Online Reputation: Using pr to protect and enhance the brand

Published  2007

Online communities are increasingly impacting on, or influencing, corporate and brand reputation. And the communication tool best equipped to help corporate managers and brand marketers manage their way through the social media maze is public relations.  

In our most recent PR Influences we set the scene we argued that reputation of the brand or organisation - traditionally managed by pr - is no longer assessed by traditional media coverage. 

We also provided access to ‘The See-Through CEO’ -an in-depth look from Wired magazine at why and how organisations need to be gearing themselves to cope with the new phenomenon of online.   

What’s the difference between traditional and online media?

Some of the key points to emerge from these two articles were:

• Online is increasingly where rumours start and where they spread - often uncontrollably.
• With conventional media there is a chance of debate and possibly retraction - or at least some semblance of balance. The online community is not bound by convention or ethics.
• Newspapers and magazines are pulped and recycled. Television and radio programs fade from the memory. Online coverage is potentially there for eternity - and always accessible.

What is being said about online and the environment it creates? 

“The Internet accelerates and amplifies public opinion like nothing that has come before it. And because of this, the voice of the angry consumer has never been louder.  

“Today, while customers can act swiftly in digital space - using fast publishing tools like blogs and wikis to amplify their arguments- most brands don’t have the ability to move as quickly…………. Brands need to not only have access to the tools, but need to understand Web culture well enough to use the tools as effectively as their customers”.

 Marc Schiller in AdWeek, 2007.

 “Google is not a search engine. Google is a reputation-management system. Online your reputation is quantifiable, findable and totally unavoidable.

 “The reputation economy creates an incentive to be more open not less. Since Internet commentary is inescapable, the only way to influence it is to be part of it”.

 The See-Through CEO - Wired magazine, 2007.

 “You can't try to tell different audiences different stories any longer. Your mission and message has to be the same across all mediums now because you will be cross referenced through online social media. Misalignment is easier to pinpoint these days than ever before. So you can't tell the investor community one thing, employees another and customers on one coast another. Everything must be consistent in the world of new media. You can't contradict your brand promise and expect to get away with it—that's the power of social media: mass cross referencing. They will keep you true to your reputation. If you have a twisted tongue, they will catch it”.

K.C. Brown, Vice President of Client Development, Cision U.S.   Bulldog Reporter, 2007

How does the advent of Online change communication strategy and tactics? 

• It undermines the management technique of ‘heads down and let’s only react if we are really forced to’. 
• It changes the whole communications model. Previously it was all about communicating with few (media and influencers) to reach many. Now it’s about communicating with many to reach  your targeted or niche audience
• It challenges the concept of different messages to different audiences and publics because each is in its own silo (as explained in the quote above). I still think it needs to be targeted content though?
• It dramatically speeds up the whole communication process. For communicators it’s the equivalent of living in today’s instant email world versus yesteryear’s post-only hard copy letters.
• It puts more emphasis on communicators understanding (and using) the tools to reach online communities
• It increases the need for interface between communicators/pr people and the CEO and Marketing Director because a lot of online communication simply can’t be delegated. Authenticity of communication is one of the hallmarks of the web 2.0 world
• It increases the need for online issues monitoring - whereas once we were just receiving clippings and broadcast transcripts we now need to monitor the social media.

 How do you cope with rumour, innuendo and falsehoods online? 

If you feel that protecting the corporate or brand reputation is difficult enough dealing with tabloid news media  - from Sunday papers to ‘A Current Affair’ or ‘Today Tonight’- then be prepared for it to be even harder when dealing with online audiences.

The key criteria for working with online audiences are:

• Buy in. Senior management have to understand the importance of the task.
• Engagement. Online is a collaborative community. The key is to engage with them - not talk to them.
• Commitment. As with any audience you must make a commitment to communicate on an ongoing basis. Dipping in and out will not work.
• Integrity.  Online is a potentially cruel community. Any falsehoods or mis-representations are easily exposed.

Some of the techniques that are used specifically to counter rumours and falsehoods include: 

• Website strategies.  A specific section can be created on your website where you address ‘upfront’ an issue that online communities are ‘hot’ about. This no different to the traditional method of producing materials for the media, or in the case of a major issue, taking paid advertisements, in major media. In this case your arguments are on your site, able to be accessed 24/7.
• Search engine strategies.  Material can be written, published and distributed and search optimised so that it ranks highly in the natural or organic pages of Google and other search engines. The aim is to compete for listings under key search terms or keywords that relate to the issue - so that it’s not all negative stories on that listing. A key aim of this strategy is to take visitors back to your web site to view your perspective.
• Engagement strategies.  Blogs and forums can be identified and ‘engaged’ in much the same way as with traditional pr when a debate might be held with journalists and media who are attacking the organisation. However, this is a more dangerous strategy because of the undisciplined nature of online communities. But it can be done using experts who ‘walk the talk’ and know the rules about how to converse and engage online. 

Why pr is the tool to use in online communities?

• The web (especially social media) is increasingly about ‘tell me’ or ‘show me’ (pr information/education) not ‘sell me’ (advertising). The task is to produce information that online communities find helpful and useful - and which encourages them to reach their own conclusion.
• Being found online (especially by Google) is about content not images. Most websites cannot be ranked by Google because they are driven by design and images - whereas Google ranks on content and relevance. PR - with its roots in journalism - is the tool to use to create and publish content that will help you be found (and be ranked) by search engines.
• Engaging in conversations online takes a lot of skill - especially coming from a corporate perspective. But theoretically it’s very similar to talking to media - and pr is entrusted with that task. It therefore makes sense for pr to also be given the responsibility for managing the relationship with online communities and social media.
• But beware. While pr is the obvious tool to use in online communities this is really only a skill and expertise that has been developed to date in the Northern Hemisphere. In Australia most pr agencies - and very few pr people inhouse - have yet to understand the online world let-alone be capable of implementing projects or campaigns. So tread with caution.  

Five tips for engaging with the online community

1 Do your homework.

Don’t just rush in and communicate or pitch to a blogger. Is this the right forum, blog to approach?. Understanding the personality of that forum or blog and make a decision as to whether they will be receptive takes time. You need to get involved in the community not simply sell to it.

2 Add Value

Be sure that you are adding value to the online communities rather than just taking from it. Be sure to provide interesting content to those sites in relevant digital online formats.

3 Respect

Respect that each community has its own style and personality and some may not want to engage with you.

4 Authenticity/Honesty

Be upfront and honest. Online communities can smell a scam from a mile away - you will be found out eventually if you are doing something dishonest so start the right way!

5 Gain advice from pr agencies that have experience in this arena

If you are unsure about where to start contact a pr agency that has experience in this area. They will be able to assist you and give you advice regarding where to start