Do you know about what people say about you all over the Internet? What is your online reputation?
As you probably know, reputation is everything, and in the past couple of years, there has been a surge of websites that allow customers and just about anybody to post reviews about any business. They rate them with star systems or various types of scores. Your online image is NOT just your business website. There is much more to it. Google says this:
“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
In a nutshell, your online reputation is made up of everything about your business that exists online. The range of materials that could potentially impact your business’ online reputation is broader than you might realize at first. Here are just some components of your online image:
1. Comments made about your business on social media such as Twitter or Facebook
2. Images about your business online
3. Videos about your business (Good or Bad) on YouTube and elsewhere
4. Posts and articles published online about your business
5. Geo-location information broadcast through services like Foursquare or Facebook Places
6. Comments that others make about you in social media or in blog posts
7. Images of your business that others publish on social media
Now throw in the mobile internet and smart phones, where people can read and write reviews from anywhere. You can see how a bad review about your business will hit harder and spread faster than ever before. So be proactive about protecting your online reputation. Your business reputation means everything online.
