Business Buzz - Making You Famous

In today’s world, where most people get their information on the Internet, your online reputation is the first thing most people will see. Think about it as an introduction to perspective clients, partners, and media outlets. It is vital that you pay attention to your online reputation and protect it the best you can. Here are three reasons investing in online reputation management is important and worth your time, energy and resources:

Google Matters- Potential customers will Google you. There’s nothing you can do about it, it’s going to happen. Google has somehow become the end all source of knowledge for the internet, so much so that “to Google” has actually been added to the dictionary as a verb. People want to ensure that they are spending their hard earned money on something worthwhile, and Google (or another search engine) will tell them if you are worth their time and money. Try entering your own company name into a search engine and find out what’s already out there. Be aware of both positive and negative reviews, articles, and links back to your site. Controlling your brand message online might be the simplest and most important detail in your public relations campaign.

Social Media Matters- In case you haven’t learned this by now, social media is kind of a big deal. It can actually help increase your customer relations and get you good reviews and recommendations for potential customers. There were over 1.4 billion active monthly users on Facebook alone this year, the majority probably have at least one other profile on a different platform such as Twitter or Instagram. Most users use social media to connect with family and friends and see what they are up to…to be social. It is becoming an addiction with the help of easy access through smart phones. The national average for checking your Facebook profile was 14 times a day! If that many eyes are on social media that often, it is a huge opportunity for your company to make an impression. Attention and upkeep to your social media profiles and online reputation can have big rewards. We’ve mentioned before that people trust recommendations much more than advertisements and marketing and social media is a great place for people to give and see reviews from past customers.

Everything online is “immortalized”- Nothing that has been put online truly dies. You can hide things, “delete” negative reviews and cover things up that you wish had not been said but they never truly disappear. Once it has been posted online there is always a way for it to resurface. Which is why it is so important to make sure that you never put something online that you don’t want people to see, especially in a heated moment. Ignoring negative attention for your brand will not make it go away, either. It fact, your lack of a response may just fuel the fire.  It is important to respond to negative attention the best way possible – take it offline if possible.

Now we know these reasons aren’t complicated or revolutionary but a lot of companies are still taking the “maybe if we ignore it, it will go away” method in regards to their online reputation, and that is a big mistake. Leaving out strategy and planning for your online reputation would be like forgetting to market your product, something that will only hurt the bottom line in the end. We at PilmerPR at very dedicated to online reputation management and would love to see how we can help you improve and maintain yours. Don’t wait to get started, your online reputation has already begun, whether you know it or not.