When was the last time you Googled yourself? If it has been a while you may be surprised at what you find. If you find nothing harmful and nothing very exciting, you are still in trouble. Studies conducted have shown that more than 67% of the people you meet in a business or social setting will search your name online. Whether you are interacting with a potential mate or suitor, or just conducting a casual conversation at a Networking event for your company, someone is likely to explore your past and present on Google and other search engines like Bing or Yahoo.
When you let the online world dictate the terms of your online presence, you are losing out on an opportunity to craft a portrait of yourself in the most honest and flatting light. Personal Reputation Management is what we call this campaign for our clients. Our clients range from financial and banking professionals to musicians and actresses. Celebrities understand how crucial it is to be viewed in a flattering way in all walks of life, whether on the red carpet or on Google. For those who are not celebrities, the stakes are no less critical. Imagine you are a recently-divorced 45 year-old woman who has never properly taken care of her online profile.
When you meet potentially successful candidates for companionship, you need to assume they and their staff will research your past online in a very methodical way. This means their staff will examine all your photographs, employment history and of course, social media postings. Remember that wild night out with the girls? You may want to remove an embarrassing photo or post commemorating it!
Maintaining a Twitter account is not enough to impress anyone. What about removing any unwanted mis-steps from your past life? A good personal reputation management campaign will also suppress any un-wanted content (photos and texts) from results associated with your name. The cost of this service may vary according to the specifics of the case and many companies still have not begun to offer this unique type of digital public relations. Remember, the essence of an online profile is very different from media relations. Most traditional Public Relations firms simply do not have the staff and experience to address the digital component of a client’s profile.
A successful personal reputation campaign will include at a minimum, an array of press releases and profiles in respectable news publications.