The Internet holds a wealth of information about you and your business. Every action you make online you leave a digital trail. For instance, when you ‘Like’ a status, submit a comment or post a blog. As our digital society continues to evolve, it is important to manage your digital identity and ensure the footprint you are leaving is a path you want your customers to follow. The following are some simple steps to manage your online presence.
- Review the content on both your personal and professional social media pages. Carefully analyze the content you produce to ensure it is not offensive to your current or potential customers. Recognize that any comment represents the brand and not just you, personally.
- Research and be relevant. It is always a good idea to research any business you follow or are affiliated with. Your research will also help keep your content current with industry trends. It is important to stay aware and stay active.
- Use caution with your interactions. Don’t post or comment on anything that will hinder your chances of success. Be sure to understand the difference in the platforms you use. A LinkedIn status update will differ from a Twitter post. What is appropriate in one isn’t always appropriate in another.
- Google your business and see what comes up. In many cases you will find links to your social media pages as the first links that appear. Follow those links and make sure they lead to the business persona you want to project to your customers.
- Do a little house cleaning. After searching your name if you find any old links with information you would prefer to keep private you should either delete the associated account, or update the information.
Managing your digital footprint is imperative to ensure your business can appropriately leverage the opportunities for social marketing.
