Four strategies to proactively shield and improve your image online.

Today more companies are embracing the power of social media to boost marketing and branding. They are faced with the challenge of reputation management. The smallest negative comment can echo very far and have a significant impact.

Although not all negative comments are warranted, they cannot be ignored. The days of an anonymous Internet are over. Everything is visible and traceable by almost anyone.

Having an utterly positive image online isn’t possible; by knowing how to manage it is essential. It is that 80% of all comments should be positive. The remaining are divided into 5% malicious, and 15% genuine issues. Regardless of the nature, it needs to be managed.

Here is a four-step process that enables effective online reputation management.

1. Monitoring — proactively monitor all conversations across all sources. Use automated keyword search tools to help organize and categorize. Distribute categories among your team dedicated to dealing with specific issues
2. Listening — two types of conversations take place, noise, and real discussions. Focus on real conversations and categorize them into to categories: active, and warning signs.
3. Responding — respond promptly in a well-mannered fashion. Directly tackle the issue and find solutions. Use this as a PR opportunity to drive your brand.
4. Amplifying — compensate unsatisfied customers with complimentary gift certificates, free services, and discounts. In doing so, capture their experience and let others know about it.

It is instrumental that your employees are trained, and you have the right tools. Like any other reputation management strategy, it requires diligence, awareness, and responsiveness. There are many opportunities to win the hearts and minds of existing and potential customers online.

Some tools to help you manage your online reputation:

1. Google Alert — think of this as google working around the clock for you to find information related to your brand as it happens.
2. Naymz — tool that helps track and manage your social influence, which correlated to your online reputation
3. Yext — helps manage your online listings on location and review sites (such as Yellow Pages or Yelp) to ensure accurate information
4. Hootsuite — a social media management tool that enables you to manage your social media networks in one place.
5. Complaint Search Box —a tool that does a specialized Google search on over 40 complaint websites

Here are some really good medium articles about online reputation management:

1. Why The Online Reputation Management Industry is Changing — And Where it Needs To Go by Patrick Ambron
2. How to Remove Negative Search Results from Google — or Push Down Negative search Results Effectively by Azib Yaqoob
3. Online Reputation Management — Change the way world sees you online by Rehman Siddiq

AND here is one Medium publication I like and suggest you follow:

1. Online Reputation Management (ORM): Internet Reputation Repair Blog

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