Tag Archives: Online reputation management

Branding, Reputation Case Study, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

She may not have won last Sunday’s Daytona 500, but rookie NASCAR driver Danica Patrick definitely attracted the most buzz. Most of that attention focused on how she became the first woman to earn the pole position at Daytona. While some may still know her by her appearances in risqué GoDaddy.com ads than for her driving, a closer look at her story reveals just how much time, effort and planning has gone into her brand. According to an in-depth ESPN Magazine profile by Janet Reitman, it all started with “Plan Danica.” Reitman describes how Patrick caught the racing bug as a young girl and soon had her own “hero cards, the flashy racing version of baseball cards, as well as T-shirts featuring her name and picture.” After her father signed her up for a public speaking course, Patrick “blossomed into a polished pitchwoman,” said Reitman.

Off to the Races

When major media outlets came knocking a few years later, Patrick was ready, and her hard work both on and off the track continued to pay off. In 2002 she was picked up by David Letterman’s and Bobby Rahal’s Rahal Letterman Racing, and in 2005 she was named “Rookie of the Year” at the Indianapolis 500. Another major strategic decision was Patrick’s move from IndyCar to NASCAR. Her recent success will surely be a boost for the racing league, which is already a huge industry. “Right now, the spotlight is on Danica Patrick, someone who has no problem making headlines and handling same,” writes Forbes’ Darren Heitner. “Her 720,000+ followers on Twitter do not mind the attention Danica is demanding.  Neither does NASCAR.” An early start isn’t the only factor that has contributed to Patrick’s success and high profile. Her gender has made her story unique in the racing world, but her management of that story has been the key. Sally Jenkins’s Washington Post column sums it up perfectly:

“What’s most interesting to me about Patrick, though, is not her womanness, but how she deals with it. Watching her walk through her fledgling career as the only female in NASCAR is not unlike watching a driver adroitly pick off cars, negotiate curves and avoid trouble in a crowded field. It’s an essay in control. In talking to her about this larger performance, what you get is a blast of cool intelligence, a fundamentally composed whip-smartness.”

Shifting Gears

After earning her place at the front of the pack, she has begun tackling her next challenge: getting major wins on the racetrack and refining her brand. “Patrick finally seems ready to shed her reputation as a model and finally contend in races this year,” writes The Sports Quotient’s Will Hayman. Her success at Daytona was a big step, and she’s also been letting the public see more of her genuine self. “The difference between the Patrick of old and today’s version is the newer one appears to be more open and less guarded,” observes NBC Sports’ Tony Dizinno. Another smart move was picking up a Coca-Cola sponsorship last year. “It’s amazing how much my message aligned with [their brand] so well,” she told USA Today. “I feel you really can have it all in life if you do it right and work hard enough.”

 
 
Branding, Reputation Case Study, Social Media, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sallie Krawcheck is a top candidate to become the next head of the SEC, according to Dealbook, but it’s not just her record and resilience as a Wall Street executive that’s put her in the running.

Since she began tweeting last spring, Krawcheck has gained more than 11,000 followers. On LinkedIn she’s attracted an even larger audience—75,000 and counting. “She has drawn a significant following with her conversational style and posts on investment issues,” Dealbook says, referring to an earlier article in which Krawcheck called her move “part of a larger effort to style herself as an industry analyst” and “lend her Wall Street experience to the broader debate about the industry’s evolution.” Already among LinkedIn’s top “Thought Leaders” and Business Insider’s “101 Finance People You Have To Follow On Twitter,” she’s clearly had a great deal of success with her strategy.

Social Media Savvy

A big part of that success comes from Krawcheck’s deft use of social media to take ownership of her image and message. In the past, she would have had to rely on a public relations intermediary to arrange interviews and keep her name out there, as many prominent figures do. However, she has used social media to take more direct control of her voice and reach a larger audience at the same time. In a recent RIABiz.com article Dina Hampton examines how Krawcheck “used those months of technical unemployment to cultivate a distinct and intimate online voice that may, industry watchers say, deftly position her for her next move.” Speaking to Hampton, Gregory FCA Communications’ Joe Anthony adds that Krawcheck’s strategy has “broadened her footprint to where more people are recognizing her beyond the financial services space” and “gone from being seen as a sharp mind within wealth management/banking to a thought leader and business titan.”

While she may describe herself in her Twitter profile as a “current mom” and “crazed UNC basketball fan,” a closer look at Krawcheck’s online presence shows that her approach is far from amateur. In addition to regularly sharing useful links and poignant thoughts on both Twitter and LinkedIn, she has self-published popular posts like “Lessons Learned in Leading During a Crisis” and “What I Learned When I Got Fired (the First Time)” and penned op-eds for outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Politico.

Those posts have given her a chance to share her own perspective and narrative regarding her previous experience, while the op-eds appear to be setting the stage for her next move. “Lately Krawcheck has been peppering the media with her thoughts and strong recommendations about how to address, if not solve, the gigantic, chronic, almost genetic, ills of the global financial industry,” The Daily Beast’s Allan Dodds Frank wrote in October. “If she can continue her nonpartisan stance,” Frank observed, “she might be the ideal person to be in charge of consumer protection, be nominated to the Securities & Exchange Commission or to a Treasury Department job.”

