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Thought Piece: Your reputation precedes you; how to manage what people are saying about your brand online. By Dan Burman, Head of Digital.
The developments at Toyota have had obvious implications on sales at the leading car giant. As marketers, we have been witness to a flurry of online brand management and reputation management articles produced as a result of such an intriguing case study
What is said about brands online and in the media is unavoidable, and when you’re behaving in a potentially risky way it pays to be aware. But where does that leave the rest of us, whose actions are not tabloid and headline fodder but who can still encounter damaging online brand reputations after a lapse in customer service has resulted in a derogatory blog or Facebook group?
Almost every single day, someone online is discussing something important to your business; your brand, your products, your employees, your competitors, your industry. Are they building buzz for your brand or are they criticising your product or service?
In a world where online reputation is more important than word of mouth, how can we ensure that the reputation we build for our brand is as we perceive it to be? How can we make sure that the marketing campaigns, the brand values, and the products and services that we work hard to deliver, are received as we intend them to be and our reputation is maintained both on and offline?
The rise of user-generated content (UGC) and social media has increased the challenge we face when it comes to managing our brands’ reputations online. Most recognise that something needs to be done but many are unclear about the best way to approach the challenge…
People Power
More than ever, your brand is in the hand of your customers. For most, the starting point for any new purchase is an online search, a trawl through reviews, forums, perhaps a question to friends via their social media channels. In fact, the official brand channels – the website, YouTube channels and so on – while undoubtedly forming part of the research into product detail, may be the least influential in terms of the final purchase decision. The decision is likely to be significantly influenced by the views of friends, peers and the wider online community. Therefore, it is critical that in addition to ensuring that they have a coherent online presence, you also have to keep a close eye on the conversations taking place about your brand.
The rise of UGC and social media has empowered consumers, but what gives with one hand can often take away with the other. ‘People Power’ on the internet has meant that brand messages are no longer solely owned by the brands themselves, and often brands have no proactive method by which to control what is said.
Monitoring your brand buzz
There are many tools available for indexing blogs, forums and the many social media sites. These work in a variety of different ways but all broadly try to give a manageable summary of positive and negative mentions for your brand. Some make a better fist of trying to indicate the nature of the comments so that it’s easier to focus on the areas that need direct attention.
Knowledge is power. No proactive or reactive step to combat any speculation, criticism or misrepresentation can be taken without first utilising the (mostly free) tools available to conduct regular searches through content, social media, blogs and forums, as to what is currently being said about your brand. And the pace to which online momentum grows means that this is an essential exercise to conduct on a frequent basis.
Some brands may feel that they don’t want to engage with customers on that level, but they may find that they are forced to in times of a crisis. It is always better to ensure a strategy is already in place to deal with any problem – a strategy that should include roles and responsibilities, method, tone of voice and process. Customer service strategy must now include social media commentators so that they can be moved into the system as effectively as any letter writer.
Responding to negative comment
A key factor in developing a brand reputation strategy is deciding who will monitor and respond to comments, and being clear how to respond. When negative comments are found it’s important to understand whether they are factually correct, malicious or even downright fraudulent, based on a misunderstanding or possibly a case of mistaken identity in the case of brands with similar names.
Transparency and even-handedness tend to be key to the best responses. Hiding your identity, trying to delete negative comments or even trying to slander an individual will only lead to bigger problems. Tackling the problem head on, acknowledging where there have been problems and publicly addressing them are all proven routes.
It’s also important to monitor and respond in real time. In the social media world, many brand mentions are time-sensitive opportunities for social engagement; whether to strengthen a positive discussion or mitigate a crisis. Ignoring or delaying an engagement opportunity can have negative impact on your brand’s reputation.
It’s not all negative!
Many articles on reputation management focus on negative comments, however it is equally important to put in place a plan for encouraging positive comment. The primary route to this is through your own channels – releasing exciting product news to your online community first, giving them the tip-off for promotions, giving them access to behind the scenes content and insight that isn’t widely available. Investing time in fostering relationships with key bloggers in your sector can also reap significant rewards and credibility for your brand.
And lastly, don’t shy away from commitment
You need to show long-term commitment to reputation management. Be clear about what resource you can afford to commit to the process and plan accordingly – half-hearted engagement can be more damaging than no engagement at all, and will send out all the wrong signals to the online community.
Otherwise, you may find yourself dealing with what Jonathan Hemus, director of Insignia, says is one of “crisis management’s most perfect tools – hindsight”!