Nan Dawkin
Reputation Management
A Closer Look At Blogs
Some of our clients have serious issues…
global warming, pollution, genetically modified foods, equal pay, labor rights, corporate misconduct, predatory lending, medical malpractice reform, death penalty reform, right to die, gay marriage, abortion, illegal immigration, stem cell research, school choice, foster care reform, child poverty, wilderness protection, energy policy, biotechnology, youth voting, public health, Iraq war, privacy rights, AIDS, social security, animal born disease, civil rights, separation of church and state, community development, affordable housing, youth violence, teen pregnancy, homelessness, microenterprise development, higher education reform, disaster relief, poverty relief, family planning, violence against women, racial profiling, welfare reform, campaign finance reform…
Nan@redboots.com
Reputation Management: A Closer Look at Blogs
• Blog Basics
• Why Blogs are important in Reputation Management
• Monitoring Blogs
• Effective Engagement in the Blogosphere
Nan@redboots.com
Blog Basics
1 new Blog per second
Technotati tracks 35.3 million Blogs (April
2006)
39% of Internet Users
(57 million American
Adults) report reading
Blogs
Sources: EMarketer, Business of
Blogging 2006; Pew Internet &
American Life, 2006 Blogging Survey;
Technorati 2006
Nan@redboots.com
Blog Basics
• 77% think Blogs are a good way to get information about a company or product
• 33% of Journalists say they use Blogs to uncover breaking news or scandals
• Blogs account for 26% of SE rankings on Fortune 500 Company/Brand names
• Blogs appeared in News Search SERPS on 7 of the top 10 Fortune 100 companies; Feb 2006
• Bloggers most trusted source of information about companies/products:
OTHER BLOGGERS (62.8%)
Sources: ComScore, BBC Report, Euro RSGC Magnet Survey, Jupiter Media, RB Search on Google News Feb 23 rd , 2006; Emarketer, Business of Blogging 2006
Nan@redboots.com
Blogs and Consumer Generated Media
44% of Internet users create content, but how much of that is Blogs?
Blogs
Sources: Pew Internet & American Life 2005; Intelliseek, 2005
Google Groups/UseNet
Discussion Boards/Forums/Opinion &
Review Sites
Note: This data is several months old; does not include other forms of social media.
Latest numbers show only 8% create Blogs.
Nan@redboots.com
If Blogs aren’t the biggest source of
Consumer Generated Media, why are they so important?
Nan@redboots.com
Search Engines give Blogs an inflated
“Share of Voice”
Nan@redboots.com
Blogs are highly visible across multiple Search channels
Nan@redboots.com
Blogs dominate SERPs on“Brand + [negative keyword]” searches
•Citing norms
•Linking
•Tagging
•Fast Indexing
…8 of 10 top listings on “Dell
Hell”
Nan@redboots.com
Blogs are the source of long term, consistent voices
Nan@redboots.com
Jeff Jarvis & Dell Hell: July 2005 - ???
Nan@redboots.com
Bloggers can develop a following quickly (and unexpectedly)
Nan@redboots.com
6 of the top 10 Blogs were either not around last year or were not in top 100…
Nan@redboots.com
Bloggers create CGM across multiple channels
Nan@redboots.com
Dave: So many CGM opportunities, so little time
Dave:
• 2 Blogs
• 1 Family Genealogy Site
• 42 reviews (books, movies)
• 2 comments on Volokh
Conspiracy (indexed by search engines); led to one original post on VK
Nan@redboots.com
And not just any CGM…
Bloggers are highly engaged in
social interaction technology
, which is strongly
viral
and
visible on search engines
Nan@redboots.com
Bloggers and Social Interaction
• 44% of Bloggers have taken existing content (video, audio, images, etc.), remixed it and shared online;
• 77% of Bloggers have authored original, non-text content (video, audio, etc.) and shared online;
• Bloggers report that My Space is the #2 most preferred Blogging platform (LiveJournal is #1);
• So what?
