In the age of the internet, companies face various social media challenges with one of them being Online Reputation Management. As a bigger proportion of an individual’s life get lived online, he/she may discover the major downsides of over sharing on the social media as well as the lack of control over how the internet represents him/her. These could be either a picture on Facebook they posted, or one that someone else has shared or tagged them in; a negative comment or review, or something else. At the same time, the opportunities presented by a person’s digital reputation can be immense, and not taking advantage of those opportunities might mean missing out on a lot.
In today’s pull or inbound economy, employers, people and customers find you because of the internet and most life transactions start with a search. 78% of U.S. adults believe it is very important to look up info about people and/or businesses online before deciding to interact or do business with them.
Online reputation management is important for the individual as well as for the organization. On an individual level it affects in various personal and social spheres, but more importantly the effects are evident when seeking employment opportunities. According to the Handbook of Social Media Interactive Marketing, 70% of Human Resource recruiters in the United States have rejected a candidate based solely upon information found online.
On an organizational level, online reputation management is relevant to either the employees as well as the organization itself especially the way a company handles a social crisis. The way BP handled the Gulf oil spill crisis is an example on how an organization can use online reputation management to its advantage while trying to salvage a situation. Employees, especially the ones at senior levels can quite often be representative of the company or brand. Their online reputation can be reflective of the organization, the quality and quantity of press coverage, and sometimes even stock prices.
Things to do to help with your online reputation-
There are several steps an individual as well as an organization can take to support their online reputation. Being thoughtful and exercising good judgment are always good places to start. One should be active on social media sites, but the permanency of anything posted online should never be ignored. Also, setting up a google alert can be a good option to keep a tab on what is going on in the virtual