The one thing you can do over the holidays is google yourself. Yep type in your name and see what pops up. Is it your Facebook page? An old job? A Youtube clip? Now google your business name – are you on the top of the list?
As the owner of a small business your personal and professional lives are often entwined – especially when it comes to your on-line presence. If people have met you at a networking function, at a BBQ, on the train and become interested in you or your business they may try and make contact with you again by looking you up on-line.
In the digital age it’s not always easy to control what others see about you. Every time I start a new course, host a workshop, book a meeting with someone, I take the liberty of ‘googling’ the participants / person (sorry it’s true!). This gives me an indication of how good you are at your own marketing. What is the on-line ‘real estate’ you own and are you in control of your image for you and your business. What is it telling me?
It’s not because I am an on-line stalker! I am a potential customer. They will do the same. So now it’s time to tidy things up.
What can others see?
What are your privacy settings on Facebook? Do they need to change? It is best to have your personal page just for you and your friends. It is a good idea to click ‘enable’ on ‘review posts that friends tag you in’.
Do you have an old blog or youtube clip that is no longer relevant and doesn’t add value to your current business? You can take down – or do you need to ask an old employer to do so?
Do you recall any old tweets that may be offensive. You can review your archives on twitter and delete away.
Do you need to untag yourself on photos in instagram? it’s a good idea to click the ‘add manually’ as your default for tags.
You need to own and be in control of your on-line presence and review it often. You can easily set-up a google alert for you and your business so that you know when and how someone is talking about you on-line.
You can’t hide! So take a moment to find yourself on-line. Let me know how you go!
