The Internet is a terrific branding tool, but the same capabilities that make it useful can also make it a dangerous place.
Businesses and individuals are more responsible for listening to the social Web than ever before, both to promote and protect their reputations.
Here are 10 Free Tools you can use for the purpose of Online Reputation Management:
1. Google Alerts
This an absolute must. Any time your business, brand, or name appears on the Web you can receive a notification in your email with a link to the content mentioning you.
2. Social Mention
Social Mention is a ‘real time social media search and analysis’ engine. You can set real time alerts delivered to your email, and the best part is you don’t need to register with the site.
3. BackTweets
BackTweets lets you search for links on Twitter. It’s handy for when post links to your site without mentioning your name or using an ‘@reply’.
4. Social URL
How often do you find yourself jumping from one window to another to check up on your numerous social profiles? Social URL showcases all of your network profiles on a single Web address.
5. NameChk
Managing your reputation is important, but first you must secure your name/s across all of the major social networks. This is key to avoiding ‘brand jacking’ from people with bad intentions.
6. Monitter
While Social Mention is best for Twitter email updates and search, Monitter provides you with a stream of updates based on the specific people and terms you wish to follow. It’s like a hyper specific Twitter filter. No registration required.
7. UserVoice
Online Reputation Management is more than just playing defense. UserVoice gives you the ability to ‘harness customer feedback’ so you learn about concerns before they become problems. The most basic plan is free.
8. RapLeaf
RapLeaf is another proactive tool to use for identifying others, using their email address, on numerous social media networks. This is handy for looking up potential customers on the social Web (pull out all those business cards you picked up at your last networking event).
9. Board Tracker
So far we’ve covered the social Web and the Internet at large, but there’s still a wide world of discussion forums out there you may overlook. Board Tracker ensures that mentions of you in discussion forums are covered. This is important because lots of negative press begins on the boards.
10. Who Links to Me
Find out who is linking to your websites. This is a great tool for identifying positive and negative posts and press. Use ‘Who Links to Me’ to turn fans into brand advocates, and try to convert pessimists into believers (don’t bother with hate speech — just try removing that noise entirely).
10.5. Bonus: TweetBeep
I started this post with Google Alerts, so let me end it with a Twitter Alerts service called TweetBeep. Enter terms related to your brand or business and receive updates via email.
10.6 One More: Boxcar
I use Boxcar to push Twitter alerts using my iPhone. This saves me from needing to check my Twitter @replies and DM’s. Anytime someone mentions me a message pops up on the screen and stays there until I select ‘close’ or ‘reply’.
Now you have 10 free tools to get started managing your Online reputation. The best way to start is by experimenting with different services and learning by experience. If you’re looking for an Online Reputation Management professional, contact Joe Mescher.
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