In the past four years, we have spoken to hundreds of companies and individuals and
we have distilled the advice that we gave them into ten easy to follow steps.
1. Evaluate the damage. Remember that the very nature of the Internet makes it
easy for one person to damage the reputation of another. Anybody can start a
blog, or contribute to a website that invites reviews and criticisms. Most people
don’t misuse the great communications potential of the Internet. But some do and
there is nothing you can do about it. So if you are on a special interest website
and you have a difference of opinion with another individual, there is a small
chance that this individual will “get back” at you by posting a strong negative
opinion or even an outright lie. Is the damaging statement on Google or Yahoo?
Or is it confined to another website with a limited audience? Is the negative
statement easy to find or is it only available to serious researchers? Will the
damaging statements hurt your business or career or merely your ego? Before
taking any action, take the time to fully evaluate the damage to your reputation.
2. Be analytical. Take the time to find all the search terms – and all the search
engines-that are turning up negative results. Make a list of each negative
search result. Go over your list and evaluate and list each entry. Ask yourself
whether the bad publicity is based on something that you did or whether it is a
completely false accusation. Do the search results qualify as defamation? Libel?
Can you prove they aren’t true?
3. Consider legal help. If you absolutely certain that you are being slandered or
defamed and can prove your case, you may want to consult a lawyer. If you
choose this option do so carefully. Make sure that the attorney you choose is
experienced in the field of Internet reputation management. We have seen first
hand proof how legal action taken by an attorney who does not fully understand
the online world can actually make a bad situation worse.
4. Get Professional Help. The field of Internet reputation management is very new
and the skills involved can be complex. Unless you plan to become an expert in
public relations, search engine marketing, search engine optimization and pay
per click advertising, you will be well advised to seek the services of an
experienced reputation management consultant.
5. Understand what is possible. Internet Reputation Management is labor
intensive and involves the application of many specialized skills. There are
companies on the Internet that want you to believe that if you pay them a modest
monthly fee, your problem will be solved. The truth is that if your problem can be
solved easily, you can probably solve it yourself. For example, if you are the
victim of obvious slander, the offending information can often be removed with a
simple call or email. We have seen this happen many times. But, usually, if you
have a real problem, it is going to take a commitment of money and time to make
it go away. Some company’s say that they can “remove” or “destroy” your bad
publicity. The truth is that on the Internet, only the owner of content can remove
it. (Sometimes it takes a court order to make that happen.)
6. Understand the process: For the most part, the services that you buy from a
reputation management consultant involve “moving” a negative search result
down the rankings where it will be less seen and replacing it with content that is
positive and beneficial to your business, persona, or career
7. Do a cost analysis. This is an important point. In our four years of experience
we have made a startling observation: Victims of Internet defamation who are
truly innocent don’t want to pay to regain their reputation! The more outrageous
the allegations, the less they are willing to pay. Emotionally, we understand this
feeling. It makes perfect sense that if you are damaged you want to be made
whole. The problem is this attitude does not make business sense. If you are
unjustly defamed and it is costing you money your concern should be correcting
the problem first. If you know your attacker, and they have assets, you may be
able to sue later on, but refusing to pay because you think it is unfair is just
cutting off your nose to spite your face. Reputation management is a business
expense and within a few years more and more businesses will be including
these services in their marketing budgets.
8. Don’t be impatient. Depending on the nature of the negative results you are
attempting to move, it can take a long time to get the results pushed down to an
acceptable level. It is not unusual for reputation management projects to last 6
months to a year and even longer. An important point for larger enterprises:
Make sure that once you begin a reputation management campaign that you
advise your public relations, marketing, advertising and investor relations
departments to make sure that different parts of your company are not working at
cross purposes.
9. Leverage the Benefits: Negative publicity is most likely the reason to begin
using reputation management services. But there is also a silver lining. As
negative results and pushed down, you have the power to create and promote
content that will help your business or career. Truth to tell, even if your company
does not have a problem with negative publicity, using reputation management
techniques to build an online image can do wonders to improve your image and
your rate of conversions.
10. Be persistent. Having a great online reputation is a moving target. If your
Internet reputation is important, you should have it on radar screen and you
should be budgeting regularly to continue promoting a positive reputation. At the
very least, you should be Googling your name or your company name at least
quarterly to assure that you are making an overall positive impression online.
Remember, your Internet Reputation is a valuable asset, and it is up to you to manage it
carefully.
For more specific information on reputation management
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