Souce: Marketing Chat

Online Reputation Management is becoming an essential part of business on the web. Today, search engines such as Google are commonly used to search for companies and individuals who offer goods or services. There is actually so much information out on the web, that negative publicity is easy identified by perspective clients. How do you prevent this? You create a strong Personal Brand, which showcases you in positive light and is highly regarded by those searching for your name or business. A company can fail due to these findings, so you must ensure the quality of the material on the web that pertains to your name. Your online presence is managed through a new concept entitled Personal Branding.

Personal Branding is defined as an individual’s total perceived value, relative to competitors, as viewed by their target audience. It consists of four main elements: personality, appearance, competencies and a differentiator. Personality is how you react in certain situations, your behavior and communication technique. Appearance is how you dress and your body language. Competencies are the technical skills required to accomplish a job or fulfill a job description. A differentiator is one area, where you are different than others and is the most important element. When these four elements are integrated, they become the core message of your Personal Brand. This is the intangible communication vehicle you can use to network and build your reputation. The tangible piece resides in your online web presence, commonly in the form of a website or blog. The Personal Branding elements must be properly displayed on your site because people deal with people and not corporations. Consumers need to feel like the person leading a business or the first line servicers have the credibility, trust and competencies needed to service or deliver a product to them.

The web has transformed into a static area of information to an active community building blogosphere. It is important more than ever for you to retain a strong Personal Brand, when posting in a blog, writing in a Wiki and typing a response in a user-driven forum. Your online audience will purchase products from you if you a branded as superior to others (the differentiator element). Your online reputation through this channel must be preserved and maintained throughout your future. It should grow and develop as you gain new skills and experiences in your personal and work life. Remember that your Personal Brand is represented in your business and that people buy from people.