Is someone else ruining your reputation?
“Just because you can’t hear it, it doesn’t mean it’s not being said.”
I was listening to Bob Geldof defiantly managing Band Aid’s reputation last week, and I felt a blog coming on.
When the BBC implied that funds raised by ‘certain’ organisations had been siphoned-off for other means, we all saw Geldof putting them back in their box. He made it very clear that, as trusted journalists, the Beeb’s reporting had misled the public and put a slur on Band Aid’s, and thereby his, name.
Now, you may not be Bob Geldof – but you do have a reputation to protect. As a small business it’s essential that every member of your team is aware of the power of the media and the Internet (and word-of-mouth) for both creating and destroying reputation. Your own website and PR may be pristine and accurate, but it’s often other people, commenting elsewhere, that do the damage. And, more often than not, they do so unknowingly or unwittingly.
5 tips to protect your business reputation
Here are 5 things to think about to ensure a healthy reputation for your small business, particularly online. Specifically, these tips are about how to manage negative opinion effectively, and put people right if they are wrong (without looking like a pedant):
1. Listen to online word-of-mouth
The Internet is a powerful way to watch and listen. Someone in your team should be reviewing the web, particularly the social web, on a regular basis. What are people saying about you, your people, your brand, your products, your services, your industry and your competitors? Even if all you do is feed key phrases and industry news (e.g. RSS feeds) into a free hub like Netvibes or Google Reader, that’s better than nothing. For a more comprehensive approach, there are a number of tools and suppliers that specialise in digital listening. Don’t listen and you won’t hear. An Ostrich approach will not protect your reputation.
2. Create a channel for negative feedback
Handled well, negative feedback can actually enhance your reputation. However, if you never hear the whinge, you can never display your excellent response. Unfortunately, we humans love bad news. We’re more likely to tell someone about a bad experience, than a good one. So, you can bet that from time to time there is someone somewhere having a dig at your business. What’s great is that if you give these people somewhere to vent, they usually will – and then you’re back in control. Consider a feedback mechanism on your website or blog, or by using social media. By offering a way for users to comment, you are displaying the open and honest quality of an organisation willing to tackle feedback, good or bad. A direct line of response nips all kinds of rumours in the bud, and you should not be afraid of negative comment. See it as an opportunity to show how well you respond.
3. Actively ask people what they think
The point above is about having somewhere for people to go, which is reactive. But, you can also go to them – be proactive. It’s often a simple case of asking people what they think. Send out regular questionnaires or surveys. Make them anonymous if that helps people tell you the tough stuff. And, don’t just ask your customers. Ask your suppliers, employees, associates, peers and friends. And, keep asking on a regular basis (so long as they don’t mind).
4. Get your own message well established
Be out there. Be relevant. Be everywhere. Keep spreading your message and reinforcing your values and proposition. Keep talking to prospects, customers and the media. Keep your website content bang up-to-date and ensure that you have plenty of material to point people to. If negativity or misinformation does surface, there should be enough of the good stuff less than a click away to balance it out. Again, social media is excellent for doing this.
5. Create an army of advocates
If you foster good relationships with people, they will be there to defend you. Whether it’s online or in a peer-group setting, if you have continually made a good impression, people are likely to jump in on your behalf if they hear something bad, or an untruth about you. Even if you have actually made a mistake (and, hey businesses employ human beings, so it will happen), if you respond to it well, and have a bank of goodwill to draw on, you will weather the storm more successfully.
And, of course, any small business will benefit from regular professional legal advice. In particular ensure you are up-to-date with intellectual property rights law, copyright, trade marking, patents – anything that will protect you should a mistruth, misquote or mistake befall your small business.
By Cheryl Crichton | Associate Clear Thinker | Clear Thought Consulting Ltd | @cherylcrichton | www.clear-thought.co.uk
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Clear Thought Consulting works with small businesses, equipping them with the marketing strategies, suppliers, skills and set-up that they need to become bigger businesses. We do this by planning and delivering 12-month marketing transformation programmes – supporting a small business through a step-by-step process to making marketing pay. We firmly believe that when you can’t out-spend your competition, you have to out-think them.
Published on 8 November 2010
