The Importance of an Online Reputation Management System

The world talks about how important it is to reach your customer on a personal level.  How you reach that customer differs in every organization.  It is difficult to pinpoint the perfect strategy because every person on this plant is different from one another.  In the “Old Days”, before social media, companies reached out to customers in cold advertising.  They would put up bill boards, radio ads, television ads and even cold calls. Back in the day, there was not really a way for companies to communicate with their customers effectively.  Some of the ways were automated phone calls to customers, salesmen getting information at the point of the sale and mail/online surveys.  Those surveys had only a small percentage of responses.  The communication channel between customers and corporations was not utilized as well as it is today.  Back then corporations didn't have real time information on customer reactions to products, product launches, customer satisfaction of the company and ways customers spoke about about a company.  Today all what I have said before has changed.  Social media has rocked the marketing world by storm and social media is not going anywhere.  (The image is from Icons by Lokas Software.)

One of the Future Social Media Challenges Facing the Organization – Online Reputation

Social media continues to gain presence and relevance in today’s business.  With each passing day, organizations have to identify and stay abreast of social media channels, understand how each fits into their business plan and how to best utilize them to achieve their growth goals.  Social media plays an important role in inbound marketing and growing an online presence.  The various social media outlets allow organizations to interact directly with potential customers as well as nurture existing relationships. 

(The image by Universal Film Manufacturing Company in the Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.  Reputation (1921) - Film Daily Ad May 8 1921.)

Manage Your Online Reputation

In this day and time it seems that all things are posted online for the world to see.  This has revolutionized the way that people communicate with each other and the way that they communicate information of companies, products and services as well.  The use of social media tools can help market a company’s products and services, but it can also be very damaging as well.  A consumer can have a problem with a product and/or service and give an instant review using their Facebook status or Twitter feeds.  Or the consumer can start a blog to give their opinions, likes and dislikes about a product and/or service for the world to see in less than five minutes.

(Image by Lindsay Wheeler (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)

Who’s Really In Control?????

A reputation is all a company has to be successful.  The fact is that people are talking about companies (good or bad) whether they like it or not and it is crucial that attention is given to those conversations.  Building a good reputation is the first step, but the final task is to maintain that reputation.  Consider a good reputation like enrolling in a class.  You start off with an A, but it takes effort to maintain that A.  Companies lost control of their reputation when they are trying to maintain control, if that makes sense.  The focus is not to wipe the conversations away, but too get involved in those conversations and turn the bad into good.  Ted Leberecht, in his lecture, 3 Ways to (usefully) Lose Control of Your Brand, put it perfectly.  Companies need “more control over the loss of control.  Companies must focus on ways to manage the conversation online.  You can’t erase what is already out there, you can’t undo what is already done."

ZAPPOS: Their online presence doesn’t stink and neither should yours!

What do you do when one of the most popular rappers in the world speaks ill of your company?  If you’re online shoe retailer Zappos, you post a picture of a toilet and a plunger priced to sell fictitiously on your website for $100,000.  Yes, when rapper Kanye West made a derogatory statement in an effort to purposefully cause damage to Zappo’s CEO reputation and the company’s brand, the company reacted swiftly to put comical spin on the expletive West used in his remark.  Not only did this gesture make headline news but it also sparked an increase in visits to the site and receipt of 2,730 comments in support of this clever stunt.  The company also received tweets from other retailers praising Zappos for having the courage to protect their brand.  

(Image by Delivering Happiness Book [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) or CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)