Importance Of Your Presence

The flow of information has been forever changed by the dawn of blogs, discussion forums and user-generated media. People talk about several of things online from brands, people, places, events; even the newest Nike shoes can be discussed! All a person needs is a computer or a cell phone and they can start posting information, their comments and reviews about you and your product. These things can be seen on the internet were a lot of people can see it.

Like what I have said before building a website is just the tip of the ice berg. As an online entrepreneur you have to do more in order to bring people to your website. In today's online social media world, all types of businesses big and small must actively participate in online reputation management.

Reputation is built on providing excellent products, provide excellent customer service and honor all your commitments. Everything I have mentioned is a very great way of building your reputation. Here are some other ways that you can build your company’s reputation:

- Sign-up for alerts (news). Google allows its users to put-up customized searches on Google News. You can customize it in a way that you can search for any phrase such as your name. When you subscribe to this system using RSS or e-mail, you will receive alerts each time your search phrase shows up in the news. Sites like boardreader.com and forumfinder.com will help you keep track of the conversations going on within bulletin boards and forums.

- Use social media. The good always comes with the bad as they say; this is so true for comments about your products. There would always be good comments and bad comments about it; this is something that cannot be avoided. More positive comments are the best way to deal with your negative comments. You have to make sure that you have more positive content showing up for searches of your name or company. You can do this by adding a blog that is constantly updated with pertinent information; create a well-written LinkedIn or Facebook profile, etc. Submitting valuable articles to blog directories can also assure you that you get a lot of positive content pointing towards your business.

- Be a host. Start your own blog, and invite your customers to leave their comments. Through this you will be able to monitor any issues customers might have about your product. Your blog is also a great way of providing information to visitors and customers alike.

Communication is an art and the goal is to reach out to the audience and make a connection in some way with them. It is about being a believable person who is trustworthy and friendly. You have to empathize with people and understand what they are looking for.