A few weeks after starting my previous job, while having lunch at the village bar, I struck up a conversation with two lively locals. It was the first time we’d talked, and I didn’t know them or anything about them. Yet they had already heard about me. I had earned a “dubious” reputation. But,
What is reputation?
We could define reputation as the opinion people have of us. An opinion formed by what we do and say, but also by how others perceive and interpret our actions and words.
Today, the internet and social media are an important part of our lives, and what we do and say there plays a special role in shaping our online identity and reputation.
One of the first things any person or company should do before diving into eCommerce is research the reputation of the brand and/or the product or service they intend to sell.
Why should we manage our online reputation?
- Everything we post and say online stays there “forever”.
- Any information can be found by internet users.
- Depending on how credible a piece of information is online, the reputation of our brand and/or product can change substantially.
How should we manage our online reputation?
To manage our reputation properly, we need to distinguish between two aspects:
- Actual online reputation: everything that has been said in the media and on social networks about us or our company and/or product.
- Potential online reputation: people’s positive or negative perception of everything published about us online. It can turn into a new opinion.
By applying both a proactive and a reactive SEO strategy, we can manage our actual online reputation in most cases. Managing our potential online reputation, however, is our biggest threat, and overcoming it requires professionals with broad strategic and tactical knowledge.
Although I stand by my view that professionals are needed, I’d like to share…
What should you do about negative comments on social media?
When negative comments are unfounded.
- Say thank you
- Consider whether an apology is appropriate. Most of the time it is.
- Explain the problem.
- Don’t insist that the criticism is untrue.
- Explain it for everyone else (the rest of the world), because you won’t convince the person complaining.
When negative comments are justified.
- Say thank you
- Apologize with “You’re absolutely right”
- Explain the problem.
- Explain the steps taken to fix it.
- Explain how and when the problem was solved.
- Invite them to check the improvements or explanations given.
In case anyone’s wondering… my “dubious” reputation was simply for driving my little runabout “a bit” too fast along the country road I took to get to work.
In the end, with a change of attitude and a little willpower, I was able to swap my “race car driver” reputation for that of a “good driver”.
Can you change your online reputation?
