5 Ways to Create an Online Persona that Earns You Respect
The world is watching.
Opinions about your character are constantly being made based on what's in your digital footprint.
In a global community that is connected primarily through technology, creating and managing your online reputation is a requisite to establishing yourself as an industry leader and attracting new customers.
Contrarily, a poorly managed online persona can spell devastating losses to profits as well as your personal and/or professional reputation.
To equip you with best practices in online reputation management, I'm sharing 5 actionable steps you can take to improve your digital presence today.
1. Have a Professional Headshot Taken
Do not skip this step.
Your picture is the most important piece of your personal brand. You picture should leave potential customers, or anyone else who is searching you online, with a positive and professional first impression. Incorporate professional headshot for all of your online profiles. Be sure to smile and use the right lighting and background in the photo.
2. Choose a Professional Email for Your Brand
It's time to get rid of the email address you created in junior high school and start fresh with a professional one.
If you already have a hosted website (See Step #6), you can usually add a personalized email service to your account for just a few more dollars. If this option is unavailable through your web-hosting service, create a free email account with Gmail or Outlook. The best email formats to use are variations of your first and last name without any numbers (e.g. johnsmith@gmail.com , john.smith@gmail.com, etc.).
3. Set Up Social Media Accounts
Now that you have a professional photo for your brand, utilize it to set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you already have personal Facebook and/or Twitter accounts, considering create separate profiles that are exclusive to your business. Use these networks to post links to articles that are useful for your clients, announce important news, and conduct polls about your business.
4. Purchase a Website
Having a professional website for your business is a must in today's business environment. Purchasing and maintaining a website is inexpensive and there are a variety of do-it-yourself options available on the market. Webhosting services, like Bluehost, GoDaddy, or Namecheap, allow you to purchase a personalized domain for less than $20.00. You can host for as little as $4.00 a month depending on which hosting platform you choose. There are also various free or low-cost "drag-and-drop" website-building programs where you can create your website in a few hours with no coding or programming required. Use excellent business tools such as Name Perfection to choose the perfect name for your site.
5. Establish Yourself as an Expert
Do you know how most "experts" that are interviewed on the news earn their reputation? It is quite simple: they built their reputation and online presence ahead of time . They understand the value of actively controlling their persona, so they send out press releases and make comments before anyone asks for them. This is what you need to do online. Write reviews on Amazon for books in your field, and answer questions on Yahoo Answers and Quora to establish yourself as an expert. Every time you post on these sites, make sure you conclude with a link to your website so they appear when future clients search for you online.
Websites such as HARO are making it easier to connect experts with members of the media. You can create an account on this platform and respond to pitches you receive from reporters three times a day. If your pitch is selected, you will secure a media mention in the story.
Knowing that new eyes are watching you online isn't worth panicking over. Instead, you should accept this as an exciting opportunity to build your reputation at a low cost. By applying all of the aforementioned steps, you can rest assured that you have an online persona that will help you build a profitable brand...and that is something on which you can never put a price!
