Reputation is Everything

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. (Abraham Lincoln)

In today’s world, what people read about you on the Internet can be critical to the success of your business. Your online reputation is a core asset of your business – and all too easily tarnished. To protect your asset I recommend monitoring and maintaining your precious personal and business reputation or getting an expert to guide you and manage it for you.

For some reason, the bad stuff floats to the top of Google extraordinarily fast. Our current theory at Mad Scientist Digital is that it’s because our human yearning to know ‘the latest gossip’ feeds the machine.

As Internet usage explodes, your business has a whole new set of opportunities – and associated risks. Your reputation extends beyond your customers and suppliers into cyberspace.

It’s important to take good care of your online reputation by:

• Creating powerful online profiles
• Monitoring online reviews
• Developing strategies to manage online reviews and commentary

Online reputation management for your business is crucial. Your online image is NOT just your business website. There is much more to it. Google has this to say:

“Your online identity is determined not only by what you post, but also by what others post about you — whether a mention in a blog post, a photo tag or a reply to a public status update,” -Google

What Exactly Is Your Online Reputation?

In a nutshell, your online reputation is made up of everything about your business that exists online. The types of materials that could potentially impact your business’ online reputation are broader than you might realise. Below are just some components of your online image:

• Negative comments made about your business on social media such as Twitter or Facebook
• Images about your business online
• Videos about your business (Good or Bad) on YouTube and elsewhere
• Any type of posts and articles published online about your business
• Your geo-location information broadcast through services like Foursquare
• Negative comments that others make about you in blog posts or review sites
• Any images of your business that others publish on social media

Even what people say in an email or through instant messaging could potentially be copied and made public. If you’re beginning to feel like virtually anything that others do on the Internet could become part of your business’ online reputation, good, you’re starting to get the picture.

Throw in the mobile internet and smart phones. Now people can read and write reviews from anywhere. A bad review about your business will hit harder and spread faster than ever before.

Why Online Reputation Should Matter to Your Local Business

Many local businesses have found themselves in the unenviable position of being falsely accused, lied about, slandered and maliciously attacked online. It is a growing problem. The cost is staggering, immediate and long term.

Some common internet search facts you should be aware of:

• 95% of Internet users do not search past the first page of search engine results.
• 80% of Internet users research a product on the Internet before purchasing.
• 72% of those that research will not buy if there’s a negative comment

In light of the Facts Online Reputation Management Is Essential

Online Reputation management is a necessity these days. Everyone has mobile phones that are Internet capable and check reviews before spending their money. That’s where Reputation Management specialists come in. They help you protect and if needed, repair your online reputation, maintain a strong online presence and get more positive reviews. As Benjamin Franklin once said:

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it”

He knew a thing or two about business.

If your online reputation is important to you, and you would like to build a positive reputation online, get some advice from a professional. Some of the best experts in the field understand how search engines work positively and negatively, so I’d be looking for an SEO person that really cares about more than just what your business does, but why your business exists.

ORM as Alchemy

At Mad Scientist Digital, we compare effective digital marketing to chemistry. It’s complicated, but there are principles and processes that make a real difference.

Online reputation management is more like alchemy – mysterious, uncertain and unpredictable. We can’t always guarantee to make things ‘better’ – but we can help make them ‘less worse’.

What’s so difficult? A whole range of things – here are just a couple of examples:

• Bad press on the major news sites is extremely difficult to dislodge.
• One Google algorithm change can undo weeks of concentrated effort.

This degree of difficulty also means that we always bill ORM on a time and materials basis.

For some people and organisations with a lot at stake, active online reputation management is worth the investment.  If that sounds like you, this is what we can guarantee:

• To explore every legitimate channel for removing incorrect reports.
• To help you negotiate effectively with the majors about false and misleading information.
• To develop strategies to give the online world a more balanced view of who you are and what you do.
• To persist, persist, persist and persist.

Watch out for experts that create unrealistic expectations and guarantees. Make sure they are transparent about their costs and the activities they will be performing - but most of all that they align with your values and care about why your business exists, not just what it does.

Ian Hopkinson is the original “mad scientist” – a digital creative who is passionate about the online market place and its potential to enable businesses to compete on a global stage. He is the Founder & Head of Results at Mad Scientist Digital.