Reputation management is the understanding or influencing of an individual’s or business’s reputation. It was originally coined as a public relations term, but advancement in computing, the internet and social media made it primarily an issue of search results. We will here discuss How social media can help in online reputation management?
Social media optimization is becoming an increasingly important factor in search engine optimization, as search engines are increasingly utilizing the recommendations of users of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to rank pages in the search engine result pages. The implication is that when a webpage is shared or “liked” by a user on a social network, it counts as a “vote” for that webpage’s quality. Thus, search engines can use such votes accordingly to properly rank websites in search engine results pages. Furthermore, since it is more difficult to tip the scales or influence the search engines in this way, search engines are putting more stock into social search. This, coupled with increasingly personalized search based on interests and location, has significantly increased the importance of a social media presence in search engine optimization. Due to personalized search results, location-based social media presences on websites such as Yelp, Google Places, Foursquare, and Yahoo! Local have grown increasingly important. Rob Reed, founder of location-based marketing platform MomentFeed, has stated that, moving into 2013, local optimization on social platforms is now a “strategic imperative” rather than a “luxury”.
In the ever-evolving landscape of public relations, the advent of social media and online reputation management has significantly impacted the nature of public relations jobs. Professionals in this field are now required to be well-versed in leveraging social media platforms for brand reputation management. The demand for individuals who can navigate the intricacies of social media optimization (SMO) and incorporate it into comprehensive public relations strategies has surged. Public relations jobs today often require expertise in monitoring online conversations, implementing corrective actions on social platforms, and utilizing social media to establish and enhance the positive image of individuals or organizations. As the lines between public relations and online reputation management blur, the ability to harness the power of social media becomes a valuable skill set for those seeking success in the dynamic field of public relations.
Social media optimization is in many ways connected to the technique of viral marketing or viral seeding where word of mouth is created through the use of networking in social bookmarking, video and photo sharing websites. An effective SMO campaign can harness the power of viral marketing; for example, 80% of activity on Pinterest is generated through “repinning.” Furthermore, by following social trends and utilizing alternative social networks, websites can retain existing followers while also attracting new ones. This allows businesses to build an online following and presence, all linking back to the company’s website for increased traffic. For example, with an effective social bookmarking campaign, not only can website traffic be increased, but a site’s rankings can also be increased. In a similar way, the engagement with blogs creates a similar result by sharing content through the use of RSS in the blogosphere and special blog search engines.
Social media optimization is considered an integral part of an online reputation management (ORM) or search engine reputation management (SERM) strategy for organizations or individuals who care about their online presence
While social media optimization is related to search engine marketing, it differs in several ways. Primarily, SMO focuses on driving traffic from sources other than search engines, though improved search ranking is also a benefit of successful social media optimization.
Social media has emerged as an important tool in online reputation management. With its popularity, it has the potential to reach innumerable people, making it the perfect vehicle for brand reputation management. If handled well with regular updating, there can be no better tool for this purpose.
Online Presence: Registering with a social site, such as Facebook or Google+ automatically ensures an online presence. You can get your own page without any extra cost and with very little effort. Unlike building up your own blog or website, a page on a social media does not require any expertise and can be done in a matter of minutes. You can also add followers and friends quite easily. This makes it ideal for search engine reputation management as well.
Interaction: Social sites, by their very nature, are highly interactive. With millions of people logging onto them every day, they are without doubt the most active spaces on the web. Effective corporate reputation management involves regular updating and interaction with others. Keep updating your status, post photos and videos. You can also use it for search engine reputation management by linking it with other profiles, post link from relevant pages and share other interesting snippets from other sites.
Establishing Expertise: Another way of using social media for manipulating your online reputation is by establishing your expertise. By regularly updating on important industry or trade related matters, you can establish a brand or personal reputation of expertise. You can also register in professional social media like LinkedIn. You can also join relevant groups. These ensure visibility among a much targeted consumer group as well as establishing your personal reputation among your peers.
Corrective Action: Not just in ensuring your visibility, social sites are also proactive in alerting and tracking their member’s reputations. You can utilize online reputation management tools on social sites that track and alert you on many aspects like your employee’s name, brand’s name on these sites. On Twitter, for instance, you can use Twitter Search to look out for particular keywords. It comes with advanced features that give you answers that are more detailed. You can also go for independent tools like Social Mention that sends you email alerts on the mention of any particular keyword on social sites.
In today’s world, Social Media is an indispensable tool when it comes to online reputation management. They ensure an online presence, help you interact and establish your expertise. By keeping a track of your brand, they also alert you in time to take corrective action.