search social-media-&-reputation-management-thunder-seo
DESCRIPTION
Presentation on Search, Social Media and Online Reputation Management given by Max Thomas of Thunder SEO to SDSIC in San Diego, CA, on January 7, 2011.TRANSCRIPT
Search, Social Media & Reputation Management
January 7, 2011
Max Thomas – ThunderSEO.com
In the age of communication …
Things Don’t Always Go As Planned…
What Does Online Reputation
Management Look Like?
Negative
Positive
Neutral
Does It Matter?
Social: The New Search
1. 69% of consumers are more likely to use a local business it if has information on a social-networking site.
2. Gen Now (tech-savvy consumers all age groups):• 93% usage rate for Facebook• 56% find local-business info via companies’ FB
pages• 55% seek peer referrals & recommendations• 75% are likely to use local businesses
recommended
See “TMP Directional Marketing and 15Miles: Bridging the Gap, From Search to Sales, Local Search Usage Study” September 2010
Online Reputation Nuts & Bolts
Search & Rankings
Focus on Search & Rankings
1. Identify “problem” sites that rank for target keywords• Create list of target brand names
• List “negative” search results (“rankings”)
• Evaluate SEO strength of rankings
• Eye-Ball URL popularity and/or website strength
• Conduct in-depth analysis (focus on inbound links and domain age)
Focus on Search & Rankings
2. Increase rankings for “positive” and “neutral” sites for target keywords
Positive Neutral
Website Non-related websites (same name)
Site Links Maps Listing (no reviews)
Blogs Posts (from site) Directory Listings
Online PR’s
Video’s
Review Sites (when pos.)
Media/Press Sites
Directory Listings (company & business profiles)
Focus on Search & Rankings
3. Ongoing Strategy: Brand-Name Platforms
• Claim all sites for person or business on branded platforms:
• website
• Confirm Site Structure (separate page for name or brand, seo-friendly URLs)
• ning.com, Blogspot, wordpress, facebook.com (fan page), twitter.com, posterous.com, tumblr.com, slideshare.com, Linkedin.com, etc.
Focus on Search & Rankings
4. Ongoing Strategy: Online PR
• Determine Topics – Announcements, Discounts/Promo’s, Partnerships, Product Releases, Non-Profit Tie-In’s, etc.
• Schedule – Set multi-week schedule in advance
• Write PR’s for SEO - Tips
• Make your audience care
• Structure matters – Engage your audience in one sentence
• Tips: One page long; include “for immediate release”; summarized in first paragraph.
• Optimize for Keywords – Quotes, boilerplate information, contact info., multimedia, etc.
Focus on Search & Rankings
4. Ongoing Strategy: Online PR
• Submit to free PR sites:
• 1888pressrelease.com/login.html
• log.org/pub/
• free-press-release.com/members/login.php
• pr.com/signin.php
• pressreleasepoint.com/submit-press-release
• pressmethod.com/
• i-newswire.com/Login
• openpr.com/news/submit.html
• pitchegine.com
Focus on Search & Rankings
5. Ongoing Strategy – Influence Content People Find When Searching.
• Conferences
• Slideshare
• Online PR
Online Reputation Nuts & Bolts
Social Media
Proactive Online Conversations
When Positive
• Keep Conversation Public…that’s easy!
Positive feedback and positive response
Proactive Online Conversations
When Negative
• Address publicly
• Remember: Responses and posts are public – you may not convert unhappy customer, but you can positively influence first-time visitors
• Don’t delete unless spam or cannot be solved
Single negative brand mention:
Company’s public response: not accepting blame, but trying to help the customer privately
Online Reputation Nuts & Bolts
Reviews
Today: Reviews Rule!
Respond to Positive & Negative Immediately• Not always necessary to bend over backwards, but definitely acknowledge customer’s complaint or issue• Do not take personally• Try to steer response toward understanding and resolution
Reviews: Impact on Search
Brand Name Search Pulls Page 1 Rankings for Negative Reviews
Reviews: Negative Response Example
Negative Review Reveals Mis-understanding about CA CAP Program. Accuses Business of Scamming.
Business Owner Responds Explaining CAP Program and How Others Can Benefit.
Reviews: Anger for Anger’s Sake
Upward Trend of Angry, Ranting & Hot Reviews
• General trend in increase of angry reviews
• Reviews aren’t event about actual service or for a different company
• Even so, respond immediately with understanding and helpful support
• Again, you may never be able to convert this customer but you can leave a good impression for first-time visitors who read the review and your response
Reviews: Angry Example
Review is for 3 Years Ago. Doesn’t Address Service Provided by Dentist. Almost Irrational Review.
