digital and online reputation management goodwill 2014 summer conference
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Digital and Online Reputation Management
Wednesday, August 6, 2014, 1:30 PM, Northern E-3
Take Control of Your Reputation Online
About Chris Abraham
Principal Consultant, Gerris Corp
Contact info
chris@gerriscorp.com
www.gerriscorp.com
+1 202-352-5051
Social Media
Twitter.com/chrisabraham
LinkedIn.com/in/chrisabraham
Google.com/+chrisabraham
Facebook.com/chrisabraham
YouTube.com/chrisabraham
Slideshare.net/chrisabraham
Pinterest.com/chrisabraham
Chris Abraham
Getting to know your presenter
Intro to Online Reputation Management (ORM)
What Is Online Reputation Exactly?
Your online reputation is
What shows up in the search results
What people say about your company on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites
Any reviews of your company or work environment
Anything published in the mainstream press
Any academic or trade publications
Any photos or videos tagged with your name
Public records connected to your business
You are judged primarily by the first page of search results
Incredibly easy to find and access this information
No filter: everything is available all the time
No statute of limitations: the Web is forever
How People Search
Key Stats
53% of users do not go past the first two results for any given search
89% of users do not go past Page 1 for any given search
99% of users do not go past Page 2 for any given search
You are judged primarily by the first page of search results
The Importance of Online Reputation
More than 80% of reputation damage risks come from a mismatch between the buzz and the reality (Digimind)
Reputation risk is the greatest risk facing companies, with as much as 75% of a company’s value based on reputation (Economist Intelligence Unit)
92% of Internet users read product reviews and 89% of people say that reviews influence their purchasing decisions (eTailing Group)
Some key statistics…
The Importance of Online Reputation
Auto dealerships with few online reviews or negative average scores saw their search referral traffic drop by as much as 86% when Google started placing reviews under business websites (DealerMarketing.com)
A difference of one “star” in the average rating in a typical online business profile can lead to a 5–9% difference in revenues (Harvard Business Review)
72% of consumers trust online review as much as word of mouth (Local Consumer Review Survey)
85% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase and 89% trust online reviews (Cone Inc.)
Consumers are 25% more likely to research online reviews for high-cost purchases such as automobiles (Cone Inc.)
86%
5–9%
72%
89%
25%
Online Reputation (ORM) Threats
Inflammatory Google Suggestions
Rumors can have a serious impact on your online reputation
Suggestions pop up because many people are curious about the rumor1
High search volume creates a feedback loop: Google thinks this is relevant2
New searchers see the inflammatory suggestions, giving criticisms more authority3
The Web Is Forever
Wells Fargo First Interstate Takeover
Major blunders, such as the Wells Fargo takeover of First Interstate Bancorp, live on in the search results
Critical articles from the 1990s continue to rank prominently
Becomes a permanent black mark for anyone doing research on Wells Fargo
Search Results Are Not Chronological
Wikipedia (contains criticism)
Company profile
Critical news articles
Positive image results
Attacks by blogger
Third-party profile
Company profile
Critical news article
Third-party profile
Mark Hurd, former HP CEO, Google p.1
Results Reflect Old News
Example: D. E. Shaw Group
A good reputation requires positive, high-quality validations by third parties
The D. E. Shaw Group has good control of the top few results, but the rest are misleading and give a poor impression
Google p.1 Results
Outdated news; No mention of D. E. Shaw’s recent positive performance 6–8
No relevant third-party sites in the first page, other than Wikipedia 9–10
Propagation of Misinformation
Example: Whole Foods
A search for “monsanto” brings up the suggestion “whole foods”
Results strongly suggest Whole Foods was bought by or supports Monsanto
In fact, Whole Foods has been a vocal critic of Monsanto for many years
Google p.1 Results
p.1 #2–3
The Reputation Economy
Example: Vodafone
The Web gives powerful tools to consumers to validate corporate communications
Online reputation often more important than brand
Consumer Generated Art
“I Hate Vodafone” Forum
Parody Websites/Social Media
