Online reputation management enables you to take more ownership over what appears about you on the Internet. Without it, the world controls how you look online.
Here are ten examples of the ways online reputation management is used by individuals, companies and organizations.
To ensure up-to-date and accurate information dominates search results for an organization or individual’s name.
To ensure that factual, credible reference material is readily available online. That reduces the chance that fraudulent information will impact a brand.
To remove unwanted or inappropriate information, photographs or other content from the first few pages of Google search results. Home addresses, ages and other personal information found high on Google searches are especially sought after by online databases which scour the internet for personal information. These databases (“people searches”) then publish such content online without consent from the individual or organization. Once it is posted it stays.
To monitor social media and online forums for red flags signaling potential on- and offline threats against high-profile individuals and their organizations.
To create a strong online presence about a topic. That presence acts as a barrier against potential distortions from third-party content, including anonymous and defamatory material. Without it, such items can go straight to the top of searches – and stay.
To ensure that your story is told by you and not by former partners or other potentially biased parties.
To establish a reputation within your area of expertise on multiple online platforms.
To create an online legacy for a VIP who is preparing for retirement or to exit an organization.
To educate individuals and organizations about basic safeguards to help protect the reputation they have worked hard to establish.
Public relations has undergone tremendous change in the last decade. Digital media has completely disrupted the industry. If your PR program has not delivered the results you seek, or you are researching the best options for your organization, this interview with a veteran PR strategist is a must-read. Stacey Cohen is CEO of Co-Communications, an award-winning New York-based PR firm with services spanning public relations, advertising, digital marketing and social media. Her agency serves clients in the real estate, education, healthcare, professional services, non-profit, and hospitality industries. We interviewed her about the state of the industry.
PR’s scope has greatly expanded in recent years. What do organizations need to know to succeed with their PR programs today?
Media used to be the main conduit of public relations. It is no longer the only one. PR now hits every touchpoint: from websites to collateral material to social media. It also requires much more research-informed marketing. Content development has become a top priority for Fortune 500 firms and small businesses alike. A solid content marketing strategy builds brand awareness and trust, drives web traffic, engages key audiences and translates into increased sales. As a result, PR professionals have to be more strategic when they plan a new program. They must be able to pivot quickly and to be facile on a multitude of platforms. We are working with bloggers, community and political influencers, and with journalists in every conceivable medium.
What is essential to creating an effective PR campaign in this environment?
Identifying the audience you want to reach is the starting point. Who are they? What do they read and watch? What social platforms do they use? What do they care about? Next, is shaping your message. It must resonate with your audience. To achieve that requires authentic, meaningful content. Everything else is clutter. Unfortunately, you see that every day: breathless sales jargon, uninteresting promotional events and press releases that are basically clickbait. Return on Engagement (ROE) is the new Return on Investment (ROI) in the content management sphere. ROE goes beyond hard data to gauge relationships with the target audience through brand interaction.
How do CEOs fit into the equation?
Today’s CEO must develop a unique personal brand that compliments and strengthens the business’ brand. It is critical for CEOs to be positioned as the go-to expert in their area of expertise and make an emotional connection with their target audience. They cannot be perceived as only a figurehead. Smart PR strategies create events and other opportunities where the CEO’s thought-leadership is highlighted and amplified on multiple social channels. Several studies indicate a strong CEO reputation enhances market value, attracts investors, generates positive media attention, affords crisis protection, and attracts/retains employees. We spend significant resources developing awareness campaigns about client’s companies, projects, and achievements. The CEO is a huge brand asset and is typically an integral part of such programs.
What advice do you give organizations seeking the best PR firm for their needs?
Both parties need to view the relationship as a partnership rather than a vendor/client bond, be accountable, communicate frequently, and be committed to success. Businesses should also consider the “three “buckets”: 1) Strategic – high-level, “big picture” thinking; 2) Creative – campaign/program(s) which enable the client to stand out from the clutter; and 3) Execution – Implement on an effective, timely basis.
