Mediaboss Marketing

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -03/20/12)- Historically, American voters have received their political news largely through print newspapers, TV press coverage, or simply through word of mouth. As technology changes, however, so do politics, and in 2012, voters are receiving more campaign information than ever from online outlets. According to Pew polling data, an overwhelming 73% of adult Internet users -- roughly 54% of the U.S. adult population -- turn to the Internet for political news coverage. That means that over half of the people eligible to vote will turn up at the polls this year armed with opinions formed on blogs and Web-based news sites -- making online reputation management a crucial tool in any campaign toolbox.

In fact, online reputation management has already arisen as a hot issue in the 2012 campaign season. At least two presidential hopefuls, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, have found themselves embroiled in battles against slanderous online websites; Santorum, in particular, has been damaged by a derogatory site called Spreading Santorum, which has spent most of the last several years as the #1 online search result for the keyword "Santorum."

According to members of the online reputation management industry, though, the need for online reputation management goes well beyond these two GOP contenders. Justin Singletary, the Chief Executive Officer for Reputation Changer, says reputation management plays a huge role in political campaigns both large and small. "Everyone all the way up to President Obama is using online reputation management to ensure the best possible search results from leading engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing," notes Singletary. "And it's not just true on a national level. For local campaigns, where word of mouth means everything, it's vital for candidates to ensure that what people are saying about them on the Web is positive."

Singletary says that political candidates seeking to gain some control over their online reputation should first seek out a company with top SEO skills. "SEO is necessary for effectively suppressing negative publicity on the Internet, and propelling positive content to the top of a search engine results page," he confirms. Singletary notes that Reputation Changer reviews tend to spotlight the company's close ties to industry-leading SEO firms, a fact he is proud of.

Singletary is quick to note, however, that SEO alone is not enough to win an election. "While it's true that voters get a ton of information from the Web, there is more to controlling a candidate's political message than just managing online search results," he confirms. "It is equally important for political campaigns to make every effort to control national media coverage."

Indeed, many reputation management companies, including Reputation Changer, now offer full services for what Singletary calls a "media blitz" strategy. These services include the generation of regular, national newswires, produced and distributed around the clock. The biggest reputation management companies even own their own national press syndicates, as well as influential blogs. The goal, Singletary says, is to inundate media outlets with positive information about the candidate and his or her platforms and policies.

But the bottom line for Singletary is that, with more and more voters obtaining their election coverage from Internet sources, online reputation management is a must for the 2012 political season. "A company like Reputation Changer reviews a candidate's current online profile and establishes a completely customized, thorough approach to shaping public perception through the management of online assets," he concludes. "That includes suppressing negative search listings, like the anti-Santorum and Romney sites, but it also means highlighting the candidate's message in a positive way, and seeing to it that when a voter conducts a search for a candidate, he likes what he sees."

ABOUT:

Founded in 2009 by a team of online marketing and sales professionals, Reputation Changer is one of the premier providers of online reputation management. The company works 24/7 to provide comprehensive reputation management strategies to its clients, which have included politicians, public figures, Fortune 500 companies, and more. Reputation Changer owns several media outlets, and is known for its innovation in positive SEO techniques, social media implementation, and more.

For more information about Reputation Changer, its services and how it can assist in reputation management and promotional campaigns, visit http://www.ReputationChanger.com.

Read more:
Reputation Changer Reviews: 2012 Political Online Reputation Wars