Search Marketing Blog
Do you have skeletons in your closet?
Unfortunately, many companies do. The explosive growth of social media has created numerous opportunities for consumers to broadcast their opinions over the Internet. With the introduction of “blended” or “universal” search, it is now common for video, pictures, news items and alternative content, to show up in the search engine results pages (SERPs). A company that has spent years managing their brand’s reputation can be ruined by a single piece of negative content. Is it possible for a company to monitor and manage these issues? Yes, through Online Reputation Management (ORM).
Online Reputation Management
ORM is a hot sector of search marketing. A combination of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and traditional Public Relations, ORM leverages numerous online sources to minimize and address inflammatory consumer comments while proactively capitalizing on positive comments. Additionally, ORM provides piece of mind, allowing you to monitor every mention of your brand which in turn helps you tailor your marketing message.
Plan for Reputation Management
ORM involves continually monitoring mentions of your brand, identifying positive and negative information and the source of that information, and addressing any issues. ORM also requires a well-conceived plan of action for your company and your company’s employees.
How Do You Monitor Reputation Online?
It only takes a few hours for a story to be shared and posted on 100s of blogs and in 1,000s of media outlets. So how do you monitor this?
EngineWorks develops a list of sites, media outlets, and tools that are constantly monitored. A few examples include:
- General RSS Aggregators - Sites like Technorati.
- Social Media - Sites in your niche, like Kirtsy, Digg or Reddit.
- Buzz Sites - Yahoo Buzz or Google Hot Trends are a few of our favorites.
- Reputation Management Applications - Applications such as Andy Beal’s Trackur.
Engage and Solve the Problem
To ensure that your audience finds favorable information pertaining to your brand within the SERPs, proactive management is required. Strategies for addressing positive and negative results include:
- Search Engine Optimization - Optimize your Web presence. This includes your corporate site, blogs, communities, and micro-sites. The goal is to control as much of the SERPs as possible.
- Leverage Social Media - Actively participate in relevant social networks, industry blogs, and targeted forums. By simply participating in these communities and addressing comments you may be able to avoid major issues.
- Write Strategic Content - Is there a particular theme which arises on a regular basis? Are people complaining about a certain incident? Write strategic content which addresses these issues. Make sure your audience knows you are aware of the problem and are addressing it.
Want to Learn More?
EngineWorks can help you put together a plan of action, so that when the proverbial (insert explicative here) hits the fan – your company is prepared. Request a consultation.
Review of Trackur as a Reputation Management Tool - EngineWorks 06.24.2008 at 5:48 am
[...] we offer at EngineWorks through our Reputation Management Services. Our recent blog post titled Do you have skeletons in your closet? provided tremendous insight into the high value many companies place on the perception and [...]