How you’re perceived online carries the same weight as your reputation in real life. If anything, the former is a highly valuable currency in the current age of technology. 

According to the Pew Research Center, 91% of people tend to believe what they gather from search engine results. The Edelman Trust Barometer also found that 65% of people believe these results more than any other source.

Enter online reputation management. As the name suggests, it’s the process of monitoring and influencing the narrative of how people see your brand. Your goal is to find the balance between positive and negative feedback. 

Online reputation management is necessary for companies as it can impact a person’s buying decisions. Recent surveys found that 60% of consumers would avoid purchasing from a brand that may appear “untrustworthy.”

Having a reputable image online isn’t only applicable to distinguished public figures. A random Twitter user lost her NASA internship after posting a profanity-laced tweet. 

According to the story posted by Norton’s Reputation Defender, the post got the attention of former NASA engineer Homer Hickam, who is also on the National Space Council. The person apologized, but it isn’t clear if NASA reinstated her internship.

Proactive participation is one way to achieve a stellar online reputation. As digital marketing expert Tripp Donnelly wrote in an article for Forbes, lurking on social media platforms is no longer a smart move. 

“Participation means more than just having a profile,” Donnelly stated, adding that analyzing online interactions can also help understand the audience for more effective communication.

Many make the mistake of prioritizing self-promotion whenever they are online. It makes them seem unnatural, which can turn off their audience. People gravitate toward a genuine human connection, and excessive self-glorification takes that away. 

As Donnelly notes, constant positive engagement leads to more meaningful relationships, albeit digital ones. It can also significantly improve one’s presence on social media and search engines.

We’d like to hear your thoughts, dear readers. What do you attribute these head-scratching posts to? Are people just that misinformed? Let us know in the comment boxes below!