Google Fractal by Junyu Wang on Flickr
Interesting read from the book called Six Pixels Of Separation. According to Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine, it’s now becoming more and more common where people’s first interaction with a brand is occurring at the search box whether it be Google, Yahoo, etc.
The first page of the search results defines your brand — it either taints you or encourages the consumer to read more, comment, or get others’ perspectives.
We are now living at a day and age where the minute someone hears something about you, the first place they go to are the search engines to see exactly what the story is about.
Because of this, your personal brand is becoming more and more critical as social media networking sites become pervasive. Somehow, somewhere, someone is out there checking out who you are and what you’re about, and whether or not they would be willing to invest in you or your business.
You have to stay focused on whether your brand is being properly maintained in the online channel to ensure that who you really are, and what you really do are coming through — loud and clear.
How people see you, and how you speak back to them are going to be the validation for your growth. How you build trust in your brand, your business and yourself, is going to be critical on how your business is going to adapt and evolve.
That’s partially true. But i see Google as a portal through which people get to their destination. Does it influence the end result? It might, but we have the methods to avoid this from happening.
Stan@Best Gifts recently posted..Breville BJE200XL Fruit and Vegetable Juice Extractor Review
Trust building is very vital if you want to get somewhere and grow. This might be turned upside down by Google and it’s interpretation of what is more important.
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Sounds like good advice to me. I know it’s impossible to watch every corner of the net, but in addition to keeping my brand in mind whenever I post or comment, I also have an alert set up in Google so that I know when my name is mentioned … well worth it. Thanks!
marquita herald recently posted..Aligning Values with a Social Cause
I know exactly what you mean. E.g. a hosting provider mistreated a client (blogger) and from there started a huge storm in the blogosphere, thus his brand suffered. It took him years to rehabilitate his name.
Stacy@Best Washing Machine recently posted..Koblenz LCK 50 Compact Portable Washing Machine Review
There is only one question that I would like to ask. Is it really difficult to build a positive brand image using social media? I really hope you could enlighten me with this.
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No, it’s not that difficult to build your brand online. You just need to watch what you do online so that it does not hurt what you’re trying to build.
Interesting post! It made me curious so I went to Google and typed my name. The first link on me is my facebook account, the second is my Artistic website which i am pleased to see there, the third is my facebook group: The Women of facebook… I like what I saw and it does represent me. I think it takes time to brand yourself and yes we have to be careful about what we promote because once it is up on Google, it can be removed!
Nathalie Villeneuve recently posted..How To Perform Well Under Crisis
Hi Cherrie:
I did the same thing as Nathalie and it was an interesting exercise to do. The first link is my blog, then my LinkedIn profile (that was very revealing to me), then my twitter profile, then my google plus profile and at the bottom was Facebook (I was surprised by this). This tells me that I need to continue to focus on my blog and I need to focus some more on my Linkedin profile.
Kevin
Kevin Martineau recently posted..Missing opportunities
I’ve been on the internet for 11 years, and have done a tremendous amount of posting on blogs and forums. If I google my own name (first and last), the first 30 pages or so are exclusively me, and it’s quite a few more pages where some of the entries are me. It’s… um… sobering, to say the least. I understand the results differ somewhat from one searcher to another, but still… that’s a lot of pages! I’m thankful that I’ve always done my best to be charitable and speak kindly about people whenever I say something. I don’t think I have any enemies… LOL
Willena Flewelling
Willena Flewelling@10 Steps to Success recently posted..Get Off the Fence!
Hello Cherrie
Integrity is the quality most needed to successfully deal with the digital footprint that represents us and our business on every major search engine. Integrity is not based on credentials but on character. In these words, “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.” written by D.L Moody we find the principle necessary to maintain a good reputation. Thanks for sharing this article to makes us aware why our personal brand is becoming more and more critical.
Thanks
Perry A Davis Jr
Music City
Perry A Davis Jr recently posted..What characteristic must a network marketer have to deal with objections and rejection?
