By Thomas La Vecchia and Jessica Schirripa
“Your Reputation is not everything, it’s the only thing.” – X Factor
Did you really think the time you killed a handle of vodka and your friend videoed you steeling a loaf of bread from a food cart while singing Aladdin’s “Street Rat” was a good idea?
“I know I once did.” – Jessica
Or did you ever expect the night when your buddies convinced you it would be funny to crap in the lions head at MGM would ever come back to haunt you?
“Oh, that’s just poor execution.”- Tom
In the moment, we justify this hilarious behavior as just a symptom of capricious youth, but with the power of the internet and technology, your explicit words and every move may be documented. Your reputation holds value. It can and will be used against you in a court of law or at the very least online.
Between posting photos and regular status updates, we’ve become so desensitized to the reality of our very own self destruction. The damage of one’s reputation through constant social feeds will directly and inconceivably affect all of the areas of their life, proving Sin City really needs to change that slogan A.S.A.P!
Listen, we’ve all done stupid things, some more idiotic than the next…
We may not be able to control ourselves after throwing back some Fireballs, but we can control our projected image!
Experiment time. What actually comes up when you Google search your name?
Go ahead take a minute, I’ll wait…
Yikes! Thought so.
Consider us your reputation “Fairy Godparents”… since we all know nothing good happens after midnight anyway.
Allow us to breakdown exactly what to do when you get caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar.
#1 – Decide If What You Find Has An Impact.
Can you lose your job? Is no one hiring you even though your resume reads like a roster of accolades? Will this ruin your relationships with people? Friends, Co-workers, etc.? Would your parents be disappointed in you? Are you embarrassed? If my GF/BF sees this, will they attempt to cut off certain appendages? You get the point…
Through our expert experience, X Factor has had some of their most elite clients/companies almost lose their business due to various and distinct forms of online untruths (…and perhaps some truths =/ ). Bad reviews plus bad service equals bad business. Period. Identify the impact so it does not dignify or contribute to a poor reputation.
#2 – Don’t Get Emotional. Focus On The Task At Hand.
Once the type of impact has been addressed, decide on a plan of attack. Think about what needs to be done and handle it. See if there is a way for it to be completely removed. If that is not possible, simply push it down to the outer scope, where nothing is relevant on the internet…aka the 2nd page of Google.
Don’t know how?
#3 – Reputation Removal.
Have you tried asking nicely? Reach out the webmaster or the proper contact to ask if it can be removed. Explain the negative force and burden to your life and/or career. If it is a news or government source, save you time. #epicfail
#4 – Reputation Repair.
Okay, so it looks like you bad rep. isn’t going anywhere. On to Plan B, much like the emergency contraceptive, this is your second chance to make things right. Create positive content through “authority” sites and premium placements to push down all of the bad press and sources. For instance, create a FB, Twitter, Blogger accounts, etc. with the excerpt name that appears in the “bad post”. We encourage you to interact with each of these “positive content” media outlets and accounts on a daily basis as they will eventually clog the front page for you. Another great tool is YouTube. Develop a positive video about yourself that isn’t titled “Booty Clap Flip Cup”…
#5 – Own Up. Own The Mistake & Stop Being Stupid.
You are an adult now. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Reputation management is all you have to do to establish a strong foundation for yourself.
The positive content approach will take 3-6 months at best to generate a desired outcome. If not call us and we’d be happy to provide you with a free consultation, just don’t mention our name as we may not want to be associated with you. JK!
Good Luck!