Nothing in this life is perfect, and sometimes, even those who are very careful with their actions bungle things every now and then. But that shouldn’t be something to haunt them for life and limit their potential to grow — everybody should have the opportunity to rise above their “questionable” actions and correct things.
If only things were that simple, right? In this day and age, when people are so active in the World Wide Web, most are inclined to think that implementing damage control is impossible because of the fast spread of information online.
You have social media sites which are strategically connected to each other, so that with just one single entry, the post can appear on four different sites – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. So, if something negative is said about you or your business and it’s posted online, you can expect it to spread like wildfire.
All is not lost, however, because while damage control online is challenging and tricky to perform, there are some tactics that can effectively blast the negative — erase bad content written about you or shared through various online platforms.
The first thing to do, if the content is a lie, is to publicly demand a retraction from the perpetrator. The cyber world has its laws as well and lies are definitely not tolerated. Now, if there’s “some” truth to the negative “publicity,” rectify the situation right away. Issue your own press release and post it on the different platforms that the negative news had already reached, plus some others – saturate the digital realm and obliterate the bad with good!
Another effective tactic to try is to use advanced SEO techniques that will bury the negative content. Come up with lots of positive, relevant and useful content that will push the unfavourable content down the page rankings. Typically, when people conduct organic searches using Google and other search engines, they don’t go beyond the first page of search results. It’s best to hire an SEO company for this to ensure that the positive content is optimised.
A third strategy that works like a charm is to create online presence in other sites. Post a comment on popular articles, videos, and other media and then sign it using your full name or your business’s full name. This alone can help do the trick in burying negative content in the recesses of the search engine underworld.
Finally, how about throwing a party and put the event on MeetUp. Sounds like too much work? Well, if it’ll clear your reputation, why not? The great thing about a party is you can use your personal profile on MeetUp and trust us that Google will rank it quite decently. Be sure to use your name or your business’s in the event title. Google often ranks events on MeetUp so this tactic will definitely work. If the party goes well, all the better in managing a tarnished reputation; guests can post about it online and mention you or your business.
So there you have it, positive content and the occasional party is the key to a positive online reputation.
