Influencers - literally, people who influence - face unique challenges in managing their online reputations. Their heightened visibility attracts supporters as well as detractors. The Internet provides both parties with an easily accessible forum to state their opinions, but motivated detractors can overwhelm those forums with intentionally false and derogatory commentary.

Due to their high visibility (and often newsworthy impact in business, politics and social issues), erroneous or deliberately misleading information may be placed online about influencers by those who oppose their views and want to detract from their legitimacy.

It is impossible to erase or control what is said about you online. But it is possible to preemptively counterbalance negative and false content with an accurate picture that can always be found online…ideally at the top of search engines.

If the negative content is true, an experienced crisis communications counselor is a better bet than online reputation management. That's because the truth invariably secures prominence on the Internet. And online reputation management can't change that.

Online Reputation Management’s Four Essential Tools

Otherwise, four tools will assist you in assuming ownership of your online image – and contribute to your larger reputation management strategy. They are: content, platforms, SEO and strategy.

Content is information-rich text that is not duplicated elsewhere online. It is helpful, relevant and well written. “Content” can also be video, photographs, podcasts and any other form of information placed online.

Platforms are the online sites where content is placed: websites, blogs, micro blogs, forums, directories, news sites, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and hundreds of other outlets.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines using frequently-searched for words throughout, inbound links (links to the site from other sites) and other techniques.

Strategy is the plan that utilizes these tools and provides results. Every online reputation is different. Managing them requires a goal, strategic plan and timetable.

We have just created a Tumblr FAQ as a public resource for understanding the essentials of online reputation management. It provides additional background about what you need to know to protect your reputation in a digital world. We are available to help, too.