As most savvy marketers know, we live in a Web 2.0 world. What does that mean? It means that today...business is done on the web. Customers search for solutions on the web. They talk to each other on the web. They talk to you on the web. And, they can do all this from anywhere, anytime.

With that in mind, it is probably obvious that monitoring and managing your online reputation is important. But, doing so means going beyond the design of your own website. It means knowing when others are talking about you, linking to you, and engaging with them when they do. Still, breaking through the "buzz" of the internet is not an easy task.

Here's what you need in order to do just that:

TOOLS: Unfortunately there is no ONE tool to use...but the good news is there are many GOOD tools. Here are our favorites:

1. TweetBeep: This is the best tool for monitoring any Twitter buzz being "tweeted" about you. Even if the tweeterer uses the "tinyURL"...if they are linking to you, you'll find out about it. Best of all, it's FREE.
2. Google Alerts: Google alert allows you track when your brand name, URL, or other entered topic shows up on Google (you set the frequency). And, again...it's FREE.
3. Technorati: A great way to search the blogosphere for what's being said about you (and if anything is being said at all). Technorati indexes in real time, so if someone blogged about you 3 minutes ago...it shows up. And yup...you guessed it...it's FREE.
4. Trackur: Okay, this tool isn't free (though they have a free trial), but it is a more sophisticated tool than technorati and it emails you updates for your saved searches. And, it's not too terribly expensive ($18/mo).

PROCESS: So, you find out what people are saying about you and when they are linking to you...now what? Well, it starts with setting a process. Schedule time in your schedule every day, week, month, or whatever frequency you can afford. Review your results and where possible...respond. Interact with the users who post comments about you, the bloggers that reference you, and so on. It is through this interactivity that you harness the true power of today's web community--whether that be to fix customer service issues you didn't know you had, promote yourself and your brand more thoroughly, or measure the results of your site traffic building efforts.

What are you waiting for...sign up for the tools above and get started!

Read more articles on this topic:

• 2009's Online Marketing Summit: 7 Key Takeaways
• Using Google Alerts As A Sales and Marketing Tool
• How To Get The Most Value From LinkedIn
• How to Audit your Website like a VISITOR
• How Marketers Are Really Using Social Media/Netorking Sites!
• Google's No-Cost Sales and Marketing Tools

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