I remain deeply skeptical about most reputation defense services. One obvious problem is that many of these services claim to undo negative publicity after the fact. In a world where Google has essentially become an on-demand private detective for the masses, that’s an approach that simply won’t work. It can take months to counteract negative information that turns up on the first page of Google search results. In some cases, it simply won’t be possible to counteract negative search results.

Companies that care about their reputation need to be proactive about creating a positive search profile and strong consumer relations well in advance of any bad news. In a world of blogs and social networks that means participating online and actively engaging consumers in a transparent and authentic manner.

If this sounds time consuming, it can be. Not only that, chances are this new approach will require a skill set that might not fit neatly into existing job descriptions or departmental structures.

However, the payoff is clearly worth the effort. Companies that succeed in building goodwill with consumers and strong organic search results will be well positioned to weather any attack on their reputation in the future.

If you’d like to talk about building an effective social media strategy with an eye towards defending your corporate reputation online, give us a call.

• How To Protect Your Reputation Online
• The Thin Web Line

Not so long ago Twitter seemed like it might be a passing fad. Recently, the service has matured to become a nearly indispensable social media tool. With Twitter’s regular outages (mostly) a thing of the past, usage is skyrocketing. As a result, the service is branching out beyond alpha-geeks and into the general population. More and more regular people are embracing Twitter as a way of communicating with friends and expressing their opinions to the masses. Frequently, those opinions involve complaints of some sort — some of those complaints may even be about your brand.

A few companies are starting to realize the value of monitoring Twitter. When TechCrunch blogger Michael Arrington tweeted about his frustration with his Comcast internet service, a company executive contacted him within 20 minutes attempting to resolve the problem. Comcast apparently tracks Twitter as part of a comprehensive effort to monitor the social media space.

A proactive monitoring approach is bound to save a lot of grief in the long run. It doesn’t take much for a Twitter meme to carry into the blogosphere, and once that happens there’s no telling where the story might go next. Just ask Dell.

It’s no surprise that Dell is already on the case with multiple Twitter accounts. The company has been proactive in its approach to social media ever since blogger Jeff Jarvis watched his Dell Hell complaint turn into an internet phenomenon.

As Read/Write web reports, Dell is not alone, being joined on Twitter by Southwest Airlines, among others.

One company that doesn’t seem to be monitoring Twitter is Washington Mutual. A user named WaMuWhooHoo has begun posting regular tweets touting WaMu’s $33 overdraft fee. In one tweet the user compares WaMu’s fees to other banks and notes “we suck less”. I somehow doubt that’s an official WaMu marketing slogan.

If you’re just getting started, here’s your action plan:

• Create a Twitter account: At a minimum you’ll want to create an account using your company name (before someone else does).
• Monitor Twitter for your brand and key terms: I’ve written about monitoring your brand in the past. Twitter should be added to the list of social media outlets that you track regularly. Use Tweetscan to search for all of your key names and phrases, then save the RSS feeds into your aggregator of choice.You might also learn a lesson from Comcast. When your search turns up something of substance, respond back via twitter as appropriate.
• Consider using Twitter as an official customer support channel: If your monitoring efforts turn up a substantial amount of commentary, it may be an indication that you need to devote official support resources to Twitter. While Twitter users may only be a small percentage of your customer base, chances are they’re a vocal and influential group. Providing them with support on their platform of choice could generate a substantial amount of good will.You may also find Twitter to be an efficient tool for support. What other support system limits a customer’s feedback to a mere 140 characters?

Do you have an online reputation management strategy?

Unfortunately, for many businesses online reputation management is an afterthought. It’s only after something major goes wrong that businesses begin thinking about the issue, and by then it can be too late.

A recent New York Times article (via Pronet Advertising) documents some of the pitfalls that can occur when angry customers take their grievances to the web.

So, what’s a business to do? Here’s a checklist you can use to start developing your own online reputation management program:

1. Monitor your brands and key assets. The first step is the most obvious. If you want to know what people are saying about you, you have to make an effort to monitor the conversations that are taking place around the web.There are a number of services that allow you to easily monitor activity on blogs and social web sites. Use Technorati and Google News to setup saved search queries that monitor the web for references to key assets. These searches can be setup to run at regular intervals. Any time a new result is found you’ll be notified by email. Both services also offer RSS feeds for your search results.

   Make sure you setup searches for your company name, all brand or product names, service names, and key employees within your company.

   When a new reference to any of your search phrases turns up in your inbox, be sure to check it out immediately. It’s worth noting that it’s not always bad news. You’ll want to know when you’re getting good publicity as well.

2. Blog and engage in relevant social media sites. The biggest risk is that someone will post something negative about your company that will rise to the top of the search engine results. This is less likely to happen if you’ve spent time developing and cultivating your search profile. The best way to do that is by blogging, acquiring positive links and mentions from around the web, and participating in social networking sites where appropriate.Use blogging and social media interaction as an opportunity to tell your story and establish a dialogue with your customers. The relationship you build with your customers now will be a valuable asset if your reputation ever comes under attack.

   The SEO consultant quoted in the NYT article estimated that it could take a year to push a negative reference off the first page of the search engine results (at a cost of $3,000 per month). When your reputation is under attack a year isn’t fast enough. Better to start building those positive links and references to your company now — at a much lower cost. The more positive references there are to your business on the web, the harder it will be for a single negative comment or blog post to rise to the top of the search results.

3. Protect your name. Ideally, you should own the rights to the .com, .net, and .org domain names associated with your company and brand names. The last thing you want is a competitor in control of your identity on the web.Also, as The NYT article notes, your brand names should be trademarked. That will prevent unauthorized use of your name, but having control of the domain names to begin with will prevent the need for litigation.

   I’ve heard some experts recommend registering what are commonly referred to as gripe domains. I’m less enthusiastic about this idea. While you might sleep better at night owning the name MyCompanySucks.com, critics can be quite creative in their choice of domain names. Think of all of the variations of gripe domains that can be created based on your company name and you’ll quickly realize that you could spend a substantial amount of time and money acquiring and managing a portfolio of domain names as a paranoid strategy against possible misuse. Better to trademark your name to prevent it from being used in any negative context.

While these initial steps won’t prevent your company from being unfairly attacked online, they will at least minimize the damage. And when someone does make an effort to damage your company’s reputation there’s a good chance you’ll know about the attack right away. How you respond is another matter entirely.

Some negative references will be legitimate complaints about your product or service. If that’s the case, use the opportunity to set things right with the angry customer. Doing so in a timely manner will likely win you a loyal customer for life, and could even generate a positive buzz around your company.

Unfortunately, not all criticisms will be reasonable or rational. As the business owner profiled in the NYT article found out, sometimes the only solution is to resort to taking legal action. Also, it’s worth nothing that when dealing with an irrational critic, sometimes responding directly can actually make the situation worse. Dealing with this type of criticism more of an art than a science, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.