Businesses are under fire.

Brand reputation is no longer the domain of the company. With the advent of interactive media, the ubiquity of inexpensive production tools, and the influence of consumer reviews on purchasing behavior, the concept of brand protection has grown beyond trademarks and advertising. Whether it's on Yelp or craigslist, RipoffReport.com, or someone's personal blog, the reputation of your company is in the hands of the consumer.

And that's a good thing.

Consumer influence on reputation opens huge opportunities to engage potential customers, co-opt messages, and enhance word-of-mouth and front-of-mind transmission within days and weeks rather than over the course of months or years.

But first you need to know what's being said about your brand, and have solid strategies and messaging in place.

The first step is to get a feel for what's being written about your company. A fast and generally effective way is to use a couple of powerful search engines (I recommend Google and TechCrunch.com). Search for your company's branding language--the company name, products you create or sell, taglines, even executives. You should set up Google Alerts with these same key words (google.com/alerts).

 

Create a document listing what you found. For each posting or occurrence, include the link, a representative quote, and a sentiment assessment (e.g. positive, neutral, negative).

 

When you've compiled this list, you should have a fair idea of your company's online reputation-look for patterns: where and why certain sentiments exist, the dates of postings, and the nature of the websites where the posts are published. You may wish to organize what you've found by sentiment or by subject or product.

 

Next, take a deep breath, and look closely at the nature of the postings themselves-did someone burn you on an influential blog? Did you get ripped to shreds on a review site? Or are the negative bits low-level rants on low-traffic sites?

 

Do the negative postings point out fundamental weaknesses or mistakes (product flaws, poor customer service) that need to be addressed? Are the positive postings about your company in general, or about specific customer experiences? Look for gems of relevance in your findings, but maintain perspective.

 

Finally, create messaging appropriate for each type of posting--fall on your sword and apologize if someone got crappy service, and invite the customer to return for a special offer; explain about the changes you're making; disagree or agree. The most important thing is to be authentic in your responses--engaging influencers and potential customers in conversation is the best thing you can do for your company.

 

About WideFoc.us
WideFoc.us (http://www.widefoc.us) specializes in media marketing strategies and ePR. The company creates constellations of brand experiences leading to targeted conversion funnels by identifying and engaging audiences and tapping into the wide-ranging conversations on the web. The company also provides conversational media sweeps, creates plans for generating cross-chatter and discussion on topics or products, and writes talking points and key messaging. Email Eric at eric@widefoc.us. 

Next week I will be featuring Manuel Diotte, author of the life-changing book titled, "Happiness is a Pair of Shorts."