What’s Online Reputation Management?
Author: Nicola Nelson
So, you spend time, money and effort ensuring the reputation of your company is exactly what you want it to be. But, have you considered your online reputation?
Online Reputation Management is becoming a buzz phrase in the online world as companies realise the damage that can be done to their reputation at the click of a mouse.
Imagine, you have completed a sales presentation to a prospective client — you have told them just how darn good you are and why you are the company for the job.
Now imagine that same customer leaves your meeting with a warm and fuzzy feeling but decide they should carry out a bit of Internet Research to find out as much about you as they can. Lo and behold, they turn up some less than complimentary comments about your product or service on a few forums and blogs.
Ah, the beauty of the freedom of speech. That is all well and good when people are saying complimentary things, but imagine the damage when they are not. A disgruntled employee, a less than satisfied customer or maybe a serial complainer, could all be at the root of the problem.
It is a known fact that PR is more effective as a selling tool than Advertising, why? The reason is PR is deemed to be impartial. Large corporations have even taken to adopting this practice with their TV advertising — for example the very large Supermarket who instead of telling you what good value for money their goods are, have decided to employ the services of a much loved British Comedienne to do what? Sell? No, bake bread on TV. There is no “strap line”, no “sales pitch”, they have not taken this decision without doing some research into human buying behaviour!
With this in mind, how powerful do you think negative information about your goods or service will be when deemed to be ‘impartial’?
But don’t for one moment think that this situation is limited to big businesses. You only have to look at the number of ‘review’ websites there are now to see that it can affect all size of businesses.
Remember the old adage “a happy customer will tell 2 people, an unhappy one will tell 10 times that number!” well, add the Internet into the equation at 10 times could easily become 1000 times on the information super highway!
Those companies with deep pockets are taking their online reputation management very seriously indeed. Nicky Nelson of Crystal Clear Website Marketing and Crystal Clear Virtual Assistants says; “We have noticed an increase in the number of enquiries for both Online Reputation Management, and Internet Research. Often the research we are asked to carry out is simply to determine what the online community is saying about the client who has employed our services. The outcome of which determines whether or not they require our Online Reputation Management Services!”
So, do you know what people are saying about your company, your products or your services? If not, then maybe you should!
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Online Internet Defamation and Slander
Another potential source of liability is the person who actually posted the defamatory materials. As with more general defamatory statements or materials, a poster can be held personally liable for anything posted which reflects falsely and negatively on a living person’s reputation. Posting false and explicit claims regarding a person will generally be held as defamatory for purposes of liability. However, other issues arise concerning the anonymity of the person posting the information, and if known, the jurisdiction in which they are subject.
Jurisdictional issues may arise in situations where the poster had no reason to expect that the effect of the posting would be felt in a certain jurisdiction. However, in defamation cases jurisdictional disputes are liberally ruled upon in favor of the victim. In Griffis v. Luban, the Minnesota court of appeals ruled that Alabama had jurisdiction over a Minnesota defendant who posted defamatory messages on the Internet. The defendant repeatedly posted messages on an Internet newsgroup attacking the plaintiff’s professional credentials. The plaintiff initially obtained a $25,000.00 default judgment in Alabama, which she was seeking to enforce in Minnesota. The Minnesota court ruled that the Alabama court had properly exercised jurisdiction because the effects of the messages were felt in Alabama and that the defendant should have expected that she would be sued there. An important factor in the ruling was that she had actual knowledge of the effect of the defamatory statements on the Defendant. Therefore, the Minnesota court enforced the $25,000.00 default judgment. Griffis v. Luban, 633 N.W. 2d 548 (Minn Ct. App. 2001).
However, there are cases where courts have refused to allow the exercise of personal jurisdiction based on defamatory statements. In a Pennsylvania case, the court refused to exercise jurisdiction over a New York defendant who had posted defamatory comments about a defendant on an offshore betting website. The court held that since the comments were not specifically directed at Pennsylvania, the court could not exercise personal jurisdiction over the defendant. English Sports Betting, Inc. v. Tostigan, C.A. No. 01-2202 (E.D. Pa. 2002).
The problems with bringing defamatory actions based on internet postings largely lie in proving that the defendant actually made the posting. If that connection can be made, a much stronger case can be presented and jurisdictional issues can be tackled. An attorney who is experienced in cyberlaw and internet cases can improve your chances in prevailing in any such case. Without the help of an attorney who can find and connect the evidence, most internet defamation cases will fail for lack of evidentiary sources and experience.
Church’s reputation for transparency takes a hit
Anglican Journal, by Leanne Larmondin
IN THE END, it will probably amount to a small black mark on the church’s reputation for transparency. Management at General Synod, the Anglican Church of Canada’s national office in Toronto, last summer commissioned a report on the state of the Anglican Book Centre, the church’s retail and publishing arm. Concerned by a couple of years of deep financial losses, management hoped the report would recommend a way forward for ABC’s operations.
