If you have an online business it’s CRITICAL that you know what is being posted about you online as soon as the information is posted. This includes info posted on blogs, News articles, forums and even social networking sites.
You want to know if someone posted something positive about you so that you can respond in like to start creating a relationship with the individual or organization that made the post. These relationships can yield great results as you continue to build your brand.
Likewise, if there was a negative post about you online, you should know about it and respond appropriately to minimize the impact.
You should also track what your competitors are saying and what is being said about them so that you can react as needed to this type of competative news.
The process of monitoring, tracking, and responding to information that affects your brand is called Brand Management or sometimes Reputation Management.
Cool Mojito – Social Media Marketing. More Likes, More Leads, More Sales
rSitez – Create your own Social Networking Website
You can use Google Alert (http://www.google.com/alerts) to monitor and track your online brand. It takes only a minute to configure this and it’s free.
You can enter any search keywords that affects your business and ask google to monitor it. This could include your business name, competitors business names, search keywords or other items of interest. Google will monitor these keywords in news, blogs, videos and discussions and send you an email each time it finds newly posted content regarding this.
Example: If the Washington Post include your business name in a new article online, Google would send you an email with the link of the article without you having to search for it. You will be able to click on the article, read it, and post relevant comments. This enhances your online presence, creates backlinks for Search Engine Optimization, and helps with your ongoing effort to create a solid online brand.
You can configure these email notifications to be received as the news happens, daily, or weekly – depending on your preference.
Once you have turned this feature on you will be able to keep track on your online reputation for your business and continue to build a lasting and powerful online brand.
About the author
Rohan Hall is the Founder/CEO of rSitez, Inc. (www.rsitez.com), a technology firm that helps entrepreneurs create custom, revenue-based social networking sites. He is the author of Stop Working, a book that teaches entrepreneurs how to use technology, globalization, and networks to build a global business. He has developed technologies for a wide range of entrepreneurs and Fortune500 clients including HP, Corning, Oracle, Honda and various others.