And what is written about me?
A local politician speaks publicly on a sensitive issue. Criticism is loud from various camps, tempers heat up and online real hate campaigns are forming. But it doesn’t stop there: activists access private contact information via the Internet, so that words could become deeds.
A hairdressing shop has built up a regular clientele in an upscale circle and would like to expand. The competition does not like to see this.
It uses the popular rating portals to spread untruths and present the rival’s business in a bad light.
These are just two examples to illustrate why you should know exactly what information is available about you and your company on the World Wide Web. The most important H-questions about reputation check give you a first overview of what Online monitoring means and how it works.
Who should take action?
Every entrepreneur, managing director, board member or freelancer should know what is being communicated about him or her company/brand on the Internet and who circulates the relevant information.
Why is this knowledge important?
Positive news from the Internet is, of course, a case for the PR folder. On the other hand, however, there are also posts that may pose risks to the person or company. In order to be able to react appropriately, it is necessary to get a clear picture of the situation by collecting information and then to consider further steps.
What should be done?
Above all, it is important not to search the Internet without a plan, but to proceed in a concealed, structured way and with the help of the right key terms. An overview of what information is available and where it is available is an important point in the process. This includes identifying the relevant sources and consistently covering them. It is also helpful to set up trusted “alerts” which are reliably triggered at the desired service level. A central tool for collecting the intelligence data provides the necessary overview.
What should be monitored?
- Name
- Family Members
- Address
- Trademark
- Username
How often should monitoring take place?
Basically, a well-positioned monitoring always runs, so the sensors are active 24/7 and provide regular results. A review of these results should take place regularly in the central tool – at least once a month, and once a week if necessary. The review also provides an opportunity to make adjustments to the settings, to narrow or expand the keywords.
What are the expected results?
An inventory of ongoing monitoring measures provides a wealth of interesting information. They allow an assessment of the company’s own reputation or brand on the Internet. It will be possible to capture the general “mood”, to identify possible risks and even to identify people with a negative or even dangerous disposition.
What happens next?
In the following articles we would like to show you how you can implement effective Internet monitoring yourself with simple means. For this purpose, we will detail the individual steps of the workflow in the following posts – from the browser as a helpful tool to the secrets of internet research and the successful inventory.
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