The resulting report–kept private by management team but later obtained by the Anglican Journal–describes a “first-class operation … the measuring stick for other players” in the denominational or Christian bookstore field. But it also describes a troubled business. The report identifies management problems, accounting fees from the national church that are too high and a flawed dual reporting structure (ABC managers report to two different directors). It called for the creation of a director of ABC who is at the same level as management team, someone who is involved in ABC’s day-to-day operations. It also recommended scaling back the publishing arm to fewer titles each year. More of the recommendations of the report are detailed in the news story on p. 2.
The church elected not to release the report. They say the document was a report to management team, commissioned by them, for them. Management says the report was only one “piece of the puzzle” that helped them reach their decision to lay off staff and make dramatic changes to the day-to-day operations of the business. Finally, they said that the consultant’s contract included a privacy clause that prevents them from releasing it, and the report would likely have been written in a different way if it had been intended for the public.
Why should you care? Well, for one, if you regularly drop an envelope in the basket each Sunday, you helped pay for that report. How much? Management will not say, calling it only “a nominal sum.” Also, the report was part of the deliberations that led to the bookstore’s hours being slashed and the layoffs in September of six staff who worked in the store and in its shipping department.
ABC staff- both in the store and its shipping department–argue that they are on the front line with Anglicans every day; they are the face of the church’s national office and the public face of the Anglican church to the non-Anglican world. They deal with the seekers, with the altar guilds, with the clergy and choir directors needing prayer books and worship materials, with the proud parents of postulants who want to buy a stole for their daughter’s ordination, with the Sunday school teachers and new parents wanting decent religous books and educational materials.
ABC has had a bullseye on its back for two years now. Once a cash cow for the church–in years past, it used to cut an annual cheque to General Synod from its profits–it is the victim of changes in the publishing world brought on by megastores and online businesses like Amazon and Indigo/Chapters. Additionally, sales have dropped for staples like Common Praise, the church’s 1998 hymn book, because most parishes which would buy it have already done so; the store also took a hit from a disastrous, oft-delayed building move in 2004, which was preceded by a liquidation sale.
The bookstore’s parent organization, the Anglican Church of Canada, is in trouble–two and a half years of paying into the Residential Schools Settlement Fund has left dioceses tapped. The national office has been slowly hemorrhaging funds because its main source of income–proportional giving and contributions from dioceses–has been slowly dwindling. Once dioceses’ commitments to the settlement fund are paid in full, things may well improve.
As the church muddles through this crisis, though, it will be asking itself how things might be done differently. Those questions often lead to the desire to bring in consultants–outsiders who can cast an objective eye over the day-to-day operations that might escape those in the midst of it all. They will most assuredly get some good advice, and some, well, not-so-helpful counsel. That is what consultants can do for an organization. An organization without a vision might, however, keep casting about for answers, throwing good money after bad until one tells them what they suspected all along. The temptation might arise to keep this information secret, but that would be a mistake.
The church did not have to follow the ABC report’s recommendations to a T. It could have, and probably did, take to heart some of his suggestions as well as ideas from ABC staff. Then again, the church could have ignored it altogether; prior to General Synod 2004, the church asked a consultant to poll Canadian Anglicans about whether the church should vote on the matter of same-sex blessings at the 2004 meeting or wait until 2007. The consultants issued a report indicating that many Anglicans wanted more time to discuss the issue and that a decision should be postponed until General Synod 2007. The national faith, worship and ministry committee, however, disagreed and elected to put it to the members of General Synod 2004. That report, however, was made public.
Notes: With believers in a multitude of different countries and cultures, the Church must manage the balancing act between addressing differences and keeping its identity. This challenge is growing ever more critical through globalization and new media, which enable the immediate spread of information throughout the world.
If your Church or Pastor needs Reputation Management please contact us:
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Christian Reputation Management, Church Reputation, Pastor Reputation, Preacher Reputation, Religious Reputation Management, Ministry Reputation Management
Internet Reputation Management
Author: SEOJoe
Online reputation management is a developing field that encompasses public relations and search engine optimization.
Consumers go online to make buying decisions. When they research brands using search engines, the results that they observe often influence how they behave. Consumer generated media sites offer the general public the opportunity to express their views of brands. This information can be found in search engine results. Members of the public such as competitors, and ex-employees can take part in the online conversation which can adversely affect the brand reputation.
Online reputation management is a field that involves the monitoring of online conversation, and the action undertaken, to improved brand reputation within search engine results.
These components are extremely crucial in order to successfully marketing your website online. We the right Online Marketing firm, you company can see exponential growth with a highly satisfactory ROI. The most rewarding side effect of online marketing is the brand recognition that comes with your campaign. The actually campaign effectiveness can be tracked in terms of dollars through ROI calculations. However, this is a short term. The long term benefit of a well executed online marketing campaign will positively affect your brand. This is priceless!
