Written by: Meghan Hubert
Seven seconds – that’s the amount of time it takes for someone to form a first impression. Consider how initial impressions play out in the digital cosmos. Online identities exist on many evolving online platforms. Your digital footprint is a powerful tool to gain critical opportunities, to enhance your professional presence, and to drive business sales.
It takes just seven seconds to craft your online reputation. Are you taking full advantage of social media, SEO, and online platforms?
Here are five misconceptions and clarifications about online reputation management:
You don’t need to worry about your online reputation until it is damaged.
It’s not all about repairing the negative; at the core, reputation is about branding — cultivating a positive, distinguishable, and dynamic digital identity.
You can control your own online reputation.
A challenging battle between intention and reception erupts when it comes to online identities. Feedback from social media users becomes central to the way your brand is perceived. In this sense, you need to acknowledge that other people contribute to your reputation. The intention of your post may be lost and misconstrued; and it is important to monitor that feedback and react strategically.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not important when it comes to your reputation
Without SEO you risk the possibility of having negative comments and remarks about your company make their way to the top of the search results. With regular SEO work, positive content can become superior, pushing adverse and irrelevant content to the bottom of the search results.
Your employees can’t hurt your company’s online reputation.
Establishing and maintaining your company’s online reputation extends to employees. In fact, relying on your employees to absorb and fortify your company’s online reputation should be expected. If you don’t believe us, just check out Glassdoor.com!
Your online presence does not affect your offline presence.
This misconception could not be further from the truth. Consistent interactions on social networks are vital to any business growth. The contemporary culture of the professional world is dominated by connections and interactions, maintained both online and offline.
Qnary’s CEO Bant Breen discusses how social media plays a major role in shaping our online and offline identities here .
Remember: You have seven seconds to make an impression – make it positive, make it bold, and make it cohesive.