Stacey Cohen began her career at Marsteller Inc. (a division of Young & Rubicam), then held senior positions at CBS/FOX before establishing Co-Communications in 1997. The firm’s case studies provide an in-depth overview of their work. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyRossCohen. And check out her Huffington Post column.This is the sixteenth in a series of interviews with experts whose work relates to online reputation management.
Social media has transformed America’s confidence in law enforcement and the reputations of law enforcement professionals. We asked Matt Horace, a security and crisis management expert, how police agencies around the country can adapt to this new reality. Matt Horace is a 27-year veteran of local, state and federal law enforcement.
He is frequently featured in live broadcast news segments related to homeland security and law enforcement matters on CNN, Headline News, MSNBC, FOX and local affiliates. In his upcoming Hachette book, White, Black and Blue: A Cop Reveals What Happens Behind the Blue Line, he chronicles his career as a black law enforcement officer, the current state of policing in the digital age and his trademarked term, “Coptics.”
You are a recognized expert and have also been on the front lines of law enforcement. Do you think the current media coverage about policing in the U.S. provides the public with a balanced view of that culture and its role in our communities?
Not all — it is actually the opposite. However, perception is reality. According to The Wall Street Journal, citizen confidence in the police is at its lowest point in 20 years among Americans of all ages, education levels, incomes and races. Law enforcement in the United States faces a public relations crisis. The crisis grows with each incident of police action that is caught on video and becomes viral. Even in situations where use of force actions are justified, the public’s perceptions become exacerbated by the existence of video. Unfortunately, that’s true even before incidents have been investigated. In this sense law enforcement is losing the battle of time, because incidents can become viral before police leaders are aware of an incident. The challenge we face is that the “optics” are driving the narrative and the narrative is being driven by visceral, emotionally charged video. This is creating the condition that I call “Coptics, The Optics of Policing in the Digital Age.”
The public doesn’t have a more balanced view because law enforcement organizations have not kept up with the pace of social media and its impact on public perception. Viral video clips of the use of force by police officers permeate our senses and raise many questions. We understand that there are countless stories of police officers doing great things. But “Coptics” is the condition. It presents serious impediments to law enforcement’s ability for building trust within their communities. The actions and behavior of a small percentage of law enforcement officers dominate public perception. But they do not represent the values and behavior of law enforcers on the whole. Further exacerbating the challenge, the negative images are dominating the airwaves. If and when the paradigm shifts, public perception may follow.
What solutions can police executives adopt to address the emerging challenges with policing in the digital age?
Police executives need to commit to police reform. That includes adjusting to policing in the digital age. The convergence of technology, the use of video cameras, police action and community unrest and access have created a public relations crisis for law enforcement in America. Until law enforcement rises to meet the challenges presented by the optics of policing in the digital age, we run the risk of continuing the devolving public relations spiral. This condition has a negative impact on communities and police agencies.
One solution involves executing community policing strategies that engage the community with police and the police with community. Leadership messaging needs to convey that police are the guardians of the community and not warriors against the community. While that process is ongoing, departments should begin to adopt proactive and consistent messaging campaigns utilizing social media and reputation management strategies. The time to incorporate these proactive strategies is before a crisis, not after. In many cases, police departments and chiefs have a fractured relationship with segments of the community before an incident. The incident just exacerbates the condition.
Police departments have historically been more reactive than proactive in their communications. But the public wants to hear from law enforcement, especially during crisis situations. What is your advice to police agencies new to facing such issues?
Every week I am called on to provide commentary on national news programs regarding police use of force. In each case, the incident is uniquely different and the response is equally different. The evolution of CCTV cameras, cell phone cameras, police dashcams and police body cameras has changed our culture forever. Currently, these innovations outpace law enforcement’s ability to maintain a strategy and governance to keep up with them. Culturally, police departments have been oriented to be reactive. From this perspective, police executives need to drive an innovative response utilizing farsighted public information and crisis communication strategies. They need to begin telling their stories and communicating thoughtfully during uneventful times.