Reputation Branding Is Not Just For Products, Brand Yourself
Author: Todd Ash
Authentic personal branding: Most buying decisions are based on trust, confidence, and emotions people have related to a product, service, or person. Branding is more important than marketing and sales. Branding is influencing, by creating a brand identity that associates certain perceptions and feelings with that identity.
Everyone has a Personal Brand but most people are not aware of this and do not manage this strategically, consistently, and effectively. You should take control of your brand and the message it sends and affect how others perceive you. This will help you to actively grow and distinguish yourself as an exceptional professional.
Most traditional personal branding concepts focus mainly on personal marketing, image building, selling, packaging, outward appearances, promoting yourself, and becoming famous, which can turn into an ego trip and let you be perceived as egocentric and selfish. They define personal branding from a personal marketing (selling) point of view. Personal branding is more than just marketing and promoting yourself.
Personal branding is the new holy grail of marketing. Whereas superior skills, great resources and inside knowledge at one time gave you a competitive advantage, now they are merely prerequisites if you even hope to compete in today’s competitive marketplace.
To the chagrin of the purists out there, skills, resources and knowledge have become mere commodities. Because your personal brand is uniquely about you, it will never become a commodity. Personal branding is also critically important because statistics overwhelming show people buy personalities and ideas long before they buy products/services. The trend is unmistakable. Those with the best personal brands win.
Personal branding is also not an option. Everyone has one; your current personal brand is either positive, negative or neutral. The challenge for most professionals is that they lack the discipline necessary to define their personal brands. As a result, their peers select it for them. Unfortunately, the personal brand others select for you will not always be the personal brand you would have selected for yourself.
Love is an important element in this Personal Branding equation. It is about loving yourself (self-love), loving others, and loving what you do. You should love yourself in at least equal measure to others or things. This can be found in most religions: to love others as you love yourself. Without knowing who you are (self-knowledge), it’s very difficult to love yourself and others. You need to make a positive emotional connection with yourself and find yourself interesting first, otherwise others you will not make a positive emotional connection with you and will not find you interesting. With an authentic Personal Brand, your strongest characteristics, attributes, and values can separate you from the crowd. Without this, you look just like everyone else.
It’s a way of clarifying and communicating what makes you different and special and using those qualities to separate from yourself from your peers so that you can greatly expand your success. Personal branding is the strategy behind the world’s most successful people. It is the difference between an ordinary career or business and an exceptional one.
You learn how to apply the principles of personal branding to your own practice so that you stand out among the ever-increasing number of coaches and career management professionals. This enables you differentiate your practice and greatly expand your success.
Branding isn’t just for products, services, and companies any more. There is a new trend called personal branding. Personal branding is essential to career development and is an effective career tool because it helps define who you are, what do you stand for, and what makes you unique, special, and different. Personal branding is also essential to business development. People want to do business with people they know or with whom they feel some sort of connection. If you are a familiar and consistent presence, they will have the sense that they know you and are more receptive to doing business with you.
Traditional personal branding works in the same way as company branding; communicating values, personality, and ability to its audience to produce a positive emotional response. You can shape the market’s perception of your personal brand simply by defining your unique strengths, values, and personality, sharing it with others in an exciting, persuasive manner, and cultivating your brand continuously. It’s something that you can develop and manage, which is essential for future employability and success.
Everyone should take the responsibility to learn, improve, build up their skills and be a strong brand. It’s time to make an effort to discover your genius and authentic dream, imagining and developing yourself as a powerful, consistent, and memorable personal brand. It was branding guru Tom Peters who launched the personal branding movement with an essay published in Fast Company in 1997 under the title “The Brand Called You”.
Your image reflects on your company, friends, and family. You, however, need to be accountable to yourself first. If you’re dancing on the tables at the bar, and worried about getting caught, either you have something personally wrong, or you need to find a different job that accepts your lack of inhibition. If your Facebook photos might get you in trouble, take them down, or decide you want to work at a place where they don’t care about that sort of thing.
Your personal brand is a critical asset in today’s online, virtual, and individual age. Having a good professional reputation is the key to success. Personal branding is becoming increasingly essential to personal success. It’s therefore important to be your own brand in order to be successful in life.
The image of your brand is a perception held in someone else’s mind. Successful personal branding also entails managing this perception effectively. Your personal brand is the expectations, image, and perceptions it creates in the minds of others, when they see or hear your name.
If you ignore this law, you will create mixed signals, and confusion, and all your efforts at branding will go to waste. Because the message you’re actually sending might not be the one you designed, but the one that the public picks up on in your tone and in your attitude and in your actions.
The authentic personal branding concept is durable and less cosmetic than current methods. It places more emphasis on personal development, growth in life and empowerment, and focuses on the human side of branding. Traditional personal branding approaches can turn into an ego trip.