Hey Cherrie,
Whatever you put out stays there for a very, very long time. Every little piece of information or content you share on the net can be will be traced back to you.
It’s the “big brother syndrome” – but with conscious, intelligent self -branding something good can come out of it. !
thanks for the share!
Akos
Akos Fintor recently posted..Leave My Blog Alone! | Tips from Gary Vaynerchuk Part.2
Cherrie,
This is such a great article! I recently attended a seminar for small businesses. The keynote speaker, Jim Blasingame, a national small business expert said in the old days, companies controlled their image through advertising, but by 2020, The consumer will control the image of a company. Companies promoting crappy products with crappy customer service will be well known in the online world through social media. There is no amount of money that companies will be able to spend on SuperBowl Sunday advertising to offset that. BTW, type “Jupiter Jim” into Google and let me know if you think I’m branding correctly, online.
Thanks again!
– Jupiter Jim
Jupiter Jim@Thesis Tutorial, Thesis Theme, WordPress Tutorial recently posted..WordPress Tutorial: How to edit WordPress Posts and Pages in Full Screen Mode
Google definitely has an impact on how you are viewed online as a brand. It is important to make sure your home site is listed first. If not, you will have to find out why your site is not listed first when searching for you or your brand and make those changes.
Nile recently posted..Determining How Frequent You Should Blog In Order to Be A Success
I am amazed at how many don’t get this. What we post even in our status all counts. We have to be on guard all the time to build not tear down our brand. I don’t know how many do this but I do my own search at least weekly of my name, to see what things are showing up in the first 3-4 pages. If there are things I am not wanting to show then I know what I want to avoid posting. Unfortunately also complaints against you as a brand will be showing up, so make sure you take the time to take good care of those who are your customers!
Lynda Cromar recently posted..I Found Out That My Own Personality Could Attract Golden MLM Network Marketing Leads
There is some really valuable info here, and not just in the post, in the comments too…Especially if you are just starting out in business and just beginning to think about things like personal branding, with information like this you can be more vigilant and start of right, evidently it takes time to correct any bad moves in that direction. so Thanks guys! appreciate this. kx
kiki recently posted..What goes “Bump” in the middle of the night in YOUR mind?
Nice and logical…page one is what your customers see and therefore who you are, for better or worse. Dominate page one the way you want and change your customer’s perception.
Presto Reviews recently posted..How Google’s recent updates may impact your site
Cherrie,
I’ve never understood how some people can bash their boss, show sexy pictures of themselves and give out highly sensitive information about themselves. Big Brother now has a door way into each of our lives. I too am amazed how much information I can gather on someone I’ve never met. It’s really very unnerving.
So, best to watch your P’s and Q’s. As has been mention, the Internet has a relentless and permanent memory.
RICK
Rick Lelchuk recently posted..2012 – Wishing You A Year of Total Discomfort
Thank You Cherrie
This post was very interesting to me, I guess I have not been paying as much attention as I should be to my personal brand and is it being properly maintained.
I will be taking notice from now on. I wonder just how many people are aware of this
Thank You Again
Best to You in 2012
Sharon
Sharon Johnson recently posted..It Is Essential to Have All In One WP SEO Plug-in
Hey Cherrie,
I think that protecting your brand comes down this. Giving value and being transparent.
If on a regular basis you’re giving folks what they need to fix or solve whatever problem they’re having your brand will be fine.
An example of being transparent. If someone leaves a negative remark or shares a concern about your product or service on a social site or forum, don’t delete it or ignore it…. Don’t become defensive, address it in a professional manner.
Also great advise both Marquita and Lynda shared about doing a search of your name and see what comes up.
