I was invited to join a women's marketing organization. It is a group that helps female consultants to better their business through collaboration and lead exchange. I am not a fan of leads exchange, but I enjoy collaboration. If all the members are pros in their field, I am very eager to learn. Then, I will be on my way to becoming a Superwoman Marketer.

This group came highly recommended, so I immediately went to their website. Who wouldn't, right? I wanted to see what the organization is all about and how I can benefit from joining.

Your online reputation is your resume

First impression was blah. The site had 2 sets of navigation, crazy URLs, most of the text was all caps. What the website did not have was a clear description of why I care to join the club. I read about "powerful community" - "vibrant" and "diverse" - which helps women like me. About Us page had several paragraphs or corporate-sounding mumbo-jumbo that put me to sleep.

How about the members? I do not give up easily. Second step was to check out their Consultant Directory. Perhaps, the community of "high-caliber colleagues" is impressive. These women "serve in world's leading organizations" and for sure can teach me a thing or two.

My usual test is to check out the social gurus and look at their social profiles. There is a directory search on the site. Area of expertise - Search Engine Marketing. Let's go!

The result of my search was disappointment. I randomly clicked on names and saw the same loaded phrases bunched up in one paragraph. Broken links to the members' websites were the cherry on top. Online Marketing pros were lacking social profiles on Twitter or Facebook. The one who had a Facebook page, had about a dozen followers and no posts.

Websites were picked from stock templates with no content. Text is so small that I had to break out my magnifying glass to read any of it. One marketing agency had the only image on their site - wine bottles. What? Are you a winery too?

How can you call yourself an Online Marketer and not have an impressive online presence? How can you claim to be a Social Media expert with a weak social media profile or none at all? Don't you think that people are going to check you out?

Get your online reputation in order

If you are an organization, a business or a freelancer, you need to realize how important your online presence is to your reputation. People will not trust you if they do not see impressive results when they search for you online. Here are the 3 areas you have to improve if you want people to take you seriously.

1. Your website

   The design has to be attractive and contemporary. But that is not enough anymore. You need to pay attention to content. Your content will need to answer questions. Why should I join your organization? Are you fun or boring? Why should I trust you?

   When I join a professional organization, I am not looking for "opportunities to socialize". I have friends for that. I want to learn and improve, not to get childcare advice. Make your offer appropriate to the type of organization you claim to be. Otherwise, call it something else. Know your audience and what you can offer them as a benefit to them. Make it clear from the start.

2. Your recommendations

   When you recommend someone, it has to count. If you have a member directory, it might not matter as much. If you endorse people, stand by your word. Only then people will trust you.

   As a freelancer, you have to write a blog to demonstrate you are an expert. Make connections with other people in your field. Comment on their blogs, interact with them on their social sites, and write about them. When you are convinced that they are experts, recommend them, collaborate with them, and prove with your contribution that you know your trade.

   One of the reasons I do not participate in leads exchange groups is because of lack of trust. I am not going to recommend someone to my clients who I have never worked with. How can I vouch for their work if I have never seen them in action? It would be cheating my customers. It was hard for me to earn their trust. I am not about to betray them.

3. Your presence in Google search

   This is the ultimate test. Search for your name in Google. Do you come up in the results? Do you dominate the first page with your blog, your social profiles, videos and pictures? Is it a good domination? If you are not found for your name, you have some work cut out for you. You have to be known in the virtual world before you can claim to be an online marketing expert.

Your online reputation - perception and reality

When faced with a decision to add an activity to my already busy life, I turn to my comfort zone - research. So do a lot of people. They will check you out. They will search for your name. They will go to your website. If you do not have a stellar website, you are making harder for people to trust you.

Here is the truth - we are all celebrities online. Everything about us is there - good and bad. Lack of information usually means bad for online marketers. If you are nowhere to be found, it means you are not an expert, Grasshopper.

As far as this women's marketing organization, I will spend my time and money elsewhere for now.