Proactive Versus Reactive Internet Reputation Management

By Author: Anthony Cruzin
Total Articles: 7
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It is difficult to overstate the importance of online/Internet reputation management. Even with the increase in online trade, people are still skeptical about trading on the Internet and no one will deal with you if you have a bad reputation.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of online/Internet reputation management. Even with the increase in online trade, people are still skeptical about trading on the Internet and no one will deal with you if you have a bad reputation.

Internet reputation management includes taking preventative measures. This is called proactive reputation management. It is important given that it takes time, effort, and money to improve your reputation once it is damaged. You could proactively offer free products or services to prominent reviewers and with the aim of enticing them to write positive reviews. You could also proactively respond to public criticism that stem from recent changes. Another option is becoming a guest blogger in a relevant blog. You could also try to get mentions in 3rd party sites that have a high Google ranking. It also includes social media management, social ...
... engine optimization and monitoring, and article submission.

The other option is reactive Internet reputation management. As the term suggests, reactive management involves doing damage control. Reactive reputation management is a must once your online reputation has taken a hit. Reactive management is indeed recommended for businesses that have existing complaints online. It involves astroturfing 3rd party review site, censoring negative customer testimonials, legal take-down request submissions, online press release submissions, and publishing positive content to push negative content further down SERPs, among other strategies.

Proactive online reputation management is different from reactive management in that it is an ongoing process. With reactive management, once your reputation is where it was or where you want it to be, the process is done. It relies upon such tactics as providing a forum for meaningful interaction with customers/clients and building a strong follower base.

You should do proactive Internet reputation management throughout as this might help you avoid needing reactive reputation management in the first place. Keep in mind that reactive management is much more expensive and it might even be impossible to take the brand or the business back where it was once the damage has been done.

The truth is that the media and people focus on negative stories and you should, therefore, take action as soon as you reputation starts taking a hit. There is always a risk of a small crisis blowing up by going viral on social media. It is important that you have a reactive online reputation management plan on hand because the smallest thing such as a customer complaining a product can cause irreparable damage in a matter of hours. There are many examples of this in the airline industry.

You should leave Internet reputation management to a professional because online repair does not happen overnight and doing it yourself could affect your business and even your social life. Proactive management needs to go on throughout the year and reactive management is labor intensive, meaning you need a professional for both. A professional will have the training, experience, and measuring, monitoring, and management tools necessary to do a good job. Click here for online reputation management.
Resource: http://e-reputationmanagement.com/reputation-management-online-manager-repair-services-personal-public-relations-changer/