Any online business, needs to understand that while some glowing things will be said about you online, there will also be negative comments about your brand. Sometimes these comments will come from actual customers, more often they are going to be linked to those who are listed as competition.

Most small business owners, who are just starting out, may not know all the areas where negative comments can be posted. Because of this, it is important to have someone handle your ORM. If you haven’t seen the term before, ORM stands for online reputation management. This is the process of dealing with negative mentions and helping to rectify problems and concerns before they negatively impact your business.

The individual who is handling your ORM will often spend hours browsing the internet to ensure that your image is protected. While they will use a variety of approaches to ensure everything is found, you can begin to explore what is being said about your business with the following tools.

  • Google alerts will allow you to track certain search queries. When there are searches that have a match, you will be e-mailed a notification. This can be a great way for you to stay on top of things.
  • Social mention is a tool that will help you to scan social media quickly for information about you. Just put your business name into the search box and it will get you hits so you can see what people are saying.
  • Twitter also offers a similar feature with their basic search tool. With it, you can check your name, twitter handle and other sources and determine what is being said about your business. This can help you to get some fast results.

ORM will be an important thing to maintain. With these tools or through the use of a professional, should be able to keep track of your reputation online, and follow up on items to maintain a positive image.