows online hate speech – Communications Decency Act, Section 230 — caught our attention. In short, he wants to do away with it.

We often lament the presence of the CDA 230, as it is known. In my recent article on Medium, I explain why:

On the internet, any of us can be impersonated, harassed or the focus of “fake news.” It persists because of the Communications Decency Act Section 230, a law that protects the platforms that publish such information — publishers like Google, Facebook, Twitter and millions of blogs, forums, and websites — against liability for third-party content on their websites.

We have helped many clients who have been adversely affected by the type of harassment the CDA 230 permits. So, we have been following this story with much interest. Why would President Trump want to remove that law? One reason: Twitter has been moderating his tweets and flagging content it considers questionable.

The New York Times described his intent:

The executive order that Mr. Trump signed on Thursday seeks to strip liability protection in certain cases for companies like Twitter, Google, and Facebook for the content on their sites, meaning they could face legal jeopardy if they allowed false and defamatory posts.

In another article, Times reporter Daisuke Wakabayashi explained how the CDA 230 works:

…Section 230 shields websites from liability for content created by their users. It permits internet companies to moderate their sites without being on the hook legally for everything they host.

Section 230 has allowed the modern internet to flourish. Sites can moderate content — set their own rules for what is and what is not allowed — without being liable for everything posted by visitors.

…Websites trading in revenge pornography, hate speech or personal information to harass people online receive the same immunity as sites like Wikipedia.

This topic will be in the news for weeks to come. Legal experts think it is unlikely that the CDA 230 can be substantially changed by President Trump’s action.  Our hope, like others who support updating it, is that it can be done through appropriate legislative channels.

Related reading: Removing Content from Google in the U.S.