The News Could Be You: Managing Your Brand Reputation Online

By Katlen Tillman | 7 Comments | Posted in | Permalink

Technorati Tags: personal branding, PR, reputation management, social media

Online reputation management has become an increasingly hot topic as mass adoption of social media progresses. There are no shortages of issues or drama that overtakes blog posts, trending topics and social commentary, the new reality is that no brand – whether consumer or personal – is exempt. I know I am stating the obvious here, but it’s for this reason that engaging in social media is tenuous for companies and individuals, since there is always a potential for risk; however, whether or not you choose to participate, if something is going to happen it will whether you’re ready or not.

Looking at the new ‘news’ consumer which uses multiple platforms to access the news, with approximately 72% of U.S. news consumers indicating they do so “because they enjoy talking with others about what is happening in the world” (source: Pew, www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Online-News.aspx) suggests that people do so to follow the dramatic narrative that may directly or indirectly touch their lives – and reality can be stranger than fiction.

News isn't just produced in the newsroom anymore.
With the onset of citizen journalism, seemingly innocuous encounters between people in public have the ability to become a 'news' story that is disseminated and shared at a local and global level. The power to elevate an issue is now in the hands of anyone who has something to say. There is happenstance and momentum that can quickly build - catching fire through social channels when fueled properly.

Categories of developing 'news' that have recently inspired conversation waves across the social Web have included:

• Consumer watch groups and commentary on corporate business practices -- such as Nestle and the case with Greenpeace
• Business decisions that can impact consumers -- such as Apple vs. Adobe and the exchanges that ensued once Apple announced that Flash would not be supported on their iPhone and iPad products
• Businesses making decisions or causing situations that impacts society or stakeholders -- such as BP and their focus on traditional media to communicate and then engaging in social media a day late 
• Perception, perspective, or situation related to an individual that spirals out and causes a gossip cycle -- such as Tiger Woods and his long period of silence while social commentary was running amuck on blogs, the Twitterverse, and across Facebook and other social networks.

It can happen to you.
Looking at these scenarios it’s very easy to fall into that place of thinking that ‘it can’t happen to me.’ But you never know when you might find yourself in a situation where a person might misconstrue an interaction and choose to take it online. Brand or personal brand, everyone is at risk at some level.

When managing a company or a personal brand do differences exist?
No way. Both are equally as important in terms of how the crisis is handled, and the same guiding principles are applicable since the damage to reputation can be just as detrimental. A Pew study found that 44% of adults online have searched for information on people who they seek services or consult with professionally. (source Pew: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Reputation-Management.aspx?r=1) Brand, personal or not, managing your reputation online matters.

Here are 6 basic steps for reputation management during a crisis:

1. Listen - Whether you implement a full strength monitoring tool or use something as simple as a Google alert, knowing that something has happened is the first step in moving towards a resolution and not missing a critical development that can be more damaging if left unaddressed.
2. Act quickly yet deliberately - The goal is to address the situation with the right reaction, making decisions from a place of emotion rather than logic in these instances can prove destructive to your brand.  How you’ll act or respond naturally will depend on the situation and the impact, but being deliberate instead of rash is the key, and responding quickly shows responsiveness.
3. Assess whether it’s true or false – If it’s true, face it head on in a professional manner and work to find a resolution, demonstrating that you are listening and acknowledging the situation. Many times taking it offline is helpful. If it’s false, contact the individual through Twitter, their blog or e-mail and in a friendly manner request that the information is corrected. But the main thing here is to be   professional and take the high road, remember that your customers/potential customers are watching.
4. Engage responsibly and with integrity – These are especially important values when engaging online since the repercussions for not being truthful or inappropriate can be long-lasting.
5. Counter pages with pages in search – The more content you put out there, the better you can balance the pages that are in search results. You are definitely in control of the content you create whether it’s on your site, your Twitter or Facebook pages or in forum or board posts.
6. Wash, rinse and repeat, if needed – Some brands are more targeted for attacks than others, and this might be an ongoing process.

Today’s digital world has made aspects of marketing and professional communication more complex than ever. But by starting with monitoring your brand – corporate or personal – it’s that first step towards decreasing risk of not being ready for when a crisis arises.