That will ensure that they are able to communicate effectively with their community during a crisis. Managing crises means managing reality. Managing perception involves creating and managing a strong online presence, understanding and managing the relationship between public perception and reality, and choosing the best spokesperson to deliver your message. Police agencies need to develop modern preparation strategies: building a crisis communication plan, ensuring that the team is multi-disciplinary, and enlisting the support of professionals. They need a campaign of authentic, positive messages and images that engage public interest and boost public confidence.
Matt Horace is a former Senior Executive Service (SES) rank executive in the United States Department of Justice. He is an advisory board member for the New York-based Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation (FEHSF), past President of the 100 Black Men of New Jersey and an Adjunct Professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is an expert presenter at The Hetty Group’s Coptics Program, which helps police departments become more effective in connecting and communicating with a digital media savvy public.This is the thirteenth in a series of interviews with experts whose work relates to online reputation management.
Your brand reputation is based as much on perception as it is on experience. In fact, thanks to the Internet, most people will have an opinion of your brand long before they purchase your product or service. If you want to create a certain perception that resonates with your ideal customer, market research can help, and one important aspect of this research is the competitive review. Recently, we spoke with Jennifer Friedlin, founder and owner of Hungry Marketing, about the importance of taking stock of the competition.
What is a competitive review?
A competitive review entails surveying your sector’s landscape to get a sense of everything from how your competitors message their goods and services to how effective they are on social media to how they price their products. So, let’s say you were going to launch a new line of crafts products. You would want to look at the other companies and goods in the space to get a sense of where and how they talk about themselves and to whom they are trying to speak.
Why is a competitive review necessary?
Unless you are first to market with a novel product, chances are your company operates in or is looking to enter an already competitive playing field. So the question becomes, “How can your business command people’s attention and generate a strong reputation with the right audience?” If you want to stand apart from the others in your sector you will need to find a way to differentiate your brand from the competition. A competitive review will help you understand your market so that you can claim a piece of it.
How do you conduct a competitive review?
To conduct a competitive review, create a spreadsheet that lists all of the companies you want to evaluate and then systematically start filling in the following seven categories for each one: Company Description: How do your competitors describe themselves? What tone and language do they use? The description and how it’s written can tip you off to the target market your competitors are looking to reach. If the company description uses a lot of colloquialisms, they are likely targeting a younger audience. If the description is overly broad or generic, then the company is likely trying to cast a wide net. If that’s the case, then perhaps there is room for you to narrow your messaging focus to go after a particular market segment. Tagline: What catch phrases do your competitors use to embody their businesses? Are they pithy and smart or boring and general? Again, a great tagline can indicate that a company has given thought to its messaging and marketing while a tagline that could apply to many different companies is likely not doing much to captivate audiences. If the latter is true, then, again, there’s a lot of room for you to differentiate your brand through strong, focused messaging. Social Media: What channels are your competitors on? How many followers and likes do they have? How often do they post and what kind of traction do they get? By looking at your competitors’ social media channels, posts, and followings you will soon see whether they are dominating in that sphere or if there is room to make headway using any or all of the available channels. Target Market: Whom do your competitors seem to be targeting through their messaging and marketing? Are they aiming at millennials? Moms? High net worth individuals? If all of your competitors are going after the same target market you wish to go for, then you will have to think long and hard about how to get your audience’s attention and win their loyalty. If everyone’s going after one market, but you have a way to appeal to a different sector, then you might have an easier time making inroads. Distribution: How do your competitors distribute their goods? Are they direct to consumer? Do they sell through third party retailers? Can you find their goods on Amazon? Has the competition overlooked any marketing channels on which you could capitalize? A look at how the competition sells its products will help you decide where and how to sell yours. Pricing: How do your competitors price their goods? Knowing what others charge will give you a good sense of what the market will bear. Points of Differentiation: In relation to the competition how are you different? What makes your product better? Do you offer your potential customers something they can’t find in the competition? How would you message and market your company in order to stand apart? Figuring out how you are different will help you home in on everything from your message to branding to your marketing to your PR so get as clear and specific as you can.
