What is Online Presence Management?

Last Updated on March 2, 2023

Managing your brand reputation online has become increasingly important in recent years. The number of online search engines, social media platforms, and websites continues to grow. Brands need to stay up to date about how to leverage these online platforms.  In this article, we review the best practices for online presence management for business and personal brands. 

What is Online Presence Management?

Online presence management is defined as managing and building the online presence of a professional or personal brand online. This can be achieved through various tactics, including online advertising, professional networking, and social media management.

What Does Online Presence Management Include?

Online presence management involves monitoring your reputation to stay relevant and be found online in a very competitive and saturated industry.

This typically includes:

• Social media – using platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter can build one’s business and professional network(s). 
• Your website – make sure the web copy on your site is optimized for keywords and presents your brand positively.
• Your blog – write content consistently that targets your audience, optimize them for search, and promote them on social media. 
• Local listings – for local businesses, online presence management includes claiming and managing local listings and directories online. Be sure to respond to reviews on directory sites.

15 Effective Tips for Managing Online Presence

Want to leverage online presence management? Follow these fifteen tips:

1 Use Professional Networking Sites

When looking to advance your career, use sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter to build community and business. Companies have found that there are a lot of benefits to using multiple social media networks. The top benefit is that you can access a large audience demographic range. If you create content or post on one site, your biggest audience will be on that site.

2 Create a Strategy

One of the best methods to tackle a large audience is to cover as much ground as possible. For example, if your blog content is shared on Facebook and Twitter, you have just reached three different audiences. You will also likely get more comments, thus allowing you to engage with them and connect more with your audience.

3 Be Authentic

Personal and professional brands should be authentic in their tone and voice online. It is essential to be authentic when announcing new products, services, or other news developments relevant to your business. This will also help you keep a consistent brand image that connects with your audience. 

4 Develop Relationships Online

Creating personal relationships is a key online presence management tactic to increase visibility. Partnering with other organizations can bring more awareness to both partnering businesses.  

5 Be Consistent

Being consistent with your marketing efforts will help improve your online presence while staying top of mind with your followers. Consistency is key in both brand messaging and the number of posts. This will establish your brand image and allows your followers to connect with you more personally.

6 Use Visual Media

Make sure your website, blog posts, web content, and social media posts use high-quality images. People are more likely to be drawn in by pictures than copy, so use images that capture your audience’s attention. In addition to imagery, consider adding video as well. When done correctly, Video can engage web users across all online platforms.

7 Make a Website

You can’t have strong web presence management without having a website for people to visit. Websites are how you become visible on the internet. This is where you can show off your organization, and choose colors, fonts, imagery, and design that match your brand. 

8 Target SEO Keywords

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a great tactic for virtually any business to get traffic to their website. Keyword research is beneficial. It helps you discover the most pertinent search terms that your target audience is using to find your products and services. Optimizing your site for these keywords can help appear higher in Google searches, and get more clicks to your website. 

9 Start a Blog

Creating content (especially search-engine-optimized content) will increase your brand’s visibility. Blogging is an excellent way to reach your wider audience, carry out messaging, and be seen as a thought leader.

Additionally, explore guest posting opportunities on reputable websites or industry blogs to broaden your reach and gain exposure among new audiences. Sharing your expertise and insights through guest posting will enhance your web presence and give you credibility.

10 Build Up Your Social Media Accounts

Carry out your content to your most engaged audience – your social media followers. Social networks are a great way to boost engagement and strengthen your online brand.

Related: Learn how to clean up your online profiles in our step by step guide.

11 Stay in Touch Via Email

Email marketing is a great online presence management tactic to engage with current customers while targeting potential consumers. Creating an email list will help you keep in touch with interesting content. You can even segment your email lists to show different content to different groups of people.

12 Try Online Advertising

These days, there are so many platforms to advertise on. This includes search engines, social media, video content, display advertising, and much more. You can increase your online presence and promote products and services by creating an online marketing strategy.

13 Make an Emotional Connection

When creating content, think about the emotional connection you make with your audience. This will help boost your online presence because it makes posts more relatable and shareable.

Tell a personal story, create a new movement, and know what your audience will love to read. No matter what marketing channel you’re using to reach your audience, it is ten times as likely to be shared.

14 Be Proactive About Customer Reviews

Encourage happy clients and customers to leave positive reviews. There are many places for organizations to tout 5-star reviews, including their website, Google My Business, and social media platforms.

Potential customers look through reviews before deciding to make a purchase. The more positive reviews you have, the more business you will get.

15 Launch a Google My Business (Local Businesses Only)

Google My Business is a great starting point for local businesses that rely on customers in nearby areas. This online directory helps enhance your small business web presence in local online searches.

This means that you appear in Google searches for terms with a local search intent (for instance “pizza near me”). If your brick-and-mortar business does not have a Google My Business listing, it is easy to create one. Be sure to fill out the profile as much as possible.

The Cost of a Bad Company Online Presence

The effects of a bad online presence are much more than just a negative review online.  According to a survey by Steritech, negative online reviews may cost retail businesses in North America more than $200 billion annually. 

Rising demands for convenience, speed, and delivery, and recent price increases have led to heightened consumer expectations.

Another statistic from the survey speaks to the power of reviews. One in four consumers will visit a brand less frequently after one bad experience. Conversely, more than half (59%) will visit a location more frequently after a positive experience.

To build a positive brand image, brands must effectively manage their online presence in today’s complex digital landscape.

Wrapping Up: Using Online Presence Management Services

The bottom line is to think about your digital presence management from the audience’s perspective. Think about what they want from your company and how they want to engage with you. Once you figure out the answers to these questions, you can create a cohesive strategy to execute.

Need help with online presence management? Reputation911 is an experienced online reputation management agency that can help you manage your online presence, working with businesses and individuals.

About The Author

William DiAntonio

William DiAntonio is the Founder & CEO of Reputation911, a reputation management firm he founded in 2010 that has earned the trust of its clients for over a decade by helping individuals, businesses and brands control their online search results.