The business's reputation is a powerful asset that would distinguish one professional from another or influence customers and colleagues. Building a good reputation takes time and effort, and the success of a business can depend on it. Here are a few ways and channels you can utilize:
1. Engage the Community
Engaging your customers is a great way to show them you care about what they have to say and how they feel about your business. You can engage their concerns or praise by responding as quickly as possible to any questions or reports of issues with your product. This creates a good customer experience and gives you free advertising from satisfied customers who may want others to know that you stand behind your work. It's no wonder why some companies will do anything to keep negative reviews off Yelp!
Reporters are always looking for comments from the public on current events, matters of opinion, etc., which means getting into conversation with your community at large can lead directly to press coverage. Just be sure you don't respond to all of your comments, as that can create an appearance that you are too concerned with some minor issues.
2. Participate in Twitter Chats
Twitter chats are a great way to get involved with your community more personally. Large-scale Twitter chats allow for major companies and brands to connect directly with their customers on relevant topics. These events can be live or scheduled, but either way you will have the opportunity to make yourself available to the public eye while getting information out about whatever is relevant at the time of the chat. If there's no relevant chat for what you do, consider hosting one! Create specific hashtags for whoever might find your chat useful and keep an eye out for suitable opportunities to host one.
3. Host a Webinar
A webinar is basically the same as an in-person seminar, except it's available live online instead of requiring people to meet at a specific location. Follow the tips you would when hosting your own seminars or training sessions and then make sure to record your webinar so that the public can watch the replay in case they missed it live. A word of warning about making recordings public, though: make sure you are well versed in any laws that apply before sending them out, especially if you are offering products or services in conjunction with these recordings.
4. Show Your Work on Instagram
Instagram continues to be popular across many demographics with no signs of slowing. To show up on the feeds of your customers and reporters, take photos of what you are working on throughout the day. Post about specific projects or relevant issues, too, not just pictures of you being awesome at your job.
5. Write a Book
Suppose you think that writing a book is something that only larger companies can do to spread their name. In that case, you aren't familiar with Amazon's self-publishing platform, which allows anybody to write and publish a book in as little as twenty-four hours! By publishing however many books are necessary to satisfy the demand for your work, you make yourself available for people looking for an expert opinion who may or may not be conscious of who you are. Warning: a book about a specific topic will make it easier for reporters to find your information, but since any reporter worth their salt can learn how to use Amazon's platform too, this may not always lead to press coverage.
6. Be on Youtube
Even if you don't want to host your own videos or take the time necessary for an official YouTube account, you can still benefit from having at least one video of yours go viral by allowing any existing videos that focus on what you do to express themselves as their own entity. That means removing any branding and anything else that might show up in the frame and letting them run free as is necessary so they can be hosted on their own and shared across all social media without being associated with you at first glance.