Reputation Management

1
Reputation Management
A Closer Look At Blogs
Nan_at_redboots.com
2
Some of our clients have serious issues

• global warming, pollution, genetically modified
  foods, equal pay, labor rights, corporate
  misconduct, predatory lending, medical
  malpractice reform, death penalty reform, right
  to die, gay marriage, abortion, illegal
  immigration, stem cell research, school choice,
  foster care reform, child poverty, wilderness
  protection, energy policy, biotechnology, youth
  voting, public health, Iraq war, privacy rights,
  AIDS, social security, animal born disease, civil
  rights, separation of church and state, community
  development, affordable housing, youth violence,
  teen pregnancy, homelessness, microenterprise
  development, higher education reform, disaster
  relief, poverty relief, family planning, violence
  against women, racial profiling, welfare reform,
  campaign finance reform

3
Reputation Management A Closer Look at Blogs

• Blog Basics
• Why Blogs are important in Reputation Management
• Monitoring Blogs
• Effective Engagement in the Blogosphere

4
Blog Basics
1 new Blog per second Technotati tracks 35.3
million Blogs (April 2006) 39 of Internet Users
(57 million American Adults) report reading Blogs
Sources EMarketer, Business of Blogging 2006
Pew Internet American Life, 2006 Blogging
Survey Technorati 2006
5
Blog Basics

• 77 think Blogs are a good way to get information
  about a company or product
• 33 of Journalists say they use Blogs to uncover
  breaking news or scandals
• Blogs account for 26 of SE rankings on Fortune
  500 Company/Brand names
• Blogs appeared in News Search SERPS on 7 of the
  top 10 Fortune 100 companies Feb 2006
• Bloggers most trusted source of information about
  companies/products OTHER BLOGGERS (62.8)
• Sources ComScore, BBC Report, Euro RSGC Magnet
  Survey, Jupiter Media, RB Search on Google News
  Feb 23rd, 2006 Emarketer, Business of Blogging
  2006

6
Blogs and Consumer Generated Media
44 of Internet users create content, but how
much of that is Blogs?
Google Groups/UseNet
Blogs
Discussion Boards/Forums/Opinion Review Sites
Note This data is several months old does not
include other forms of social media. Latest
numbers show only 8 create Blogs.
Sources Pew Internet American Life 2005
Intelliseek, 2005
7
If Blogs arent the biggest source of Consumer
Generated Media, why are they so important?
8
Search Engines give Blogs an inflated Share of
Voice
9
Blogs are highly visible across multiple Search
channels
10
Blogs dominate SERPs onBrand negative
keyword searches

• Citing norms
• Linking
• Tagging
• Fast Indexing
• 8 of 10 top listings on Dell Hell

11
Blogs are the source of long term, consistent
voices
12
Jeff Jarvis Dell Hell July 2005 - ???
13
Bloggers can develop a following quickly (and
unexpectedly)
14
6 of the top 10 Blogs were either not around last
year or were not in top 100
15
Bloggers create CGM across multiple channels
16
Dave So many CGM opportunities, so little time

• Dave
• 2 Blogs
• 1 Family Genealogy Site
• 42 reviews (books, movies)
• 2 comments on Volokh Conspiracy (indexed by
  search engines) led to one original post on VK

17
And not just any CGMBloggers are highly
engaged in social interaction technology, which
is strongly viral and visible on search engines
18
Bloggers and Social Interaction

• 44 of Bloggers have taken existing content
  (video, audio, images, etc.), remixed it and
  shared online
• 77 of Bloggers have authored original, non-text
  content (video, audio, etc.) and shared online
• Bloggers report that My Space is the 2 most
  preferred Blogging platform (LiveJournal is 1)
• So what?

19
Bloggers are powerful viral agents for content
that is ALREADY powerfully viral
67 of links to recent Mel Gibson videos are
Bloggers
20
Chevy Tahoe Example

• Spring 2006 Chevy launches The Apprentice
  online contest to create the best TV commercial
  for the Chevy Tahoe
• Environmental groups seize the opportunity ask
  members and supporters to create protest
  commercials

21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
Fearing that Chevy will remove the protest ads,
creators post them on You Tube
Bloggers light the viral fire
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
Journalists follow Blogs
28
Euro RSCG Magnet Survey

• 51 of journalists use Blogs regularly
• 70 for work-related tasks
• 53 to find story ideas
• 43 to research and reference facts
• 36 to find sources
• 33 to uncover breaking news or scandals

29
Ok, I get it. What am I supposed to do about it?
30
Step 1 Listen/Monitor
31
Monitor what Bloggers are saying to stay in front
of developing problems!
Influence of Speaker Demographics Mentions/Speaker
s Citation Trends
32
Monitoring what is visible in Search Engines
Monitor Rankings/Changes in Rankings On

• General Negative
• Company problems
• Company criticisms
• Company product reviews
• Company lies
• Company sucks
• Issue Negative
• Walmart sex discrimination
• Walmart pollution
• Walmart environment
• Walmart morning after pill

Activist Organization Terminology Walmart
Protest Walmart Take Action Activist
Organizations/Names Greenpeace
Monsanto CEO/Key Staff Names Product Feature
Attributes Acura Lexus Reliability Pampers
safety
33
Step 2 Get Over It Take a deep breath and
Engage. If you engage effectively, there may be
fewer voices to drown out or push down in the
rankings

• 50 of Bloggers write about companies once per
  week
• Only 21 report regular contact from companies
  they write about most in the form of unsolicited
  press releases
• 48 say they are NEVER contacted by companies
• Only 2 say they dont want contact

Sources Emarketer Business of Blogging, 2006
Edelman/Technorati Survey
34
Develop a trust-based relationship with Bloggers
50 of negative word of mouth stems from a
feeling of injustice!
Dell, You Just Dont Get It (BL Ochman) Two
posts on Dell one to one Blog have noted that
they think I am very pleased and satisfied that
someone from Dell called me to say they wanted to
resolve the Dell technical support issues Ive
had So Dell, stop saying that I am thrilled
with these phone calls. Because, like your blog,
they are nothing but a PR Ploy

• Communicate (Talk AND Listen) regularly the
  good, the bad, the mistakes
• Dont develop a reputation for shilling,
  spamming, or participating in any unethical
  marketing practices!
• Dont sugar coat, dont misquote or misrepresent
  a Bloggers opinion
• Develop a response protocol for negative
  coverage!

35
Consider Creating Blog(s)

• Dont do it without a clear vision
• Dont use the Blog for spin (Dell)
• Be prepared for negative comments, negative
  reviews, etc. and RESPOND
• Content strategy should focus on what interests
  the customer, not on the marketing message you
  are trying to drill into the customers head.
  Interesting examples
• www.Nirol.com/us/blog
• www.fordoutfront.com

36
Engage Bloggers for feedback

• Bloggers are early adopters consider allowing
  them to preview your new product or service or to
  review it
• Dont be afraid of negative coverage! If there
  is a problem and you fix it, you will get kudos,
  positive coverage and perhaps a big fan

37
Turn happy customers into Bloggers
38
Encourage customer evangelists to Blog
39
The best marketing wont fix bad products, bad
customer service, bad business practices, etc.
Final Thought

• You can put lipstick on a hog and call it
  Moniqueits still just a pig.
• Ann Richards, Former Governor of Texas