Key People Affect aCompany’s Reputation
e.g. Commercial Estates Group Limited
Gerard Versteegh has received criticism online for his extravagant tastes
Top of his search results is an inflammatory post on CrazyBillionaire.org
This result ranks on a search for his company too
A Note About Style
News articles appear in embedded news feed more easily than press releases
Google p.1 Results
Example: Forest Laboratories
Critical news articles highlight tension between company and Carl Icahn
Public companies have higher coverage based on performance, making losses more visible
ORM is not SEO: Negative Content Is Also Optimized for your Search Results
News page only shows negative information, company appears silent in midst of turmoil
Waiting several days to respond gives negative press more time to take over results
News
Online Brand Attacks by Consumers
Company website 1
Attacks on forums and social media 2–7
Attacks on forums and social media 9
Defamatory Attacks by Former Clients
• One-star rating in the results is enough to deter most searchers
Critical blog postings 1–2
Negative reviews 3
Even if libel is proven, website likely to remain online
Mistaken Identity
e.g. Timothy Thurman Lawyer
Top 8 results are about Timothy D. Thurman, arrested by the FBI for committing mortgage fraud against Korean immigrants in Los Angeles
• Search results include negative reviews, news articles, and blog attacks
Timothy B. Thurman practices law in Pittsburg and is unrelated to this issue
Only about 10% of prospective clients would actually get to the bottom of the page before deciding to try a different lawyer
p.1 #7
Armoring Your Online Reputation (Before a Crisis)
Google Abhors a Vacuum
Creating online content and dominating search is notabout filling Google with junk – but you need to fill the void
If you leave your reputation to chance, online, Google will fill the void that is left by your inattention or fear. You need to create fresh content.
Hiding a Needle in a Needle Stack
• Users typically retain their browsers default setting of 10 results/page
• Remember that 93% of people never go beyond the first page of search engine results and almost no one goes beyond page three
• Online reputation management is akin to defensive SEO
• Controlling – and owning – your reputation online depends on pushing negative content down past page three of Google, etc. – owning all the beans
People Are Already Talking About You Online
Listen Before You Leap
• Get to know what people are saying about you online– Be specific– Include your staff and executives– Don’t make any assumptions
• Note Potential Allies and Enemies– Collect a list of people who are already talking
about you • Consider who you may engage• Keep an eye on those who are critical
People Are Already Talking About You Online
Alerts
There are online tools that will let you know if you, your brand, and your staff are mentioned online
– Google Alerts (free)• www.google.com/alerts
– Sysomos Heartbeat• sysomos.com/products/overview/heartbeat/
– SDL SM2• sdl.com/products/SM2/
– Synthesio• www.synthesio.com
– Radian 6• salesforcemarketingcloud.com/products/soci
al-media-listening/
General Principles
Prevention is more effective and less expensive than treatment1
Aim to control as many of the search results as possible2
Empty search results create vulnerability3
Avoid clicking on negative/critical websites, which increases their relevance4
Be proactive with online reviews5
(Almost) never comment on critical blogs or forums Avoid communicating with attackers Avoid discussing the defamation in online channels
Diversity is important: choose several types of sites
Building a Good Reputation is Not Easy
Actions need to match words1
Pay close attention to public sentiment2
Proactive online reputation to protect against attacks or misunderstandings3
Ongoing, high-quality interaction with stakeholders4
Reputation Management for key executives or other prominent figures5
Do an Aggressive Domain Name Buy
• Misspellings Domains– yourecompany.com, yurcompany.com, yourcompanie.com, for example
• Variation Domains– xyzprogramme.com for the British, for example, rather than
xyzprogram.com
• Similar Domains– Domain investors and marketers often steal traffic and harm brand by
creating similarly branded and named properties that succeed parasitically off of common user error and intentional misdirection
• One example is bedbathbeyond.com, rather than bedbathandbeyond.com for the home wares superstore
• Transposed Letter Domains– youcrompany.com, yourcompayn.com, etc.
