How To: 10 Ways to Manage Your Online Reputation

Many people have written about this topic before. Have you ever typed a few words in the Google Search Box,  searching for certain How-to tutorials? Do you remember how many results that came up? Overwhelming, wasn’t it?  The problem is everybody, nowadays, positions themselves as experts.  Indeed, there a lot of noises. Where is the filter?

Often times, I am thinking about ways to distinct myself from the crowd and make my own voice truly unique. Turns out there aren’t many ways to do that.  The key word is “Trust.” Can you recall last time when you tried to sell something to someone?  What was their initial reaction? Based on my own experience, most people that I was selling to would feel cynical or distrustful about what I said. That is just human nature. Think about this carefully. Are you more inclined to take advice from a good friend or a total stranger? If we are friends, I would be more likely to check out the movie “District 9″ if you had recommended it.

This says a lot to the challenges facing contemporary marketers. As a matter of fact, there are very few “real” online marketers still existing today. Most “Marketers” are there to send out irrelevant messages. Even worse, they are just pure spammers! Write this down. Your reputation is your virtual currency in the Internet age. So here it comes: 10 ways you can manage your reputation using social media tools.

1. Tweet messages that are informative and educational.

Guess what kind of tweets are my favorite? Those with short links in them that teach me something.  It can be a “How-to” tutorial that teaches me about Photoshop or some breaking news, such as Facebook’s decision to acquire Friendfeed.  If you look at my Twitter timeline, chances are you will find more than 85% of my tweets contain links that offer a wealth of information.

2. Be real.

Do not hire people to tweet for you or automate your tweets. They are just bad manners in the Twitterverse that people repulse. Also try to answer all the questions and concerned addressed to you via “@” on Twitter. The more you answer them, the more it shows you are a caring person.

3. Make your tweets retweetable.

When you compose a message on Twitter, try to make it short and leave room for others to retweet. If your message gets retweeted, it means people find value in what you tweet and acknowledge your authority in the Twitterverse.

4. Start building your “Tribes”.

Facebook Fan Page is a great way to build a virtual community. Usually, the more fans you have in your group, the more authoritative you are. Of course, Facebook is not the only way to build “Tribes”. There are other platforms such as Google Friend Connect, Meetup Groups, or LinkedIn Groups.

5. Conduct offline meetings frequently.

Try to meet your fans offline as often as possible. It brings more opportunities to establish rapport between you and them. If you like to teach people, make more speeches. Because it is another way to convey your knowledge to the public and earn their respect in return.

6. Be consistent.

Consistency means many different things, such as writing, on average, one blog post a day, or tweeting 10-20 messages a day. The point of doing do is to show your followers that you are steady and mature in what you are doing.  There is no fluctuations.  It words well to assure your fans that the content you produce can benefit them in the long run.

7. Get more testimonials.

LinkedIn is a perfect place to earn your credibility points. For example, you can ask your acquaintances to recommend you. To learn more about LinkedIn, check out this article.  Also, if your website or blog has a “Testimonial” page, make sure you fill the areas with recommendations from a variety of sources, such as your clients, partners, or suppliers.

8. Only associate with good affiliate products.

Unless you have used the products yourself and satisfied with the results, don’t sell it to your loyal readers.  In spite of the short term profits, selling bad affiliate products is a surefire way ruin your reputation forever.

9. Do not fill your website with large chunks of ads.

There are many webmasters who are eager to monetize their sites. Often times, their blogs/websites are crowded with ads. This is very dangerous. If your site does not have a substantial amount of readers or subscribers, doing so can easily scare away your readers who come to your site looking for quality content.

10. Write your own books and publish your own products.

In order to position yourself as a knowledgeable resource for other people, you should publish your own information products. This is a great way to establish your reputation because now you are a legitimate author/online marketer.

How do you secure your online authority? Share your experience with us below.

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