People tend to think that your digital reputation is all about your online reviews, but it’s much broader than that. Did you know that how you use your Social Media can influence how Google scores your reputation online?
Why you should manage your online reputation
Brand reputations take years to build, and can be tarnished in seconds if you are not on top of the conversation with both your advocates and detractors, particularly on Social Media.
Here are some of the reasons why you should invest time in managing your Digital Reputation :
1. You are in control of the story
Social Media is a great tool for telling your Brand Story – you can talk about your values and causes, celebrate recent successes or demonstrate why you are an employer of choice – all of these demonstrate that your business has heart and personality.
2. Builds credibility and trust
Of course, your reviews form an important part of your digital reputation. Did you know that reviews captured in Google Business Profile are readable by Google and count towards your search ranking relevancy as well? Well managed and well placed reviews allow customers to see what you do well, and how you recover situations when something does go wrong.
3. Higher revenues
It goes without saying that the higher you rank in Google for the things that you do well, the more traffic you will get to your website. Considering Content Marketing for Search Engine Optimisation to be part of your Digital Reputation management.
How to manage your Digital Reputation
1. Google your Business
How frequently do you google yourself?
You should do this once a month to check out where you rank versus your competitors, and whether the most appropriate information is appearing in searches for products or services like yours.
If you aren’t happy, check the metadata on your site – are there missing or duplicate page titles or descriptions? Do they include your keywords? Are they the right length?
If your metadata is looking good, it’s time to get blogging – Google sees blog material as fresh new content. We explain how to write a great blog here.
2. Set up a Google alert
When you set up a Google alert, it notifies you when your business name is being used, or activities are linked to your company.
3. Never post in anger
It’s easy to put your frustration out there, but it’s not that easy to take it down again. Always stop and think about whether what you are saying is appropriate. Don’t competitor bash, or make comments which can be taken personally – they will haunt you.
4. Be mindful about who you follow and what you comment on
Google connects your activity cross platform – follow people you admire, join groups which host thought leaders in your industry, comment on and share great content.
5. Don’t post and forget
You are looking for engagement when you post – think of it as a conversation starter. Comment on people who you admire’s posts, compliment people on a great blog, and maybe ask them to guest blog for you – many people will return the compliment. Also, don’t forget to look at the reporting for each platform – there are many interesting insights to be found there!
6. Manage your reviews
Whether you use Feefo, Trustpilot or Google Business Profile, ask your customers for reviews as a matter of habit. “Third party content” (content written by someone else which appears on or is linked to your site) is a highly valued trust indicator by Google. None of us gets 5 stars every time (in fact people are often suspicious when they see this), so a speedy recovery when a problem occurs adds to, rather than detracts from, your reputation.
Summary
Digital Reputation Management is critical activity in protecting your brand in today’s fast moving online world. Not only the praise and affirmation you receive, but also the steps you take to recover a situation when something goes wrong can really impact the way people trust you online.
If you’d like a chat about managing your digital reputation, please just contact us – we’d be happy to help.
