Just about anybody who values their reputation and cares about their good name will benefit from proper Online Reputation Management (ORM). Whether you’re a private individual or concerned about how public perception of your company is affecting your bottom line, it’s never too early to start taking proactive steps towards controlling what people read about you online.
If you think sticking to the straight and narrow in real life will guarantee your good name online, think again. The relative anonymity provided by the Internet allows practically anyone to say whatever they like about you. Customer complaint sites might have started out with good intentions but the fact that anyone can post grievances without identifying themselves makes it a very useful tool for anyone to fabricate negative or misleading information about you.
You also have to consider the impact of rumors and misinformation to your business. In September 2008, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began a “preliminary inquiry” into how an outdated United Airlines bankruptcy story that appeared in South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Web site mistakenly reappeared six years later online resulting in a $1 billion run on the airline’s market value.
Your online reputation can also take a pummeling when confidential information finds its way to public sites. Company e-mails can be sent to the wrong parties or deliberately leaked. Instant messages can be published and used out of context to portray individuals and organizations in a bad light. Current and former employees can also be very careless about what information they share with friends and family on social networking sites. Online Reputation Management can help you monitor what’s being said about you and your company online.
Take a look at what pops up on Google when you search for your name. You might not like what you find. If you don’t have any measure of control over the first few pages of the search engine results page (SERP), then it is entirely possible for negative information to appear on those pages.
When a potential customer looks up your name online and comes across bad publicity, they’re under no obligation to dig deeper and get your side of the story. It is much simpler to look elsewhere and give someone else their business.
Companies and celebrities aren’t the only ones who need Online Reputation Management. Increasingly, private individuals also need to watch out for what’s being said about them online. When relationships sour, the Internet becomes the preferred venue to rant and get revenge for real or imagined grievances. Online Reputation Management can help people regain some of the dignity and respect that a smear campaign can inflict.
If you want to maintain the integrity of your online reputation, please feel free to contact us at 1(866)963-2585 or send an email to info@reputec.com for a free consultation. Your good name is our business.