Build Positive Web Presence

Caroline Melberg
President and CEO Small Business Mavericks
www.smallbusinessmavericks.com

Anyone can go online and anonymously post something about you or your company on one or more forums, blogs, or user-generated Web sites. A single comment can do more damage to your business than you can do yourself through poor customer service.

Consider these two real-life examples: A construction contractor fires an employee who retaliates by posting negative comments on a popular forum online. The comments appear in the results of an online search above the company's Web site. In another instance, a small business owner, who is also involved in charitable work, comes under attack from a blogger and former customer. Both the charity and the business owner are criticized.

Offline, such comments could be considered slander, but online they can be made anonymously and can influence potential customers to stay away from your business. Once the damage is done, it is hard to reverse.

The good news is that you can manage your online reputation with an online marketing strategy that is inexpensive and fast. You can do it yourself, or you can hire an Internet marketing consultant. Either way, online reputation management is an absolute must for every small business owner, even if you do not have a Web site or do business online. Here are a few strategies:

• Sign up for a Google alert. Use your own name, your company name, and your Web site URL as keywords. This way you know what the people are saying about you and when, and you can head off repercussions from erroneous or negative comments before they get too entrenched in the search engine databases.
• Start a company Web site if you don't have one already. Try to have your personal and/or company name as part of the domain name. Include links to highly respected Web sites in your industry.
• Proactively build your online presence. Start your own blog and post daily. Post on other blogs and forums related to your business. Distribute company press releases online. Consider "article marketing," the act of publishing guides and tips showing your business expertise and encourage others to take advantage of your knowledge. Create profiles at popular social networking sites such as LinkedIn or MySpace and participate in community discussions. Bookmark online content at popular social bookmarking sites such as Digg and Del.icio.us and bookmark others' contributions.
   

Online marketing strategies are an extension of traditional marketing. The essence of online reputation management is to ensure that positive reflections of your business appear in as many places as possible online, as often as possible. To learn more about online reputation management, talk to an Internet marketing consultant.