In the last year you must have heard at least of one of the following terms: digital branding, online reputation management, digital reputation management, digital footprints, Google reputation or reputation management online. If not, it’s time you step away from the limelight you have been living in or step out of the dungeon you’ve been hiding in, because the odds are that something about you exist online. The question is… do you know what people are saying about you?

If you haven’t even given this a second thought until now, maybe 2009 is the perfect time for you to consider what type of impact you would like to make and take some action. In the Biz’09 Trend Reports various people predicted that Online Reputation Management will be a very important trend this year with more people realising that this is no longer just a ‘nice- to- have’, but a ‘business must-have’.

For companies, tools that can assist in monitoring their online reputation are going to be an essential parts of the communications, marketing and sales operations. The fact is that companies can no longer control messaging on the Web which means that they’ll need the right tools to know about conversations that involve them.

Continuous online monitoring not only allows companies to track what is being said about their brand, products or key employees, but it also provides an early warning system regarding brand or product problems, identifies industry trends, assist with vital information to understand consumer perceptions and collects information about competitors.

So, have you given it any consideration? What is your online reputation strategy for the year?