Protecting Your Online Reputation

Reputations are important for anything in life. Some things can be erased but it’s very difficult on the Internet. The World Wide Web is like a fossil. Information can be entered but it takes a lot of work to remove it. Did you know when the average person wants to find out information about your company, they Google it? Google is the golden ticket of the Internet and if it raises a red flag on you, then you have lost dozens of customers. It’s quite simple to figure out if something bad is being said about you. There are actually various types of software that will scan the search engines to find that information for you. Positive publicity is something everyone wants to experience. Negative publicity makes you want to run far away from the Internet world. One good thing about the Internet is that problems can be resolved fairly quickly. It’s okay to reach out to that person who had a negative experience and try to settle their uneasiness. Of course, you should proceed with caution and common sense. Try and fix that problem because you really do not want those negative comments ruining your relationship with other customers. Deleting something off the Internet is fairly simple but you need to know the steps to do so. For example, most of us have a Facebook account, but this was before social media was so prevalent in society and business. Check out this article that teaches you how to delete your Facebook account forever. This article might come in handy when you decide to apply for a new job. Remember, people are always looking on the Internet for information on potential employees. (http://consumerist.com/2010/04/delete-your-facebook-account-forever.html) Here are two steps you can take to protect your online reputation.

Work with a company to improve your online reputation.

Perhaps you had a rough start with your company and a few negative experiences. You should still make every effort to make a positive reputation for yourself. Customers will see that you don’t care about them if you do not take the time to understand their concerns. There are dozens of online reputation companies that can help battle your fight against the Internet meanies. Now that you understand how important it is to protect your online reputation, it’s important to find a company to help you with this large task.

• Portent Interactive – is a Cheeky Monkey-approved partner that specializes in Internet Marketing
• Brick Marketing is an online company that specializes in protecting your online reputation.
• Targeted Local is another company that specializes in protecting you and your company from an Internet frenzy. (https://www.targetedlocal.com/wp/programs-pricing/online-reputation-management/).

These are just three business examples.

Proactively protect your online reputation.

It takes time to build a positive Internet image. You cannot just hop online one day and expect everyone to know who you are. Over time, customers will learn to trust you and the information you provide to them. Gone are the days when people believe what you say. Instead, you need to give your customers a reason for believing what you say. Those reasons are called actions and your customers want to see you walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

Monkey Tip of the Day

It’s common for someone to say something while they are upset; however, this is not a wise idea if you are intoxicated or just plain mad. This is especially true if you have a business because you will open a big can of worms. Saying the wrong thing when you are mad could lead to a huge mess that you do not want to clean up. Check out this article from Examiner.com that sums up what can happen when you are irresponsible with your Internet ramblings. (http://www.examiner.com/libertarian-in-fort-worth/watch-what-you-say-and-do-online-big-brother-is-watching). Protect your online reputation just like you do your real-life reputation. After all, you only get one chance to make it right.