Secrets Of Internet Branding

By: Mike McCoy

If your internet presence is all you have to show for your business--meaning you don't have a brick and mortar presence in the world, it's up to you to make sure your internet reputation is ready and able to withstand all kinds of assault.

If you don't own who you are online, someone else (and usually someone who's not very nice) will.

Here are some ways to stay on top of your Internet Brand sooner rather than later:

1) Sign up for alerts with your name and company name. Yahoo and Google will let you choose the keywords you want to follow and then send you an email alert anytime those phrases get indexed on the web. This is a great way to stay on top of what other people are saying about you without spending copious amounts of time doing search engine reconnaissance.

2) If a problem arises, handle it quickly and personally. Don't give a wound time to fester because bad news tends to spread quicker and more virally than good news. And some people may never get around to hearing that problem was resolved, and thus, will still harbor a bad image of you in their minds.

3) Create your own forum or discussion board on your website. This will give customers a place where they can discuss your product, ask you questions and get quick answers. In addition, if something goes wrong, you'll be the first to know, since the issue will be in your own backyard.

4) Keep your promises. If part of your platform for selling your product is excellent tech support or a no questions asked return policy, then stick to it. Nothing makes potential customers more squeamish than a business owner who is trying to weasel out of the original terms of service.

People who really want to buy your product might not be turned off to hear that it didn't work from someone else who returned it and got their money back, but they will be less likely to give you a try if you are engaged in a battle over whether or not a disgruntled customer can get their money back in a timely manner.

Above all, don't take yourself too seriously. For some people, the process of keeping track of what is said about them online can turn into a tiresome and never ending game of cloak and dagger.
Sure, people will say mean things about you online. But if you develop a reputation for keeping your cool and responding with dignity and respect, customers (even customers who returned your product) will gain respect for you, while attention-seeking bullies will get tired of messing with you and most likely move on to find someone else to attack.