In today’s world, you need to know if someone is talking about you online. To do this is a simple thing and is not too complex to set up (no, really you can do this). As a service, we call this Reputation Monitoring, and some companies (cough cough) charge a monthly fee to do this, but you can set up a more basic version for FREE, and as an entertainer, that’s a great word.
What does this do for you? It lets you know when and where people are talking about you and your company. By doing this, you can thank people for complimenting you and the ability to head off a PR nightmare if it comes up.
OK, so a few websites you need to know about to get started.
OK, from the beginning. Head over to Google Reader and set up your account 1st. Then head back to Google Alerts. This is where the fun begins. You will want to spend a little time thinking about this and start setting up alerts that people will look for you with. Add with and without quotes.
- Company Name
- “company name”
- “company Name” + “entertainers name”
- Product name
- “product name”
- “product name” + “company name”
So take your 1st phrase and add it in. Select “Comprehensive” as the type. This is telling Google to let you know if you’re mentioned in the news, blogs, and just about everywhere. How Often, since we are sending it to Google Reader, I select as-it-happens. This is, so you see it as Google sees it. Which if you paying attention will let you interact QUICKLY.
Now head over to Twitter search and start entering the SAME search terms. When you do this, you will see that you can get an RSS FEED of the search. (RSS = Real Simple Syndication, it is that orange box in the top-right quarter of the page). This is where you’re going to want to open a new browser page so you can quickly jump back and forth in the new tab open Google reader. On the Twitter Search page, copy the link address for the RSS Feed and head back to Reader. In the top left under the Google Logo, a button says “Add a Subscription.” Click here and past the RSS feed address. Repeat until you’re done.
You are now set up with basic Reputation monitoring on Twitter and Google. The biggest thing you have to remember now is to check it until tomorrow.