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In the age of consumer generated media
(CGM) image is everything - your brand is
at the mercy of the public more than ever
before. Sometimes a review of a faulty
product or poor customer experience can
find their way online, where the message
can be duplicated and spread quickly
and mercilessly. Recently, underhanded
tactics such as writing negative or inane
blog posts while posing as an associate
of a competitor's company have started
popping up online.
Just as positive customer testimonials
and word-of-mouth marketing can help
your site soar, the opposite can bring it
crashing down. If you value the equity
you have built in your brand then it is
imperative that you monitor and manage
its reputation.
Why you should monitor
and manage reputation
It should come as no surprise that CGM
impacts consumers' perceptions and
their buying decisions. But weblogs, newsgroups
and forums are not just available
to the millions of Web users that frequent
them - the content from those sites and
pages has now made its way into natural
search listings. Since most of us never
scroll beyond the first page of results, it's
easy to see how important this virtual
search engine real estate is (as well as the
original CGM sources) and how vital it is
to create a consistent brand experience
online and a positive reputation across all
channels.
The What and How of
Reputation Monitoring
What exactly are we monitoring? Pretty
much everything; total buzz (mentions),
influential media and new sources, detractors
and supporters, demographics
and even sentiment. And what you are really
looking for are patterns - e.g. positive
vs. negative citations. There are plenty of
tools to help you get started. Some free
and very effective resources include Blog-
Pulse, Feedster, Technorati, CyberAlert
and CustomScoop. Still, these services
can not act as a standalone replacement
to personnel dedicated to managing your
reputation online.
More Tools for
Reputation Monitoring
Blog tracking is the easiest way to get
started. You can create custom RSS
feeds with your company name, the
names of your competitors as well as
any important key terms associated
with your business. You might also want
to use Google or Yahoo! News Alerts
(issue tracking), Web groups and even
press releases to help identify scraper
sites and those who plagiarize content.
There are also several sites such as www.
forumfind.com and www.boardtracker.
com that will help site owners and marketers
keep track of the conversation on
Web forums.
The Real Value in
Reputation Monitoring
Understanding and mapping the conversation
(what is being said and the volume
and visibility of the communication) can
provide you with insights to mobilize
your influential allies and make the most
of messages circulating the Web. Mapping
the conversation will also give you insights
into how to persuade influential's
and quell negative issues that arise from
your detractors.
With the prolific rise of CGM, consumers
are being bombarded with content that
influences their opinions and buying decisions.
Since many consumers are unable
to differentiate between content provided
by businesses and content provided from
non-affiliate third parties, perceptions are
defining reputations. As such, it's crucial
that your company is positioned positively
in the minds of consumers by monitoring
and managing your reputation online. It's
also important to remember the speed at
which these messages can be delivered
and spread - monitor frequently. Doing so
will limit the problem of mixed messages,
negative impressions and unscrupulous
opponents.
Read full article at websitemagazine.com