Setting the Stage

Her undergraduate degree at the UNC School of Journalism has likely helped Krawcheck communicate effectively, but perhaps more important is how she has applied the same strategies that made her one of Wall Street’s top female executives to her social media endeavors. “The secrets of Krawcheck’s success, however, hinge on her social skills,” Heidi N. Moore wrote in 2009, adding that “she has built a reputation as Mrs. Clean” and combined “a warm interest in others’ feelings, an obsession with preparation” and with “frank talk and open ambition.”

Speculation about where she’ll end up next will surely continue, and there’s no guarantee that she’ll be tapped as the next SEC chair. But one thing is certain: as one of the first major names in the banking world to dive headfirst into social media, Sallie Krawcheck has reaped the vast potential of an open and savvy online strategy.

 
 
Crisis Management, , , , , ,

Though some hedge fund founders have cultivated rock star status in recent years, most follow a conservative approach regarding their public profiles.

The most highly respected hedge funds often are run by the most low-profile founders. John Paulson, perhaps the most low-key, made a rare public appearance recently when his family’s foundation announced a $100 million donation to Central Park.

A common hedge fund issue

A common reputational issue that many funds encounter is the investor lawsuit.  Even the most well-respected funds face them. One such filing can rank high on a Google search of a company’s name for years, even if it is the only such instance in a long history of good standing.

In many situations the content becomes prominent on the Internet because there is so little online information about the company. (The less information that is online about a topic, the higher new information about it will rise and the longer it will stay high on searches.)

Hedge funds facing such issues have more freedom now to publish a broader range of marketing and other online information than they have in the past.  Consistently publishing new online content is a fundamental aspect of online reputation management. Rebranding can’t confer trust capital or restore a tarnished reputation, but it can re-establish and help rebuild a company’s image. It can also signal a new direction…and sometimes that is a good tactic.

 
 
Online reputation management, , ,

This morning, The New York Times published The Global Arbitrage of Online Work,  a BitsBlog column with new survey findings from the two largest online staffing companies. It is sobering reading for anyone who faces competition by a multitude of capable workers around the world.

Mr. Hardy’s conclusion is that having a degree may be helpful, but having a reputation is more important to compete in the online marketplace. The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities to create a strong online brand for yourself and your skill set – whether you are independent or planning for your next career phase. Our guide to online reputation management has many tips for from creating a stronger online image. You can access it here.

 
 
Social Media, , , , , , , ,
Social activism impacting reputations

As the world’s problems become more pressing, protesting unfair practices and helping raise money and visibility for important causes are increasingly important.

Change.org is an online petition platform that empowers anyone to start, join and win campaigns for social change by providing the tools to start, circulate, promote and effect change.

Change.org is a for-profit organization. It works with over 1000 of the largest organizations in the world and is organized around more than a dozen leading cause-based communities. They range from environmental issues and women’s rights to animal welfare. One of them might be well-suited for an issue you care about.

If you are a CEO, it is important to understand how and why a change.org petition might one day focus on your decisions – and your company.

Related reading: Activist Groups, Social Media & Corporate Reputation Risk.

 
 
Online reputation management, , , ,

Creating an entry for yourself or your business on Wikipedia can be a valuable reputation management tool. However, doing so requires navigating a strict set of rules and principles. Here is what you need to know.

Wikipedia requires that entries be about notable subjects and defines notability as:

“…the property of being worthy of notice, having fame, or being considered to be of a high degree of interest, significance, or distinction. It also refers to the capacity to be such.”

To prove notability, entries must cite authoritative sources.

Examples of authoritative sources include books, academic papers, reports published by credible organizations and articles from news organizations. Self-published books and promotional materials are not considered credible.

If the notability of the subject you are considering for Wikipedia cannot be supported by citations, Wikipedia editors will remove the new entry, often within minutes of its posting.

Anyone can edit, write or remove information on Wikipedia.

Many people are intimidated by the thought of having a Wikipedia entry about them because they fear damaging commentary will be added. But Wikipedia has a rule against featuring contentious material about living people – and this rule is actively supported. Wikipedia’s editors will quickly remove negative commentary unless it is accompanied by solid factual support.

Your entry must adhere to Wikipedia’s core principals.

Wikipedia requires editors maintain a neutral point of view, in addition to providing sources for all statements. Wikipedia will reject material that is written in a promotional style.

 
 
Internet Legal Issues, Online reputation management, , , ,
Internet law

Recently, a group of online reputation management experts were comparing solutions for moving negative blog posts off the first page of search results.

Asking bloggers to remove the post is one option that has worked in some cases. (The requests were courteous and/or referenced factual errors in the posts.) In other situations a cease and desist letter from an attorney worked. In those cases the posts were not consumer complaints or negative reviews, but posts considered libel or slanderous.

Cease and desist letters are not an approach for everyone, but they are appropriate for some situations. An attorney should be consulted if it is an option you are considering.

Keep in mind that increasing numbers of sites are also posting more stringent user rules. In cases where commenters are breaking them, they can be barred from using the site and their content is removed by site administrators. Resolving some issues may be as simple as an email to the site administrator.