Reputation management is a critical issue in the digital space. With the advent of social media and the growth in user generated content, anyone can say anything they want about a brand and there is very little that the brand can do to control this.
Many companies shy away from any form of social media because they fear they will be opening the floodgates of consumer complaint however this isn’t really the solution. Consumers will talk anyway and it is invariably better to be part of the conversation than a helpless observer. At least if you are part of the conversation and you create the spaces in which the consumers can talk to you openly, the chances that you will be able to maintain some control is much higher.
It is true though that people with an axe to grind are often more vocal than the happy campers. Search remains one of the most important ways that consumers find information. If a brand is to retain any control and deliver relevance in an environment where they are competing against consumer comments, they must tackle any issues that they face or brand misrepresentation head on. Negative search results should not be ignored. They should be dealt with in the environment where they exist.
Proactive reputation management involves first listening to consumers, observing the issues, responding, often to the very individual who is complaining and having the ability to admit mistakes and correct them if that is necessary.
Additionally, proactively stimulating positive comments from multiple different environments is crucial to dominating SERP and, if possible, pushing negative results down the page. To do this, it is important to gain a real understanding of who ranks well. What influence do they have and how to engage them.
In this session, we will hear a couple of case studies from Canon and Cadbury to learn a little about how they have managed some of the challenges that reputation management involves. The panellists are:
Brett Wiskar, Director, Speedwell eBusiness Solutions
Myrna Van Pelt, Director, Technology, Hill & Knowlton Australia
Jeff Richardson, CEO, The Online Circle
Roger Sharp, Director of Corporate Affairs – Pacific, Cadbury
Tuesday 23rd of February
Reputation Management In The Digital Space: Challenges & Opportunities
Written by - Jenny Williams (Ideagarden)
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More often than not when we think of the subject of reputation management online it is the disasters that leap to mind first. This is due to a number of factors, the speed with which online allows news, both good or bad, to spread and, as Jenny mentions, “people with an axe to grind are often more vocal than the happy campers”.
No doubt those of us who keep an ear to the ground for these things or rely on Tim Burrows at Mumbrella to keep us informed would have seen last week’s hiccup of the “disaffected westpac guy” who accidentally tweeted that he was “Oh so very over it today” (http://mumbrella.com.au/westpac-tweeters-day-goes-from-bad-to-worse-18491#more-18491). Though this wasn’t a disaster it did receive its share of attention in the various industry blogs and online ezines. So as a study in online reputation management it is now squarely in the list of negative incidents we think of when we look at the subject.
Although there was no suffering client on the end of the failure it becomes something in the back of our mind and in a year we won’t recall the nature of the incident just some vague notion, “didn’t Westpac have an issue with using Twitter” and thus a black mark against the platform in our mind. If we let this black mark convince us not to use the platform we run the risk of far greater disasters or worse, missed opportunities. I’m sure there are organisations currently out there patting themselves on the back for abstaining from social platforms saying “… and that’s why we don’t use twitter”.
Westpac currently have close to 1000 Twitter followers. Reading back through their use of the platform there are dozens of instances of customers having issues or complaints. The customers are asked (via twitter) to DM their details and, from the outside looking in, their problem vanishes.
The simple numbers tell us for the 1 or 2 hiccups encountered by Westpac’s use of the platform there are currently hundreds of customers that have had positive experiences delivered this way. Keep in mind that Westpac are currently at less than 300 tweets so they’re still getting warmed up with this thing. Many of Westpac’s twitter followers now see their bank going out of its way to engage with them on a platform of the customer’s choice.
Lessons to be learnt from this example aren’t complex – Westpac are in the game and are currently ahead on the scoreboard by roughly 250–1. They agreed to be in the conversation and are coming out in front.
I’m sure when they have a real online brand disaster (and it’s only a matter of time) they’ll be able to talk to the audience they’ve already assembled and help portray it in the best possible light delivering real reputation management in the digital space.
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by SarahPea: RT @lucyjjames: how do can you manage your brand reputation online? suggestions from @jenatideagarden http://tinyurl.com/yesepq9 #atsyd…
Reputation management is an ongoing issue that is becoming more challenging as people become more confident. Everyday in blogs, forums, Facebook, Twitter, and other environments there are individuals damaging corporate and personal brands.
Some are doing it intentionally while hiding their true identity. We call them Fraudsters (and we wonder where their allegiances lie).
Some are simply uninformed, making statements based on what they heard from a friend’s second cousin’s best mate – or something they read ‘somewhere’.
There are antagonists, stirring the pot and using the uninformed to gather allegiances and gather momentum.
And there are the large majority that are on our side but are sometimes kept quiet by the ‘noise’ of the Fraudsters, Uninformed, and Antagonists.
Each of these groups needs to be approached differently and a planned and strategic approach is required.
When your reputation is being damaged online you have a choice – 100 tactical responses or one strategy carefully executed. Research. Plan. Execute.
Jeff Richardson
brand reputation…
Thank you ,Wednesday read your great ad:tech brain ” Blog Archive ” Reputation Management In The … blog ,your blog have a lot of very important knowledge and information for brand reputation ….