Have you ever Googled your name or your companies brand and viewed what shows up on the first page of the search results?

Do you like what you see?

A friend of mine said that when she enters her name what she is finding is that what ranks highest in the Google search results is not positive or glowing but a critical comment that was posted by someone else on their website that is out of context and doesn’t show her in the best light.

You are pitching for some new business or applying for a new job, but don’t think that you or your company won’t be searched online prior to that meeting or that interview! I know I do and it is sometimes my first impression and we all know how important that is.

Like it or not this is not an unusual or infrequent event that only happens when all the planets align once every 100 years.

Your persona has evolved beyond the personal and purely physical and you are also now a digital and online netizen that is found by a mathematical algorithm that is served up for all to view to every corner of the globe by an unforgiving and uncaring computer server that sits quietly in the dark in a data farm in the backwoods of California.

The reality is you can unplug and try and hide but your privacy is now gone and your online assets are there for all to see.

So how can we make an impact on the all knowing and pervasive force we call “Lord Google” so that we can show ourselves in the best possible light online?

Well there is hope and to start growing your online social media assets we first need to understand the rules of the game.

1. Understand The Rules of The Game

Google has hundreds of algorithms (mathematical equations) that it uses to sort the mountains of noise and data that blasts across cyberspace every day. If you take the time to view what appears on the first page of a search you will generally find there will be the top social networking platforms in the results such as LinkedIn and YouTube and others and maybe even Twitter (displays as “Realtime Results” on Google).

Some basic rules that you need to know

• Google likes fresh up to date data over old news
• Google likes well known social media websites with lots of traffic such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Slideshare and Flickr
• Google likes Blogs because they have the promise of  fresh up to date data that continues to make Google relevant
• Google now likes “RealTime” data  and Twitter is in this frame now

Knowing these rules means that you now have the basics to start the process of displaying and presenting your online assets with some control and optimization.

2. Be Proactive

Don’t allow your personal or corporate brand to be determined by some else’s post or article on a website or blog that you don’t own, go out and put your articles, videos and presentations out there and tell other people about it.

Being proactive means we are now taking advantage of the rules of the game as determined by Google and other search engines and posting continual fresh data on the major social networks and on your own online social media channels, blogs and websites.

You need to open these social media accounts as a minimum if you are serious about your online brand being an asset you are proud of

• Start a Twitter account
• Open a Facebook Account ( A page is better as it is more open to Google’s crawlers)
• Register a LinkedIn account and make it public

I would also highly recommend that you also have a blog (and post once a week), and maybe also create a channel on YouTube and make your presence felt on Slideshare and Flickr by opening an account. (by the way they are all free)

3. Start Sharing

Share your content, Tweet it, email it and post updates  on Facebook. Also as a minimum if you have a blog put in a Facebook “Share” button and “ReTweet” button at the top of your articles so it makes it easy and reduces the friction for others to share your great content.

4. Persist

These activities will not make a change in 24 hours or even one week but as you continue to participate your digital and social online assets will slowly but surely grow and become an online brand that you are proud of.

How are your online assets looking?

 
Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/02/01/4-key-steps-to-growing-your-online-social-media-assets/#edcZsL9wXk26uWr1.99