Do an Aggressive Domain Name Buy
• Search String Domains– Make a list of keyword search terms and phrases that one might use
to find yourcompany.com and register as many of them as possible
• Staff Member Domains– Consider registering the domain names for your executive team, C-
suite, and board
• Unfriendly Domains– It is important to make sure that any derisive domain names are
registered– Competitors are not above hosting slanderous web sites and web
properties– Even though yourcompanysucks.com may never be used or even
registered, the price of registering even dozens of domain names at $9/year is cheaper than any crisis response or legal actions
Dominate the First Page of Google
Control all possible social media profiles
• One of the easiest ways of doing a quick search results land grab is to secure as many social media profiles as makes sense– Be sure to spend some time filling out every
required section– Links, bios, names, and keywords are essential
parts– Be sure to include all keywords terms that are
apropos
• KnowEm.com can make the process easier
Review Sites
• Encourage your customers to say nice things about you
• Make it as easy as possible to write reviews for you– Name the preferred review sites by name– Include review sites’ names (Charity Navigator, Yelp,
etc)– Suggest what to write (people have writer’s block)
• Don’t be shy to make bold requests for reviews– Displayed at point of sale or in stores– In a message on sales receipt– As part of the official messaging via email, mail, or
newsletters– Via social media
Social Networking Services
Social media is becoming an essential pulse point for Google and other organic search engines
• Google+ Page – the least popular by arguably most important for influencing Google’s organic search results
• Google Profile – Google’s algorithm has changed; Google requires that each contribution is backed by an identifiable “author”
• YouTube Channel – The 2nd largest search engine with results that come up in routine Google search
• LinkedIn Page – LinkedIn is a powerful and search optimized
• Facebook Page – SEO optimized and a powerful platform to prepare in case you need to message during a crisis
• Twitter – Ditto
Goodwill as a Publishing Empire
• Blogging – as long as it’s on a separate domain
• Publishing – many online magazines accept articles– Huffington Post, Medium, BuzzFeed, Forbes, etc
• Aggregation – some sites aggregate “best of” content– Business2Community and others repurposed good
content– Many feed their content to Google News and Yahoo
News
• News Source – apply to become a wire service– You can apply to be a source for Google News
• Cross-Pollination – many hands make light work– Sharing up – GII can aggregate best of content from
regionals– Sharing down – regional Goodwills could share GII
news– Share laterally – cross-pollinating across regional
Influencer Marketing
• Online Engagement – people collect and self-organize – find them!– Facebook & LinkedIn Groups, Pinterest boards, Flickr groups, online forums
• Blogger Outreach – if it exists, there’s a blog about it– Include the long tail – reach out to hundreds of bloggers and not merely top-25
• Content Marketing – creating stories others will post and share– Guest Blogger– Infographic– Videos– Events– Pledge Drives
I have been doing earned media marketing for over seven years, including blogger outreach and influencer marketing for Alzheimer’s Association, The Fresh Air Fund, Greenpeace, Habitat for Humanity, International Medical Corps, and Miriam’s Kitchen – bloggers and other influencers are willing to bend over backward to help out – for free (that’s what earned media means)
Evading Long-Term Damage (After a Crisis)
When a Crisis Occurs: Don’t Panic!
• Don’t click– If you find anything bad online don’t click on it (Google tracks building interest)
• No, do not speak to the media– Take time to prepare your response– Your response has consequences– Rely on your crisis managers– Stay off of Twitter, Facebook, etc.
