One of the most common mistakes of online reputation managers is to create dozens and even hundreds of social sites, hoping that some of them will end up dominating the rankings. The truth is that this strategy dilutes its effects. Instead, it is better to register to several popular sites including LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and of course, Facebook.

With that being said, these profiles need to be “looked after”. Most social media specialists recommend participating heavily on the community. For example, making a lot of friends, encouraging others to comment on your photos (especially on Flickr), and generating external links. Take note that if you become passionate enough on a certain community like DeviantArt, for example, you can dominate the rankings. Regular participation is one of the key things to the strategy.

Some additional rules to remember include:

• Spell Everything Correctly – avoid using pseudonyms; instead, use your full name (or brand name) to displace any negative comment about you
• Fill Out the Forms – complete the forms. Include bios, photos, videos, topics, tags, links, etc. Take advantage of all the fields the platform offers.
• Leverage Your Address Book – once you’re friends with someone on Facebook, they’re very likely to accept you as a contact on LikedIn. Leverage on this to get more friends, connections, and followers on different platforms.
• Keep Relevance in Mind – it might be tempting to stuff your profile with keywords but that would be counterproductive. Aside from the risk of getting the profile banned, you’re also jeopardizing your ability to generate more connections.

Reputation management is more than just creating visibility on social media and promoting your business online. If your company is getting featured in the press, media, or events, these organizations will usually ask for a “bio” at the end of the page. This presents an opportunity for you to get links to various pages. For example, the “bio” should include a description of your business (website link), say that more information is available on the blog (blog link), and that the reader can follow you on several social media sites (social media links).

When including these links, make sure to use the right anchor text. It makes it easier for readers to know what they’re clicking on and it is also good for search engine purposes. Overall, reputation management shouldn’t be complicated. Follow the tips provided above to get better results for your efforts.