What do you do once you have done the competitive review?
After you have evaluated all of these elements for your primary competitors you will gain many insights into the industry. It should also help inform your brand message and branding, meaning logo and tagline. Remember: People have choices so you will want to do as much as you can to create a strong message, brand, and marketing strategy that leave a favorable impression. A look at the competition is a great place to start.
Jennifer Friedlin is the founder and owner of Hungry Marketing, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based agency that works with non-profits and companies to define their messages, generate sparkling content, and implement effective marketing plans.This is the eleventh in a series of interviews with experts whose work relates to online reputation management.
Our advice in this week’s Reputation Reboot will help you look your best on Google if you are preparing re-enter the job market. It is in response to an MBA candidate who wants to put her best foot forward when prospective employers research her on the Internet. But our tips can be utilized by anyone undertaking a job search. Not only will they help differentiate yourself from your peers…they can become a major asset in your long-term career development.
New York magazine’s cover story “Cosby: The Women” is drawing a broad and powerful response—from the Chicago Reader calling it “required reading” to Business Insider describing it as a “bombshell.” And it is certainly a powerful story—one that people have been trying to tell for over 40 years.
So why is it finally being told now? It seems to have been kicked off by comedian Hannibal Burress’ comment during a set. But there is of course much more at work. It has become much harder to conceal patterns of criminal behavior: money and power are no longer effective shields.
Cosby was for decades able to block attempts by his victims to go public. But that is impossible in this new age of transparency.
New York article interviewee (and Cosby victim) Tamara Green expresses the change most directly: “In 2005, Bill Cosby still had control of the media. In 2015, we have social media. We can’t be disappeared. It’s online and can never go away.”
Anyone grappling for an effective turnaround strategy after a humiliating and public experience can take a page from Monica Lewinsky’s playbook. But especially if you are female. Being shamed, or the fear of becoming the subject of public shaming, has always been used to make women retreat from public life—or even avoid it altogether.
Here are the steps Ms. Lewinsky used to overcome her naysayers, reclaim her name and rebrand after initially withdrawing from the public eye.
– Trying a range of entrepreneurial and commercial spokesperson appearances to earn the money to pay her legal fees, as well as to establish a new position in life.
– Reestablishing her public voice (in 2014) by publishing an essay in Vanity Fair, “Shame and Survival.” She addressed her past directly. That step led to an invitation to discuss the Clinton crisis as part of a National Geographic Special about the ‘90s. She did not play the shamed victim, but discussed the devasting impact of cyberbullying, which played a significant part in her humiliation.
– Becoming a spokesperson against cyberbullying and online harassment. She launched her official new public image by appearing at a 2014 Forbes summit. Portions of her talk there were televised around the world.
In 2015, she delivered a TED talk, “The Price of Shame,” calling for a more compassionate Internet. It has been viewed online 4,712,119 times. She was invited to become an ambassador and strategic advisor for the anti-bullying organization Bystander Revolutions.
She was a featured speaker at the Ogilvy and Mather Inspire Lecture at the recent Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In conjunction with her talk, Ogilvy launched a viral campaign to encourage more people to take a stand against cyber-shaming.
Her comeback follows three key steps: retreating from public life, reemerging by directly addressing her public image in a high-profile outlet and becoming more visible with TV appearances that also attract large numbers. Those numbers make her a valuable commodity for other media platforms – as well as commercial brands. She is now a celebrity with a mission millions of people support. Many of them follow her on Twitter @MonicaLewinsky.