Later,
Anthony
Anthony McNeil recently posted..Using QR Codes Drop Cards And Twitter To Create Leads
Hi Cherrie, Great article about Google. I often Google my name and see where I stand. Also my husband recently did a Google rank search on me and I was a 4. He said that was good. How did I get there? What do I do when I blog? I’m mindful of how Google reads us, I need to brush it up more with headlines, sub headlines, etc. But writing original content and giving information is what I believe makes a good Google friend. Also commenting is a very important thing to do. When we comment on a post, we cannot give a one line or a few words. People do read comments and I have attained many friends from comments alone. So Having a Google mindset is one of the best things we can do when writing.
Blessings,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..A Day In The Life Of A “Life Coach”
Hi Cherri,
You are so right on with this subject.
I first found this out from a successful fellow internet marketer in 2010.
He had written a post on the subject of protecting your online reputation and how you need to be careful what and how you post something online. His point being was, that if someone wanted do a search on you, pretty much everything you have posted online will show up.
At first I wasn’t convinced, until I searched my name. To my surprise, post and comments I had done in 2009 showed up.
So be careful what and how you post online family.
Big brother and the big G is watching!
willie@ internet newbie income recently posted..Gold At Your Fingertips
Great article on Google and again it’s never about us it’s always about the market. it’s the buzz that is created around our name.
As a coach and a fashion business owner what I know is that our brand, which means us, is a function of many things of one which is our visibility in the market which depends on our offline image too. Google is important and what is true is that our image as a whole perceived by those that do not Google is also very important because these people will have our name circulate.
I agree. People immediately resort to Google or Yahoo whether they need a question to be answered or they want to know more about a person or business. What is written on the net can be very damaging or uplifting to you or your business that is why we should be careful on what we post on the net.
How we are perceived should also be taken into consideration. Let us make sure that we are known for the right reasons and that our business is being promoted the way it should be. Its growth and success will depend on this.
It’s very important whenever someone search for your brand thru search engines to find positive and informative reviews not just from your own site but from neutral sources too, for that reason blog outreach it’s very important for every business that wants to sell its product/services.
Building relations with influential bloggers on your niche can do wonders, and guaranties that whenever someone search for your brand to find positive reviews…
Kostas@Generate Income recently posted..Direct Marketing And Its Current Social Value
You’ve said: “You have to stay focused on whether your brand is being properly maintained in the online channel” – at some point you will receive negative comments (it’s impossible to get only good reviews), how should it react then?
Tony recently posted..Central Vacuum Cleaners – A Simple Way to Have a Cleaner Home
Let’s Google everything! That’s where we end up if we want to know something or search for something. And when someone finds our name, it always connects to everything especially if Google takes place.
Stevie Smith recently posted..The Google Dance And What It Means For You
Hi Cherrie,
interesting post!
So, you are saying, because the first impression people get as they find us on the Google search is what they make up their mind to be the case?
You mentioned staying focused and maintaining our online channel is important.
How do you apply that in your case?
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Hi Cherrie,
Looks like we have no secrets anymore. We are splashed all over the internet whether we like it or not. I guess that can be a blessing or even a detriment depending on whether we are living in integrity in our life and online business. Makes you want to be sure and do the right thing.
Lynn Jones recently posted..How You Can LIVE a Healthy Life Daily.
That is great advice! Thoroughly enjoyed the post. Thanks again for sharing. Have a great day!
Michael recently posted..The Importance of Being Healthy
As a psychotherapist working in a local area, I sometimes forget to check what is happening in google or yahoo. The ranking on the pages does move around and it is important to keep checking and perhaps adjusting some of the keywords. But as one of the comments above mentioned, google ranking is not the whole picture. Once people find you, it is essential to have something valuable to offer them. They stay on your page a matter of seconds unless they find something that catches their attention and holds them there. Videos are great for that and so are engaging blog titles and free offers.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Dr. Erica Goodstone recently posted..Aging Gracefully – Is It Possible?
Interesting point of view, Cherrie! You know what? I think you’re right! I should pay more attention on how people see about my projects if I want to succeed.
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