Tips for Good Online Reputation Management

Online Reputation Management, or ORM, is an essential part of running a successful business. This is because most consumers rely heavily on the internet to inform them of the quality of a business's products or services. Thus, your reputation online is, in a very real way, the image that most of your customers have of you. The challenge of ORM today is that social media sites and the ease with which user generated content (UGC) gets spread make it hard to regulate and counter what other people are saying about you. Here are some tips to effective ORM for your business.

1. Set up social media profiles This is Online Reputation Management 101. Setting up social media profiles of your business on sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter is a must if you want to spread your online influence and present your business the way that you want customers to see it. Include in every social media profile your company's history, management and employee bios, and any key information that you want search engines to pick up and display in their results page.

2. Engage with your community Setting up social media profiles is not enough, however. You have to actively participate in your industry's online community as well. Answer comments and update your website and profiles continuously. Encourage forum discussions and link to related pages. Being active online will give your customers a sense that there is a vibrant community around your business. In a practical sense, it will also increase your web presence so that search engines have an easier time fining you.

3. Write! Blog, blog, blog. And post compelling articles on industry-related sites and article databases like ezinearticles.com and articlealley.com. Insert your brand name at the end of this articles and keywords that relate to your products and services throughout the article. The more of a following you have with blog readers and online article readers, the more control over your businesses online image you will have.

4. Testimonials Encourage customers who visit your site or social profiles to leave testimonials if they've done business with you. Genuine, consumer testimonials are one of the most powerful tools for improving your online reputation. You can also link to sites like consumerreview.com and epinions.com, where people can leave a positive review of your business.

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About the Author

Ryan Frank is an avid blogger and writer living in San Diego, CA.