The term brand reputation management has been around for some time now and,
over the past year or so, more websites have explored the possibilities of
getting away from the hackneyed SEO tag and have embraced the need for brand
restoration and management as forms of modern business communications are
far broader and personal than reacting to negative posts on Google.
A recent article on Mashable spoke with five companies, with each taking a
different path to co-ordinating a company's message on various media
classes. Some media types work much better with personalised communications,
such as Twitter, with personal customer interactions, suggestions, industry
retweets, adventures, film and documentaries, while Facebook seems to lend
itself towards more behind-the-scenes content, such as newsletters,
Instagram posts, video links, magazine features, Google maps of store
locations, product launches, books, customer photos, exclusive discounts for
Facebook fans, news updates, etc.
So when we talk about brand reputation management it surely isn't all about
mere brand restoration from an unscrupulous business rival or dissatisfied
customer. It goes much further than traditional SEO and the manipulation of
search engine listings; this involves looking at all the major media
channels and deciding what approach should be taken and how to achieve it.
In the Mashabale articles, they cited women's apparel fashion designer Tory
Burch as perhaps the best spokesperson on how to achieve this mix, when she
opined that "social networks are not best used as a conduit to the brand's
marketing messages, but rather a place for "of the moment" and
"off-the-cuff" comments that are "compelling". Add to this the blog,
YouTube promotional videos, Pinterest and Tumblr and you perhaps get to the
point where the brand consultant brings scope and understanding of how these
media types work to the table.
Social communications require a voice that lends itself to feeling a
connection with the brand: they want the company to be approachable. But
keeping the voice consistent and broadcast in tones relevant across a
disparate range of media channels is challenging. But, in my view, that is
the role of the brand consultant, not just knocking back comments that are
negative.
Other considerations can be found in the approach and manner in which the
brand voice is being dealt with. One of the worst cases of bad press is
denial. Remember the affects on the company following the BP oil spill? This
is a classic example of the press highlighting the inadequacy of management
at addressing the issue. Later, they included an entire section on their
website through admission of responsibility and steps they were taking to
tackle the problem.
Social media does not take kindly to dishonest communication and denial of
responsibility where a company is at fault. Instead they should admit their
mistakes and speak directly with customers to reassure them that the problem
is being rectified with good intent.
my motto is "Keep it simple" and "don't leave anything for tomorrow that can
be done today."
If you have any questions or comments please contact me.
Regards Gerald
Website: http://www.webcraft.ws
E-mail: gerald@webcraft.ws
Twitter: WebcraftGuru
Facebook: Webcraft Guru
I'm protected by SpamBrave
http://www.spambrave.com/
Comments