Protect your brand: Face the music

In my last post I focused on writing blog posts. The other half of your job is to listen to what people are writing about your company. Robert Moskowitz writes about user generated mdeia (UGM) in his article "Don't Get Burned by User Generated Media". He focuses in on why you should read about what others are writing on the net. Here is a summary:

• You learn about trends, what your competitors are up to and what people like and dislike
• Listen to what others are saying about you - good and bad. Even if it's bad, buzz is usually good for your company (like Chevy's Tahoe). The difference is in how you respond. Don't just hide your head like Dell did when faced with adversity but respond accordingly and protect your brand!
  
• If there is negative content written about you, like the Dell Gripes site, plan a strategy to counter it. This may mean educating consumers about what Dell does to support its products or how it benefits the community. Remember - there is a conversation going on out there and it may be about you. If it is, be prepared and act. Other things that Robert suggests are: thanking your adocates who are writing good things about you, train your team on how to respond to these types of issues before they get out of hand, get your marketing team involved to think more about these issues. For example, how can you involve consumers more? How can you make customers who are your advocates get the message out there about your company?

It's important to remember that having your CEO update his or her blog each month is great but that is only half the battle. Remeber to listen to what people are saying about you and respond accordingly.

Chad H.