Friday, September 9, 2011

Managing Online Reputations with Social Media


As I have thought about this blog I have created a list of topics that I am going to be blogging about in the coming weeks. Thinking about how to continue to offer tips or advice to those that working on their own search optimization efforts I realized that I also need to include the trends in social media that are allowing individuals and businesses to gain a stronger web presence. Managing an online reputation is an important piece of the internet marketing puzzle.

After interviewing for a position as a corporate social media manager this morning I sat down to strategize my own approach building a solid reputation as someone who not only uses social media to move my professional profile forward, but also looking at what I can do to help businesses to grow. With link building offering permanent additions to the ranks of search optimized websites, the social portion of internet marketing focuses more on the branding and positive perspectives that a company or individual has online.

For everyone that is not doing anything about managing their online reputation the lack of interest in social network sites is hurting their business. Even with a moderate amount of posting on the networking sites a business or individual can keep a positive vibe circulating about themselves or their work. For myself, the management of a reputation is something that I committing to right now. Although I have been involved in online marketing in one form or another for the past three years I am only now seeing the significance of creating an online identity that can boost my professional interest as an expert content writer. Wanting to add more punch to my resume I am including a healthy dose of social media contacting to my online reputation. The end goal of course is to be at the top of the search engines when someone types in social media networking, online media marketing, or internet marketing consulting. Even though I am a freelance writer who specializes in blog and article content for the web I am expanding my horizons and working to improve my own standing as someone who understands and utilizes social media on a regular basis.

And I am not the only on doing that! Businesses across the internet are invested in the continued improvement of their online reputations. With the ability to post a review about a company in a consumer focused web forum businesses are required to scan the internet for negative press and do all that they can to replace the hurtful dialog with positively reinforced posts and reviews. Through online reviewing sites that allow people to post their feedback about the service and quality that they received from a business, the reputation of that company is established. In some cases the feedback may be perceived as negatively impacting the business which is why it is vital to the organization to ensure that if their name is attached to the results of a web search that comes up as shining the best light on the company. Regardless of whether they are a multinational corporation with tens of thousands of employees or a mom and pop small business that serves the local community the only way to keep a positive light on any business is to promote it positively in as many places as possible.

This is where social media content comes into play. Using the social media networks, consumer reviewing sites and even allowing customer reviews on their own website, businesses can work to continually manage their online reputation and achieve the ranking among the social networks as a company that has integrity and delivers quality to each person they serve. Although it is tempting to keep up on the various activities that taking place in the social networks throughout the day, I recommend keeping the work related posts focused on the business you are in and spending the after work hours connecting to friends and  family members online. With a strategy to promote the positive image of the company, the posts to the social media sites can improve any reputation and lead to more beneficial impact on the search engines that are tracking the reviews and posts entered online.
Until next time...

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