5 Small Business Reputation Management Strategies That Work (Guide)
10 MIN
When you transition from traditional employee to independent worker, your reputation and your brand go together. In the words of the esteemed Warren Buffett, “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”
We have witnessed reputation failures of high-profile politicians, sports stars, and other public figures. These failures erode trust and can have a significant impact on a person’s earning ability. Similarly, people with “good” reputations can get jobs and opportunities not afforded to others simply because of prevailing opinion.
GATE
As an independent professional, there’s no greater tool than your professional reputation. A good brand identity and online reputation makes people feel good about doing business with you. On the other hand, a poor online reputation can limit your opportunities and negatively impact your ability to succeed in your profession.
Why Reputation Is Important
Reputation matters. For the self-employed, this statement is more than just a suggestion; it’s a guiding principle that drives everything that you do. The stakes are even higher in the digital age when bad news not only travels fast and far but lingers longer than before.
Your reputation impacts the following:
- Credibility: Credibility allows one to stand on one’s own prior experience and back up promises with results. A credible individual will fulfill their words and promises with action. A lack of credibility will make it hard for prospective clients to trust you and may even jeopardize your current contracts.
- Referrals: A referral can be a key endorsement of your skills and abilities. The company or individual making the referral most often sees that referral as a reflection of his or her own reputation. On the other hand, a negative reputation will make it difficult for people to recommend you to their trusted network of peers, clients, and colleagues.
- Word of mouth: Today, word of your reputation can travel from one person to another or to millions of others thanks to the internet. While there are steps that you can take to mitigate the damage, the greater challenge is the words that you do not hear.
Your reputation is your brand
When you transition from being a traditional employee to independent worker, your reputation and your brand go hand in hand.
In the words of the esteemed Warren Buffett, “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” We have witnessed reputation failures of high-profile politicians, sports stars, and other public figures. These failures erode trust and can have a significant impact on a person’s earning ability. Similarly, people with “good” reputations can get jobs and opportunities not afforded to others simply because of prevailing opinion.
rep-u-ta-tion [rep-yuh-tey-shuh] noun: the estimation in which a person or thing is held, especially by the community or the public generally; repute: a person of good reputation.
What Is Reputation Management?
In the past decade, how people connect both personally and professionally has dramatically changed. External factors play a significant role in how we view someone’s reputation. Today, we turn to Google to do research before we meet someone face-to-face or in a virtual setting. This means that your first impression may happen without your direct participation. Even if you primarily do business offline, any discussion of reputation management inevitably includes online management strategies.
Your offline reputation is typically based on the relationships that you have developed with people, including family, friends, former clients, colleagues, and business acquaintances, among others. Your reputation is a result of who you have presented yourself to be through your words and actions. Those same people, however, may also have a role in framing your online reputation. For example, someone may tag you in a photo taken at an industry event. Or a client may post a comment on a review site or social media platform. Any encounter can land online and contribute to your overall reputation.
The 5 D’S of reputation management
Now that we know the value of reputation, it’s important to develop a reputation management strategy. Personal branding expert and author of Reputation 360, Lida Citroen, recommends using the Five D’s to manage reputation:
- Discover.
It’s critical to understand your current reputation. How are you perceived today? What does your brand stand for in the market? - Desire.
What kind of reputation do you want to create? It’s important to have a clear understanding of your ideal reputation so that you can design a strategy to bring about your desired results. - Define your target audience.
Citroen rightly emphasizes the importance of knowing and focusing on your target audience. This is the group of people who will buy your services, so you must ensure that your reputation is relevant and compelling to them. - Design.
Take an active role in designing your reputation. Create a strategy that includes your goals and benchmarks. Your strategy should also include channels to promote your brand reputation. - Deploy.
Once you have accomplished the previous steps, it’s time to deploy your strategy. Your brand strategy should be in full alignment: messaging, communications, image, and body language. Be consistent and true to your strategy in person and online.
Using available technology
Technology is a critical asset in assessing, managing, and promoting your reputation. If you use Google Chrome, sign out of your account and then do a search for your name. It’s wise to also search for common misspellings and variations. For example, if your name is James but some people call you Jim, search for both names online. Review the three to five pages of results to get a better idea of your online presence.
Take note of what you find—or just as importantly, what you don’t find. Not having a presence on the web can be interpreted as a lack of transparency or authority, or signal that you are not “up to date” with technology.
Actively manage your reputation with the latest tools andmonitor both positive and negative mentions with Google Alerts. Schedule an alert for your name and business name (including abbreviations and common misspellings), plus trademarks, copyrights, and employees. Google Alerts are free and can be delivered to your email inbox immediately, daily, or weekly, depending on your preference.
In addition to Google Alerts, you can use other tools such as:
- BrandWatch: Paid tool that monitors brand mentions and specific keywords across several social media platforms.
