Book Helps Brands Avoid 'Social Media' From Destroying Reputation
New friend and blogger for elasticpath's Get Elastic blog Linda Bustos just published an article entitled How to Find an Online Reputation Manager. In the article, she highlights Andy Beal's book, Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputation Online, which serves as a training manual for companies concerned with getting a handle on and participating in online communities and conversations about their brand.
With the proliferation of every conceivable manner of online communication and the dramatic change it's made to the old school rules that govern who, in theory, is supposed to have the ability to publish news and opinion, brands have to take a very different approach in how they influence their brand's perception.
While some of the pointers in the book may seem overly basic to those in the know, sadly, most are not in the know - through no fault of their own - and need all the information they can get to keep up with the skills needed to properly handle their brand. Linda says this book this book can help anyone who feels like a deer in headlights caused by the onslaught of uppity bloggers trashing their company, hate sites or Facebook pages and all other manner of online expression that, today, is out of their control.
Of course, it's not about control. Control is over. Control is dead. Today, it's about listening to and joining communities that are fans (or not) of the brand and entering that community in a humble fashion without the uni-directional megaphone so often used in past brand management practices. Basically, it's about being nice, understanding not everyone will always love your brand and adopting a level-headed approach to interacting with customers and potential customers. And. leave the lawyers (and their annoying, and useless, cease and desists) at home.
For brands looking for someone with the proper skill set to handle this task, Linda suggests checking out forums such as Work at Home Moms, VA Networking Forum and SEOmoz Job Board. Other options will, through use of social sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Pownce, Flickr, YouTube and hundreds of others that you'll never know about unless you dive in head first.
Check out the article here.
Comments
When discussing brand management on social media platforms, take a cue from Reinhold Niebuhr’s “Serenity Prayer,” because you’re going to need it:
“God, give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”
It is, perhaps, one of the few times that brand managers may consider a higher power than themselves, but the differences between traditional media and social media requires a relaxed grip. Put away your lexicons and logo specs for a moment and consider these three thoughts: http://www.unboundedition.com/content/view/8255/50/
You are spot on, control is definitely dead. It's a conversation and you're welcome to join in, just don't expect to be the only one holding a microphone. :-)
Thanks for mentioning the book!