Social media allows anyone with a grudge to disparage, condemn and slander others online — often with fake identities or behind a mask of anonymity. Some customers state legitimate complaints. Others post unreasonable grievances. And a whole host of characters, including unethical competitors, disgruntled employees and short sellers, attack reputations with false information.
There’s little wonder, then, why the online reputation management business has exploded into a multi-billion industry. Hundreds of agencies and services monitor, repair, improve, and police the reputations of individuals and businesses. Many services based in developing countries have little understanding of brand management in developed markets. They often employ unsavory tactics that can further damage brand reputation.
Desperate victims of social media attacks sometimes succumb to the reputation management consultants who promise quick fixes to tarnished reputations — guaranteed. Public relations experts, legitimate reputation management experts, and established social media monitoring services like Glean.info say beware. They compare firms promising quick reputation fixes to snake oil salesmen selling concoctions guaranteed to cure whatever ails you. Of all the many myths circulating in the online reputation management field, the claim that reputations can be repaired quickly is the most common.
Reputation Management Requires Patience
When attacked online, companies and other victims naturally feel an urge to respond quickly and forcefully. Resist that urge, reputation management experts advise. Strong responses can draw attention to negative comments and keep the attacks high in search engine results.
“While it’s hard not to respond to a basher, I urge you to step back, breathe deep and avoid such an online confrontation,” advises entrepreneur Kevin Harrington in Forbes. “The usual end result of such a direct response is that the negative posting remains high in search results and you often come away without the vindication you seek.”
Sometimes, reputation management services advise to produce other content that will push the negative content down in the rankings. That strategy sometimes helps, but only if the content is legitimate news or well-placed opinion. Experts recommend: Don’t flood the internet with phony news releases, accolades, awards or customer reviews. Viewers may flag the content as fraudulent, and competitors and media outlets may notice.
“A savvy consumer can smell a rotten egg very quickly; a savvy journalist can use that rotten egg to whip up a nasty omelet of negativity,” Harrington says.
Some businesses attacked by a deluge of fake, negative online reviews have told current and past customers of the attacks. They ask customers to post favorable, but honest, reviews. If your business has accumulated good will and loyal customers, those new reviews will help crowd out negative comments. However, not all organizations have had time to build up a large reservoir of good will.
Please Remain Calm
Sometimes remaining calm and doing nothing is the best strategy, writes Jon Goldberg, founder and chief reputation architect of Reputation Architects Inc., in an article for PRSA. When maligned, people feel pressure to respond – to “do something.” But that urge can cloud judgement. Overreacting is the quickest way to draw attention to content that few people would see otherwise.
“Where reputation is concerned, patience is a virtue. Change doesn’t happen overnight, at least not good change,” Goldberg says.
To protect your brand’s online reputation, experts recommend that organizations take proactive steps. The main points include:
Monitor social media and online news sources for mentions of your company, products and other keywords. A media monitoring service will report spikes in negative comments and changes in sentiment that may call for your attention. Initiating friendly conversations, as opposed to confronting critics, and solving customer problems helps stop negative comments from spreading.
Admit mistakes. Rather than being defensive, admit when the company’s products or services where not up to standards. Issue sincere apologies for mistakes.
Continually publish positive news and content and follow a PR plan to promote positive media coverage in both online earned media – “the press” — and owned media such as the corporate and brand websites.
“To address online challenges to your organization’s good standing, forget about sleight-of-hand and Google-gaming,” Goldberg says. “Nourish your online reputation with a consistent diet of wholesome content. Your search results — and your own mental health — will reap the benefits.”
Bottom Line: Unsavory online reputation management consultants prey on companies that are desperate to repair their damaged reputations. Experts urge companies to distrust their promises of quick fixes. Developing a solid reputation takes time. A proactive, long-term PR plan with ongoing media monitoring and measurement is the most reliable path to a good reputation.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
Mr. Comcowich’s on-target article regarding on-line reputation management also applies to what I’ve always advised clients regarding print PR crisis situations: Don’t feel that you must respond when a crisis develops. Responding too fast before facts can be verified always leads to additional negative stories. The immediate response should be something like, “”We’re checking the situation and will get back to you after we’ve had time to verify information.” But too often, clients in crisis situations will rush to hire so-called crisis specialists because they believe that they can curtail the damage, especially negative news stories. Nonsense: Only the media can determine when a story has run its course. A quick review of PR crisis reporting will prove my point. Clients in crises situations should remember my tenet: There is no one size fits all crisis situation solution. Each one deserves original thinking.
And as Mr.Comcowich has written re on-line situations, I have long advised clients not to pounce upon negative media stories. Wait a day or two. Sometime they just go away.