Nan@redboots.com
Bloggers are powerful viral agents for content that is
ALREADY powerfully viral…
67% of links to recent Mel Gibson videos are Bloggers
Nan@redboots.com
Chevy Tahoe Example
• Spring 2006: Chevy launches “The Apprentice” – online contest to create the best TV commercial for the Chevy
Tahoe
• Environmental groups seize the opportunity; ask members and supporters to create protest commercials
Nan@redboots.com
Nan@redboots.com
Nan@redboots.com
Fearing that Chevy will remove the protest ads, creators post them on You Tube
Bloggers light the viral fire
Nan@redboots.com
Nan@redboots.com
Nan@redboots.com
Nan@redboots.com
Journalists follow Blogs
Nan@redboots.com
Euro RSCG Magnet Survey
• 51% of journalists use Blogs regularly
• 70% for work-related tasks
• 53% to find story ideas
• 43% to research and reference facts
• 36% to find sources
• 33% to uncover breaking news or scandals
Nan@redboots.com
Ok, I get it. What am I supposed to do about it?
Nan@redboots.com
Step 1: Listen/Monitor
Nan@redboots.com
Monitor what Bloggers are saying to stay in front of developing problems!
Influence of Speaker
Demographics
Mentions/Speakers
Citation Trends
Nan@redboots.com
Monitoring what is visible in Search Engines
Monitor Rankings/Changes in Rankings On:
General Negative:
Company + problems
Company + criticisms
Company + product reviews
Company + lies
Company + sucks
Activist Organization Terminology
Walmart Protest
Walmart “Take Action”
Activist Organizations/Names
Greenpeace + Monsanto
Issue Negative:
Walmart + sex discrimination
Walmart + pollution
Walmart + environment
Walmart + morning after pill
CEO/Key Staff Names
Product Feature Attributes
Acura Lexus Reliability
Pampers safety
Nan@redboots.com
Step 2: Get Over It – Take a deep breath and
Engage.
If you engage effectively, there may be fewer voices to “drown out” or push down in the rankings about companies once per week
• Only 21% report regular contact from companies they write about; most in the form of unsolicited press releases
• 48% say they are
NEVER contacted by companies
• Only 2% say they don’t want contact
Sources: Emarketer Business of Blogging,
2006; Edelman/Technorati Survey
Nan@redboots.com
Develop a trust-based relationship with Bloggers
50% of negative word of mouth stems from a feeling of injustice!
• Communicate (Talk AND Listen) regularly mistakes
– the good, the bad, the
“Two posts on Dell one to one Blog have noted that they think I
• Don’t develop a reputation for shilling, spamming, or participating in any unethical marketing practices!
issues I’ve had…
• Don’t sugar coat, don’t misquote or misrepresent a Blogger’s opinion
• Develop a response protocol for negative coverage!
Nan@redboots.com
**Consider** Creating Blog(s)
• Don’t do it without a clear vision;
• Don’t use the Blog for spin (Dell);
• Be prepared for negative comments, negative reviews, etc. and RESPOND
• Content strategy should focus on what interests the customer, not on the marketing message you are trying to drill into the customer’s head. Interesting examples: www.Nirol.com/us/blog www.fordoutfront.com
Nan@redboots.com
Engage Bloggers for feedback
• Bloggers are early adopters; consider allowing them to preview your new product or service or to review it;
• Don’t be afraid of negative coverage! If there is a problem and you fix it, you will get kudos, positive coverage and perhaps a big fan
Nan@redboots.com
Turn happy customers into Bloggers
Nan@redboots.com
Encourage customer evangelists to Blog
Nan@redboots.com
Final Thought
“You can put lipstick on a hog and call it
Monique…it’s still just a pig.”
Ann Richards, Former Governor of Texas
The best marketing won’t fix bad products, bad customer service, bad business practices, etc.
Nan@redboots.com