- BrandsEye: Paid brand management and monitoring tool.
- HowSociable: Free tool with premium options that monitors brand mentions across numerous online platforms.
Managing negative information
If your assessment turns up negative information, you can take steps to minimize the damage. Keep in mind that finding negative information on page 5 of your search results is less of a concern than information on page 1. The key to managing negative information is to balance it with positive feedback. Create positive links to your brand name by using profiles.
Create a profile on social networks relevant to your career. These sites include professional platforms like LinkedIn, but can also include social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter). These sites carry a high level of authority in search results and can push negative information further down in search results.
Be sure to choose a “handle” that matches your name and/or your brand’s name and create a comprehensive profile that aligns with your desired brand reputation. Each profile should include your name along with keywords of how people search for you. For example, “James ‘Jim’ Doe is an experienced management consultant who helps small- to medium-sized technology companies with organizational effectiveness.”
Publish or perish
You can also push down negative information by publishing. For example, create a blog on WordPress, use the “Pulse” feature on LinkedIn, or share content on your own website. This content provides an additional place to link to your online profiles, which creates a positive reputation loop.
In addition to your own blog, guest blogging on high-traffic websites is a great way to amplify your reputation. Review sites in your industry to see if they accept guest posts or articles. You want to seek out highly reputable platforms related to your specialty. New and engaging content is at a premium, so you will likely find many opportunities for you to share your knowledge on other sites. Being interviewed is another way to generate links that can enhance your positive reputation.
Ask to remove negative content
If there is a negative post online, you can contact the publisher and ask if they would remove it. This tactic typically works best if the information posted online is inaccurate. Be careful, though—some publishers will use your request to create even more negative press. If a negative mention is from a client or former client, address the underlying issue. Acknowledging the issue and working toward a positive resolution can go a long way. Also, if you find negative information that is illegal, abusive, or threatening. You can report it to the website’s hosting company.
Tip: It's important to not only claim your name on social media but to use these services, even if periodically.
A strong online management strategy is essential to maintaining a respected reputation, and it starts with your website. Read our blog, 5 Reasons Why Independent Consultants Need Their Own Websites, to learn more about why you should create your own website.
How to Promote Your Reputation
A key component of reputation management is promoting your desired reputation. You want to make sure that your good reputation is visible to your desired audience. Below are five tips to help you enhance your presence and build a positive reputation in your field.
1. Be amazing
One of the most effective ways to promote your brand is to walk the talk. Be genuinely passionate about what you deliver to your clients and make sure every detail reflects your commitment to excellence. There’s nothing more powerful than your own actions in creating a good brand reputation.
2. Ask for testimonials
Reach out to clients, past clients, and colleagues for testimonials on your work. Positive reviews can go a long way in establishing trust with prospective customers. Include these reviews on your own website and in marketing materials. Take advantage of LinkedIn’s various features, including skill endorsements, recommendations, and reviews. Make the most of these tools to strengthen your professional profile and build trust with potential clients.
3. Develop thought leadership
There’s no better boost to your reputation than being viewed as a thought leader. Several different tactics can help you become known as an expert, including:
- Write a book or e-book.
- Teach a course or seminar. You can also consider contributing to webinars or podcasts.
- Share presentations on your subject matter using tools like SlideShare or Google Drive.
- Demonstrate your expertise by accepting speaking engagements. This is not only a great way to build thought leadership but drive new client engagements.
4. Provide status updates
Use LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook or other popular social media platforms to share your expertise. You can provide an answer to a common problem; share and comment on articles in your specialty; and offer solutions that you are working on for other clients (without disclosing confidential information). By sharing your knowledge and expertise, people will associate you as an leader in your field.
Use social media accounts to:
- Network with others
- Promote your business
- Create awareness of your products and services
5. Market yourself
You can take an active role in shaping a strong brand reputation by using marketing channels to communicate to your audience. There are several ways to communicate with your audience and promote your business, including direct mail, email, press releases, and online and offline advertising. You cannot always control the external factors that impact your reputation, but marketing does allow you to promote your desired branding and messaging.
Need client referrals but unsure how to ask? Check out How to Get Client Referrals for 5 tips to make it easier.
Final Thoughts
Your reputation is one of your most valuable assets. Reputation management begins with an awareness of how you are perceived today and how you want to be perceived in the future. Solicit feedback and work to address any deficiencies that contribute to a negative reputation.
Don’t allow your reputation to “just happen,” but actively pursue building a strong reputation that represents your brand. Remember: No one has a bulletproof reputation. At some point, someone may have a negative opinion of you or your services. Taking steps to build a strong reputation will help you withstand the one-off negative mention or review. You have worked hard to develop your reputation—work equally hard at preserving it.
Take a moment to identify the top five goals you have when assessing your personal brand. What would you like to achieve? Is there anything you learned in this guide that you hadn’t considered before?
In this guide
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