People talk a lot on the internet, and things tend to happen at warp speed. So, a reputation can be made in an instant and destroyed just as quickly. Online, people like to talk about their experiences. And when those involve dealing with businesses and professionals, they could be talking about you. Reputation is everything in business, so negative comments need to be addressed quickly, and positive mentions should be amplified.
Big companies monitor their brands online using teams of people and very expensive software, which you don’t need because you don’t have their volume of mentions. There are many smaller-scale paid software options out there, but some still cost hundreds of dollars or more per month and go beyond what smaller business and professionals typically need. At $49 a month for a single user subscription, Hootsuite is one lower priced option for monitoring major social platforms, and there are also free solutions that work well. You will have to consistently spend a few minutes a day using them, but it’s a daily habit that’s well worth taking up. In addition, here are five free things you can do.
Google yourself
This shows you what clients and potential clients see when they Google you. Also search your name and business name along with the names of local publications and business media that may mention you. Do this daily.
Set up Google Alerts
This is a free, automated way to have Google do the monitoring. Tell Google Alerts some keywords, such as your name and business name, and it will send you a link when the keyword is indexed. It’s not totally effective, but it’s pretty good. Choose to be notified instantly. Be sure to set alerts for typical misspellings of your name, business, and address.
Search social sites
Go to Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and any other platforms your clients and prospects may visit. Type your keywords into their search windows. This sounds like a lot, but if you do it regularly, it only takes a few minutes.
Set up X Pro (formerly TweetDeck)
This subscriber-only real-time tool allows you to monitor keywords and hashtags, letting you see every X mention on a single screen. You should set this up even if you don’t live on X, to see what people who do are saying about you on the platform
Join private Facebook groups
You can only search public groups on Facebook, but most groups are private. To search them, you have to become a member. Join groups in your marketing area, as well as ones that would attract people who have the same needs as your customers.
If you don’t think you have the time for brand monitoring and it isn’t that important, remember this. It takes just one dissatisfied person to damage your reputation and just one enthusiastic comment to get you a new client!
