If you haven’t noticed, we’re living in a digital world. Not just because we have mobile phones and wifi-enabled everything, but because everyone has social media or a website these days. If you do an online search for your name, do you know what comes up? …are they positive results and reviews, or could your life benefit from some online presence Management (OPM)?
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The difference between online presence management and online reputation management
Overall, on the internet, the difference between these two web presence management styles is that one (online presence management/OPM) is using social channels, paid advertising, a custom website and web design, content creation, and search engine optimization to “create a long-term positive presence for a person, organization, or product in search engines and on the web in general.” while the other is ” influencing and controlling or concealing of an individual’s or group’s reputation”. That’s according to Wikipedia.
Can you guess which is which?
Here’s a hint, a lot of politicians and celebrities use the latter management option to hide or push down search results and the online visibility of “bad” things they may have done.
If you’re still unsure, online reputation management is the more “controlling” version. For the average person or professional, reputation management is needed when you want to hide embarrassing information while job-hunting. Making sure you’re DUI isn’t the first internet search result would be beneficial to landing that new gig.
Online Presence Management is more than posing on Social Media
Unlike the cleanup of reputation management, when you’re working on your web presence development, it includes social media marketing platforms, but also things like your website, proactive blogging, and digital marketing channels to a target audience to create a digital footprint around you or your business as a thought leader within your verticle. Creating content and releasing necessary information around you or your business to give your online viewers an idea of what you have to offer, and each day building your “Brand Reputation” a little bit more.
What does the process of online presence management include?
Getting “press” is the old way of doing it. Don’t get things confused, press is great, and a press release around relevant events in your life or your business can not only increase your online media mentions but also increase your brand/business/Internet presence.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. your online presence starts with being aware of what’s being said about you or your business anywhere and everywhere. (We’ll give you some tips on managing this in a bit!)
It takes a shift in your overall brand development and your way of thinking about it. An understanding that it’s all interconnected.
It’s not just about “online marketing” or social media management!
A lot of people and small business owners think of either paid ads (aka online marketing, aka Facebook or Google PPC) or social media posts when they think of their online presence management. Again this is only a small part of what it takes to manage your reach and reputation online. It really encompasses every possible place you or your business can create an online presence.
From your company website (and your retargeting cookies) and reviews to other websites and web 2.0’s you create profiles on, to email or mentions on social that drive clicks to your website, it all ties together under the marketing window. Marketing, in a digital business realm, is all-encompassing these days and you have to look at it this way to be successful.
I once heard it described as building a “brand moat”, or a group of websites, assets, and channels that help ensure that you are the one controlling/managing the narrative when it comes to what people see about you or your business online.
Here are a few steps to owning your online presence:
- Register your domain for your name (This is a vital part of presence management)
- Build even a basic website to be the target of everything else you build online
- Create profiles on every major social network you can think of (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, etc.)
- Create content and post pictures of yourself to the online channels you’ve created, then share with your network and potential customers (this is content marketing)
- Set up Google Alerts with your name, brand, or company name to ensure you’re aware of what people are saying about you online (This is what agencies refer to as “brand monitoring” in a lot of cases)
- Write blog posts to expand your digital reach, the first blog post should be about yourself. Who you are, what you have to offer, and what you can deliver to your target audience
This is a great start to owning your online presence without the extensive use of paid marketing, online advertising, or social media marketing. It also cuts back on the headache of “paid ads” management!
BONUS TIP: Directory listings are a great way to help build your online visibility and digital profiles. Companies like Nike want to own their brand name in as many places online as possible. You should do the same with monitoring and managing your online presence!
Building A Strong And Lasting Online Presence Marketing Strategy
What’s laid out above is only the start of your online presence management deployment plan. Ideally, you want to continue to create and expand your properties and mentions and bring in other forms of media like email marketing or other forms of online communication.
The goal is to build up enough positive mentions of you or your brand so that you won’t have to do anything “questionable” in the future.
For more information on online presence management or any other digital wizardry, feel free to reach out and chat today!
For 15+ years now Adam has helped business brand, plan, and grow.
With a background in media buying and specializing in data-driven marketing he founded the Painted Brick Digital Agency to act as your in-house marketing and advertising department.
“Cookie cutter doesn’t work in a world that is constantly evolving.”