Dentist Thanks Reviewer, Acknowledges 3 Years Time Lapse, States Ethical Belief, Expresses Concern. Very neutral response.
Online Reputation Nuts & Bolts
Monitoring
Search.twitter.com
Hootsuite.com
HootSuite
Google.com/alerts
Google Alerts
Blogsearch.google.com
Google Alerts
Monitoring
Recap of Tools & Resources
• Search.twitter.com
• Hootsuite.com
• Google.com/alerts
• Blogsearch.google.com
Counterpoint
When There’s a Barrage of Negative Press, Reviews & Comments…
…Respond with an Integrated Strategy.
Counterpoint
1. Be Prepared – Ask for Help
• If Company has built-up an online community around their site, blog and social media profiles, then they have a ready-to-go network of supports to ask for help, advice and even help spread the word.
Counterpoint
2. Be Prepared – Media Contacts• Leverage social media early-on to create media and
journalist relationships• These contacts can help you reach media outlets • Check out Muckrack.com, HARO enewsletter,
JournalistTweets.com
Counterpoint
3. Twitter/Facebook Responses
• Have a handful of templated responses ready for dealing with the particular issue
• Especially helpful with controversial announcements
• Monitor social media channels for comments regarding company name, issue, etc.
Counterpoint
4. Online PR
• Online PR’s rank quickly for targeted keyword searches
• If consistent news coverage for company name (or name + keyword/issue), push series of PR’s utilizing same keywords in title
• Consider paid PR channels for specific messaging
Counterpoint
5. Blog Posts
• If site has well-indexed blog, post responses/articles that leverage target keywords in the blog titles
• Depending on scope of exposure, post daily or several times per week
You may remember the Apple vs. Adobe Flash for the iPhone debate
Counterpoint
6. Youtube Video
• Create 60-120 second video spots
• Optimize for target keywords
• Add to business’s Youtube channel
• Pull in video to homepage and/or blog
• Have video template already created with branded header and footer graphic
• Submit video sitemap to Google
• Video’s from Youtube have a good chance of co-ranking or out-ranking news video search rankings
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Situation:
Mercy for Animals releases video showing undercover footage depicting cruelty to animals.
Farmers were outraged that it was an unfair representation.
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Response:
Farmer Ray Lin fought back.
Started blog with stories and pictures about his farm …
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Response:
Farmer Ray Lin fought back.
Started AgChat foundation to train farmers on how to use social media …
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Response:
Farmer Ray Lin fought back.
Launched AgChat Facebook fan page …
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Response:
Farmer Ray Lin fought back.
Launched AgChat Twitter profile …
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Response:
Farmer Ray Lin fought back.
Launched AgChat YouTube channel …
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Response:
Farmer Ray Lin fought back.
Launched AgChat Linkedin Group …
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Response:
Farmer Ray Lin fought back.
Held first AgChat conference in August …
Counterpoint: Example
See “When Social Media Conflict Comes To The Farm” by Michael Gray on SEL.com 8/20/2010
Moral of the Story:
• Farmer Ray Lin has built a vibrant online community.
• Farmer Ray Lin is prepared.
• He’s now setting the ground rules.
• He has support when there’s a crisis.
Online Reputation Ground Rules
1. Internal Communication & Management
• There must be direct lines of communication with marketing, customer service and sales teams.
Online Reputation Ground Rules
2. Client Responds to Sensitive Comments
• Agencies can help spot sensitive comments right away and guide how best to respond
• Response is “voice” of client
• Should be sincere, transparent (as appropriate) and thoughtful
Online Reputation Ground Rules
3. If Issues Persist
• If negative comments continue, it’s probably larger than an isolated issue – requires internal investigation
• Don’t rely on agency/reputation management campaign
Online Reputation Ground Rules
4. Engage in Online Conversations
• Even though you can’t control what’s being said about you, doesn’t mean it can be ignored
• The conversation will happen online whether your company is paying attention or not
• Better to pay attention…and respond!
Closing Thoughts
1. Is the problem with “reputation” or “operations”?
• We used to promote “online reputation management” as a service but noticed that most prospects were mostly “problem clients” with questionable operations.
• We dropped “online reputation management” as a service offering.
Closing Thoughts
2. It’s Not Cleaning Up – It’s Branding
• Now we offer “online reputation management” via a holistic approach to a company’s online footprint
• E.g., Search, social media, video, etc.
• In other words, online reputation management is now part of the online marketing process.
Closing Thoughts
3. Company Must Be Onboard…
… Or You’ll Constantly Be Putting Out Fires that Can’t Be or Won’t Be Fixed.
