I recently described online reputation management to a group of new acquaintances. This is what they had to say:
“It enables people to achieve the future they want,” observed a media executive.
“I had always thought of online reputation management as suppressing unwanted Google results,” said another. “Now I see it entirely differently. It is about positivity and being proactive about the story that Google tells about you. It is a major career development tool and establishes you as a leader.”
Online reputation management is a cutting-edge industry that enables you to shape the public’s perception of you and your organization by taking control of the story the Internet tells about you. That can entail anything from optimizing the order in which that information appears in a Google search to the creation of new content.
Your Challenge
One challenge for many professionals is the third-party content. You may be mentioned on blogs, consumer or employee review sites, legal reporting sites and high-ranking media outlets. Counter-balancing and replacing that type of content with new, positive and authentic material is an essential online reputation management (ORM) strategy.
Google prizes well-written content that is not duplicated elsewhere on the Internet. It can punish fake news, tricks and “black hat” strategies used in some ORM programs.
That is why using only ethical ORM and high-quality content is important. Our approach is to develop online messaging, blog and social media content, website creation, thought leadership and public relations strategies that are custom-made to support your image while attaining your online reputation goals.
Your Future
This month, while you envision the future you want for you or your company, assess whether your Google results are conveying the image you want the decision-makers in your world to see. Consider these questions:
- Who is your audience?
- How do you want to be perceived by them?
- Is that how you appear when they research you online?
- What future do you want to achieve?
If your Google and other search results are not delivering the image that supports your answers, I invite you to make a list of everything you want to create, change, or publish on the Internet. Then, contact us.
We specialize in working with executives, professionals, and their organizations. Our typical clients hold leadership roles in their industry, or are mid-level professionals actively building their careers. In addition, we have a long history of assisting VIPs and high-net-worth individuals with their online reputation goals. To learn more, visit Reputation Communications.
This post was excerpted from our September eNewsletter. It kicks off a new monthly series that will hit on every part of online reputation management and provide you with actions you can take to enhance yours. Please share it with your friends, and join our mailing list to receive future editions.