If You Can’t Be Found Online, Are You “For Real”?

I recently had an editor I work with ask about a source’s credentials because she couldn’t find her online. And I’ll admit that my first thought was also “Oh oh – weird!” But then I recalled a “back of the brain” feeling I’ve had for a while now about all of the valuable information and sources that I–and others–may be missing because we rely so exclusively on online content.

If you can’t be found online, are you important? Are you *credible*? Do you even exist? I think maybe  not…

I don’t know. But I can’t remember the last time I used an “offline” source to do research of any kind. And I have to believe that, as in the case with my editor’s recent concern, odds are that something’s “not quite right” with this purported source if we can’t find *anything* to support her claimed credentials.

But, while both ends of the “present online” spectrum send pretty clear messages (I think) about relevance and credibility*, there’s also a lot of grey space in the middle. That middle area, I think, represents some prime “negotiating space” for communication staff, consultants and others that have been trying to convince “the powers that be” that they need to have an online presence.

• The worst that could happen? Your organization could be considered entirely irrelevant because you literally “don’t show up.”
• The best that could happen? Your presence is *so* significantly higher than your competitors that you become the de facto leader in your field.
• The most *likely* to happen? Your volume of presence when compared to the volume that your constituents (and that means *NOT YOU*!) consider to be a good assessment of credibility and value is better than yours.

I have a feeling that the latter scenario is the norm. It’s becoming increasingly important for both businesses and independent professionals to think about how their reputation is being impacted by their presence (or lack thereof) online.

Have you searched yourself recently? How relevant are you?

*After all, if you find *lots* of information online about someone does that make them an expert? A *real* expert? Is that all it takes in the 21st century?

Author: Linda Pophal

Linda Pophal, MA, SPHR, is owner/CEO of Strategic Communications, LLC, and a marketing and communication strategist with expertise in strategic planning, B2B content marketing, PR/media relations, social media and SEO. Her background as a freelance business journalist, advertising copywriter and corporate communication professional provides the foundation for understanding how to produce and use high-quality, personalized content to inform, motivate and engage audiences. This, coupled with expertise in online marketing, SEO and social media, serves as a foundation for working with clients to find the most cost effective combination of traditional and digital communication tactics to get the results they're looking for. Linda is accredited through the American Marketing Association and is a member of the Association of Health Care Executives, the Society for Human Resource Management and the Association of Health Care Journalists. View all posts by Linda Pophal