Reputation Management, or What You Don't Know Really Can Hurt You
Posted by Beth Hrusch on Fri, Aug 07, 2009
I came across this term the other day- reputation management. What does that mean? I wondered. I guess it would be good to be able to control what others think about me, to manage my reputation so well that I'm always credible, likeable, etc., but I don't know- is it possible?
Marketing departments seem to be wondering the same thing these days. Studies are starting to indicate that brands with high social media activity are more profitable than those without. Considering the fact that reputations are made by the power of word-of-mouth, I guess it isn't surprising that companies engaging in conversation with their markets are more likely to score.
It goes both ways, of course. Social media can just as easily destroy a reputation, and it can certainly damage a brand. There's no magic formula for how to use social media for marketing purposes, and slip-ups are going to happen. I picture the ear-whisperings that go on after a public relations debacle (think "Dell Hell", etc.). How quickly the angry rant of an influential blogger travels through the web!
All the more reason to keep your ear to the ground. Stay on top of what's going on out there. Listen to what people are saying. If Dell had realized how powerful social media was way back in 2005, they would have fixed that guy's computer when he asked them to. Instead, they ended up with a public relations nightmare that reverberates to this day.
As Walter Schwabe of Fusedlogic once said, "Engagement is the number one obstacle you're going to face. It's tough! Build it and they will come? It doesn't work that way!"
In other words, you need to go to them.
It kind of makes you want to run out and engage in conversation with your target market, doesn't it?