• Alert your chain of command– You’re probably not properly trained
• Call Communications & Public Affairs– They can give you guidance
• Prepare (or activate) talking points– Do not wing a response– Prepare in advance if possible
• Initiate online reputation management plan– ORM is about keeping the crisis off of permanent search results– Just because something’s in the news doesn’t mean it’ll end up on search
The Technique
• SEARCH – Actively seek out positive and neutral content about your brand that already exists and aggressively “promote” it to all of the search engines
• CREATE – Create additional positive and neutral content about your brand
• LEVERAGE – After positive pages and content has been identified and created, leverage established Google mojo
Online Reputation Management (ORM) Briefing
The Effect
• NEGATIVE RESULTS BURIED – Those pages we promote climb past the negative pages, and push the negatives down to a point in the results where very few people are ever going to stumble across them
• POSITIVE RESULTS KEEP THE SEARCH ENGINES’ ATTENTION – We compare this strategy to the sort of countermeasures – called soft-kill measures – that aircraft use to evade missile attacks: chaff-decoys, flare-decoys, and radar decoys
Online Reputation Management (ORM) Briefing
Online Reputation: First Steps
Claim www.yourcompany.com and as many useful variations as possible1Fill out profiles on industry listing sites, review sites, social media (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)2Create new content: start a blog, publish information of relevance to the business, generate positive press, get involved philanthropically3Be a part of the conversation: the Web is going to say something about you whether you like it or not4Engage in social media, communicate regularly with your stakeholders, respond authentically to their concerns, share information of value5Keep tabs on all of the websites connected to your business, especially those you don’t control: forums, review sites, social media6
Common Mistakes
Mistake: ORM Isn’t SEOExample: Com Hem
One of Sweden’s largest telecom providers
No amount of SEO spend can fix an ORM issue
Company website is optimized 1
Critical websites/forums also optimized 4–5
Unrelated travel site 10
Mistake: Relying on Litigation
Success rates are low (although sometimes litigation is appropriate)
Weigh the pros and cons: litigation can make the problem worse
e.g. British Chiropractic Association
In 2008, the British Chiropractic Association sued science writer Simon Singh for criticizing them
Provoked serious backlash
Even 4 years later, half of the Page 1 results for the BCA are negative portrayals of the case
p.1 #3–4
Mistake: Will-Not-Review Agreements
Why not?
Ethically questionable
You may end up on the “Wall of Shame” of review sites
Unlikely to hold up in court:
Coerced agreement
First Amendment violation
Alienates clients and prospects
Encourages searchers to go digging for negative reviews
Mistake: Threatening Litigation
Why not?
Most attacks by clients fall under the category of opinion, not considered libel
Negative information may be reposted even if successfully taken down
Litigation tends to attract a landslide of negative reactions
Even if you win, your reputation may have already been irreparably damaged
Search for “gelareh rahbar dds” Google p.1 #4, 2 years later Seen by >50% of potential patients
Mistake: Posting Fake Reviews
Why not?
It’s illegal
Can be detected algorithmically
Short-term, ineffective solution
You will get caught up in the review authenticity “arms race”
Review sites and researchers constantly refining approaches
You need to keep buying into fake-review services forever to one-up them
Savvy reviewers can spot fakes and read up to 10 reviews before making a decision
If people see a lot of fakes, you risk an online backlash
FTC Guidelines on Fake Reviews
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm
Mistake: Commenting on Attack Blogs/Forums
Why not?
Places emphasis on the unwanted content, pushing it higher
Search engines will think this content is more important than it is
You probably won’t change the visitor’s mind
Likely to attract additional attacks based on your comments
Search for “edward dove dds” Google p.1 #3, 1 year later Seen by >60% of potential patients
We would be happy to help
Do You Have Any Questions?
Take Control of Your Reputation Online
About Chris Abraham Chris Abraham
Feel free to get – and keep – in touch with me!
Principal Consultant, Gerris Corp
Contact info
chris@gerriscorp.com
www.gerriscorp.com
+1 202-352-5051
Social Media
Twitter.com/chrisabraham
LinkedIn.com/in/chrisabraham
Google.com/+chrisabraham
Facebook.com/chrisabraham
YouTube.com/chrisabraham
Slideshare.net/chrisabraham
Pinterest.com/chrisabraham
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