Business reputation management is one of the most commonly neglected elements of the marketing process. Time restraints often lead to such public relations activities being overlooked if not forgotten altogether.

Thanks to advancements in search engines and social media, the 2 tips outlined below will not only make reputation management far less time consuming, but allow you to be proactive in building your business’ status.

Step 1 - Google & Yahoo! Search Engine Alerts
Did you know that you can set-up alerts with search engines like Google and Yahoo! so that you receive an update email anytime they index content relevant to your business? Simply sign up for alerts at:

Google Alerts
Yahoo! Alerts

Then to manage your reputation, set up alerts for your company name and other industry related terms. As soon as the search engines index content about your business or industry you’ll know about it, and can go about taking any action if required.

Step 2 - Social Media Management with Serph
The growth of web 2.0 and consumer generated content has made it much easier to manage your reputation online but also made it vital to keep track of any relevant social web activity.

Serph - a new social media search tool that just came out of beta makes social web reputation management a breeze. Simply visit www.serph.com and enter your company name or relevant industry keywords into the search box.

The results page will list all the latest references to your search query from across the social web and blogosphere. Then click the orange RSS Feed button to have any new items fed directly to you via your RSS reader.

The best part of social buzz be it good or bad, is that getting involved in the conversation is simple. Most blogs and social sites are designed to encourage discussion through commenting and linking functions. So when you find out about relevant buzz, the best thing to do is get involved.

So make a commitment to your business and start managing its online reputation. Remember - reputation management is not just about waiting for bad PR and then reacting to it. The best approach is creating own buzz and getting others talking!