Have you ever been able to locate the exact difference between a branded t-shirt and a non-branded one? The fabric, the fit, the prints are all the same. Then why does the branded counterpart cost more? Simply because it has the “brand tag”, this makes all the difference. Its greatest contribution to your business is the credibility it lends.
Creating this image is not an easy job. If you have an online business, try to gain a positive online reputation for it, only then can you see it getting transformed into more and more online traffic. Plan your brand identity since the very inception of your business which will not only make the process smoother but also effective. Prior planning not only attracts more traffic but also gives you a certain degree of immunity against attacks on reputation.
Here are a few steps that can help Online Reputation Management:
Get your own website: This is your first step towards positive online image. You may have a site for your business but you should also get one with your own name. This site is likely to come first in search results when someone searches you by your name. This site will be getting the maximum number of clicks and thus will prevent users from visiting other sites which may contain negative remarks about you.
Own related domains: This is like a step-ahead. Get some other domain for your own self or business. These sites often rank just below the main site. For instance:
- Customer support: mybusinesssupport.com or support.mybusiness.com
- Blog: myblogsuppoort.com or support.myblog.com
Be active in social media: Create strong social profiles on popular social networking sites and make sure they are always updated and active. It is always better to have 10 strong networks rather than 50 that are never used.
Multiple blogs: It is not necessary that your business or personal blog has to be your blog. Google+ authorship and Google Direct Connect are there at your service. Create multiple blogs with your name in the SEO title and link them to Google+ via Google authorship. You may also convince some of your employees to start individual blogs with the name of your company.
Guest Posts: This is a great Online Reputation Management tool. Write for sites that have author bio pages that allow you to create custom profiles. The more popular the site, more likely it is for your author bio page to feature in the search results.
Online business cards: There are various websites that allow you to get your personalized page containing your short bio as well as links to your blog, website or social network.
Respond to criticism constructively: Being present in social media and having multiple blogs make it easier to respond to critical comments. But, think twice before you type your comments and always keep a professional approach. Impulsive commenting can ruin your image instead of making it.
Now that you know the right ways of marketing your brand, start immediately to avoid unnecessary complications.
