9 Tips For Effective Reputation Management
A number of factors determine your public image. Reputation management is the art (and science) of controlling what kind of image you put out there as a leader.
What is reputation management?
Reputation management is taking a strategic and deliberate approach to building that public image using the elements that are within your control, including social media.
Why is reputation management important?
Today’s thought leader realizes that part of their job is reputation management, and that their business might live or die by their reputation. There’s simply too much at stake for CEOs to let their reputation take on a life of its own.
Top-level executives are often linked to their companies. The reputations of these execs affect stakeholder trust, customer spending, company valuation and employee turnover.
If you’re not managing your reputation, then someone – or something – else is. Either way, your reputation is going to affect not just the public perception of you but also of your business and industry – and hence your bottom line.
And, in today’s digital world, reputation management is more important than ever, especially for thought leaders. Information spreads in the blink of an eye, and outrage fuels the internet, where negative stories drive more social media traffic than positive ones. Your reputation can change in a second.
With that in mind, here are some tips on how you can better manage your reputation online.
Tips on effective reputation management
1. Understand your current reputation
Begin with an online audit. Search your name and review the first few pages. On your social media profiles, review your posts, photos, comments and interactions. Look for mentions, tags or comments that others have made about you or your business. If you own a business, review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google Reviews to see what customers are saying.
You can also search the names of your services or products, as well as key individuals in your company, if that doesn’t sound too Big Brother-ish to you.
Some questions to ask as you review these materials include:
- Do others in your industry respond to your posts?
- How do they respond – negatively or positively? With thoughtful replies or cursory comments?
- What publications if any are writing or mentioning you and in what context?
- Does your reputation align with your intended image?
2. Align your online presence with your intended image
If your audit reveals a gap between your actual reputation and what your ideal public image, then it’s time to get to work.
These gaps might include:
- Colleagues viewing you as a thought leader in one area of your industry rather than another – i.e., enterprise development software instead of cloud computing services,
- Media focussing on your business innovations while neglecting your philanthropic or other initiatives,
- The public discussing your lifestyle rather than your work,
- Peers recognizing you as a risk-taker rather than a steady hand.
Now you are in a position to redress the imbalance. For example, you can post more content about the area in which you wish to be perceived as an expert. You can ballyhoo your philanthropic efforts. You can attend more charity events than glamorous red-carpet affairs (or vice versa). You can showcase the innovations that you’ve initiated and overseen rather than just quarterly reports and company milestones.
Aligning online presence with image might also mean cleaning up or deleting old posts that do not jibe with the values you are wanting to project.
3. Optimize your online profiles
Social media channels are a goldmine for thought leader reputation management.
Chief among social media channel features that can be used for reputation management are the profile pages themselves on platforms like LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram.
Every social media channel offers you the opportunity to present yourself the way you want to seen. This begins with a professional picture that you use consistently across your platforms to demonstrate that you take your reputation seriously.
Your bio is another tool that you can use for reputation management. Along with your current role and responsibilities, be sure to mention thought leadership bona fides like speaking engagements, media appearances, and board memberships that demonstrate your expertise and value.
Authenticity is another hallmark of effective reputation management. Be sure to include your personal values and philosophy, philanthropic efforts and personal interests. Ensure that they are reflective of the reputation you wish to cultivate.
The LinkedIn profile of The Corcoran Group founder and Shark Tank personality Barbara Corcoran is brief, to-the-point and effective.
4. Create and share quality content
Some thought leaders, such as Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly, want to be viewed as experts in their fields. Achieving this reputation requires regularly and consistently posting insights and opinions about industry news and developments. This kind of content demonstrates not just your knowledge but also your dedication to keeping on top of what is happening in your industry and staying ahead of the curve.
Other thought leaders take a different approach. For instance, on her Instagram account Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd offers a mix of personal and professional content.
Whichever path you choose will determine the kind of content you should create and share.
Thought leaders will also often shine the spotlight on employees and team members. Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, is a good example of this.
A thought leader who wishes to be seen not only as an expert but also as helpful and even a potential mentor will often post educational content such as how-to guides, tutorials and webinars.
To build a positive leadership reputation, thought leaders will refrain from posting negative or defamatory content.
5. Be consistent
Consistency breeds trust. Besides using the same photo and basic bio across platforms, publish content on a regular basis. People will come to see you as a reliable source of information, insights and opinions on your industry.
For more on posting consistently, check out our guide on how often thought leaders should post on LinkedIn.
6. Engage with followers, colleagues and customers
Engaging with others is one of the most effective ways for thought leaders to manage their online reputations. Responding to comments to your content shows that you are engaged, accessible and aware.
Engaging on social media goes beyond tending your own feed, however. Commenting on and sharing other people’s posts shows a willingness to be part of a conversation on other people’s terms.
Other ways to engage include attending or even organizing industry-specific networks or forums, especially on LinkedIn. Participating in these actions will increase your visibility and credibility.
You can also engage with your audience in live sessions, Q&As and discussions. For example, Lindsey Pollak is a multi-generational workplace expert and NYT bestselling author who takes part in LinkedIn Live sessions to discuss employment trends and offer advice.
7. Address negative comments or reviews
Another component of online reputation management for thought leaders is responding to negative comments or reviews.
Respond quickly but not in a reactionary way. Take such feedback as an opportunity to address people’s concerns through thoughtful replies. This will help you burnish your reputation as an open-minded and confident thought leader, demonstrate accountability and show commitment to stakeholder satisfaction.
8. Continue to monitor your online reputation
Only reputation management is not a one-and-done deal. Once you have understood and begun managing your online reputation it is important that you as a thought leader keep up with your place in the conversation. Monitoring tools like Google Alerts and social listening tools like Hootsuite, Mention and Brand24 let you track mentions of your name across social media platforms. In this way you can keep tabs on the fluctuations of your online reputation and adjust your thought leadership strategy accordingly.
9. Consult experts
Finally, consider hiring reputation management professionals like CSuite Content. Their dedicated professionals have years of experience helping thought leaders manage their online reputations through executive communications strategies.
