Copyright © 2010 I-COM International 2010-07-30T07:28:11+0100 2010-07-30T07:28:11+0100 http://www.i-com.net/blog/ Leading Manchester SEO, SEM and web design agency blog. http://www.i-com.net/blog/ http://i-com.net/images/icom-net.gif http://www.i-com.net/blog/ Leading Manchester SEO, SEM and web design agency blog. I-COM International blogmaster at i-com dot net I-COM International I-COM International en SEO, SEM, Web Design, Web Development 1440 http://www.i-com.net/blog/social-media-reputation-management-271/ In today's recession stricken market and unpredictable trading conditions, consumer trust is at an all-time low. Their confidence in brands is being chipped away every time a company fails to live up to customer expectations or standards. Companies can no longer rely on monitoring their offline resources and media history - more and more businesses are pushing time and money into monitoring social media sites in order to ensure they maintain a positive online reputation. In the online world, brands share their results with customers, competitors, bloggers, and users who with one review or blog can bring down the whole perception of quality for future online and offline customers.  This produces an environment where actively managing, monitoring and repairing your online brand is crucial. Brands should be aware of guidelines in each of these areas to help it stay ahead of its competitors and avoid or repair negativity online.Research Your Reputation Researching your online reputation and finding out what is being said about you and where is vital to understanding how much work you have to put into to repairing negativities or boosting positives. Make reputation research a regular occurrence and create an inventory of your findings for future reference as the web is constantly changing along with your audience Don't Try Too Hard to Impress Users You can plaster flashy design, interactive bells and impressive whistles on your sites, blogs and social media pages, but if there's nothing of substance then you will have unimpressed users leaving and potentially saying bad things about their experience to their online contacts in a public forum. Don't Treat Your Audience Like Statistics Your audience may be spending their time complaining, reviewing, tweeting, commenting or posting but if treated like statistics then they will be unimpressed with your attitude towards your customers. There are many people out there that will take an interest in your business. Don't limit your brand's focus to a selected group or segment of "important people" thereby forgetting the growing audience - any one of whom could become one of those "important people" in the future. Know Your Outlets Know the places where your brand is appearing, whether its an obscure forum, purposefully set up social media site or personal blog. After all, how can you mange or repair your reputation if you don't know who's talking about you and where they go to do it? Remember, however, that it's not just the blogs you must look out for - some of the most negative comments come from the comments sections of blogs. If you're looking to defend your brand then these comments are the ones to take time to answer.Give Your Brand Personality and a Face Companies don't have conversations, people do. Remember that these feeds and sites are portals for your customers/clients to communicate about you and with you, a person - not a faceless corporation or business. Oscar Wilde said, "Being yourself is far easier than putting on a front." You are more likely to receive positive comments or repair negative comments by having a person take an interest in what customers are saying (through social media or blogs) because people can relate to a person who is speaking with them directly and answering their feedback than they can with an enquiry for or an email address. Acknowledge the Good as well as the Bad Remember reputation is made up of both negative and positive comments, reviews and feedback. Monitoring and acknowledging the positive is just as important. If you are already known on the web or offline then you need to remember that your customers helped you get there. Engage with users and customers leaving positive comments and attempt to build a community amongst your customers because those happy customers could be your strongest defence against negative comments when they happen. Think before You Tweet Twitter is a great way to give your brand personality and seem more 'human'; but for companies using it there is a thin line between good and bad. Remember tweets are automatically set to 'public access' so your foul ups are seen by all. Learn before doing and avoid the following: Don't "hard sell" through tweets Don't spam people or harvest email addresses for spamming Don't tweet about mediocre or old industry content Don't use ALL CAPS Don't spell things rong Don't over tweet And lastly, don't tweet while intoxicated Finally, if you've learnt nothing from this post, at least take a page out of the 'book of real world' and treat online relationships similar to real-life relationships. Think of those traits in your staff or favoured people in your life (e.g., honesty, respect, confidence, uniqueness, informative and worth) then apply them to your online brand personality. Social Media Marketing 2009-11-18 10:26:53 http://www.i-com.net/blog/social-media-reputation-management-271/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/online-word-of-mouth-in-action-and-why-the-x-factor-can-teach-us-all-a-lesson-in-public-relations-265/ If you are not one of the 16.6 million viewers who tuned in to watch the X Factor last night, heres a quick round up of events The X Factors terrible twins, John and Edward, who have been slated since their first audition by Simon Cowell, ended up in the bottom two with Welsh teenager Lucie Jones after the public vote. Result, one would have thought. Finally, John and Edward are set to leave the competition and the real singers can be left to do battle. The judges all followed expected suit with Danni and Louis both voting to keep their acts, and Cheryl voting for the far superior singer Lucie to stay in the competition, leaving the casting vote to Simon Cowell. A devious look spread across the multi-millionaires face, as he voted to keep John and Edward in the competition, forcing a Deadlock situation resulting in the talented Lucie Jones being sent home from the competition. Being the cynic I am, I couldnt help but feel that Mr. Cowells decision was somewhat calculated, to say the least. Not only does the exit of Lucie Jones from the competition reduce the competition to face his own acts in the competition, but more importantly, has sparked a massive furore in the press, blogs and social media websites. Xtra Factor presenter @Hollywills tweeted "I'm happy for jedward, at the same time so sad for Lucy, she was a talent!" last night and even our own maestro, Tim Roberts, is talking about last nights X factor: "unbelievable simon cowell has lost the plot I thought he said x factor was a singing competition!" Logging on to Facebook similar status updates a plenty with more that half of those shown on the live news feed being about last nights X Factor. Furthermore, as I write this post, Jedward (the crudely coined media abbreviation for the horror of an act that is John and Edward) is number two in Twitters trending topics list. The marketer in me cant help but be impressed. One small decision has sparked thousands of pounds worth of PR coverage and got everybody, or nearly everybody, talking about the show. Why should Simon Cowell spend any money advertising and promoting the X Factor when the media and public are doing a great job for him? Whether the outcome of such an amount of public debate and discussion will be more votes for the better singers remaining in the competition (your favourite needs your vote) or more votes for John and Edward (to annoy Simon Cowell and maybe even make them win the thing) one thing is certain Cowell will be laughing all the way to the bank. Love him, hate him or just want him to be less supercilious, one cannot but admire the genius of the man: The press are talking about it, the viewers are tweeting about it, all there is left for Mr Cowell to do is sit back and count the money rolling in Social Media Marketing 2009-11-09 14:58:00 http://www.i-com.net/blog/online-word-of-mouth-in-action-and-why-the-x-factor-can-teach-us-all-a-lesson-in-public-relations-265/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/bnw-09-a-practical-example-of-the-potential-of-social-media-259/ The Business North West 2009 conference starts today, and I-COM are down there (Stand 5, right by the door) exhibiting our online marketing wares and trying like mad to educate North West businesses about the potential of social media as a means of driving traffic, promoting your brand and responding to customer queries. Were encouraging conference-goers to join in by uploading photos and live updates on the various goings on at Manchester Central today and tomorrow to Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and a variety of other Social Media sites via their iPhones, Blackberries, Netbooks and Laptops and for those people who dont have a mobile internet device or a Twitter account (god forbid), weve even laid on a few extra PCs at our stand which are kept permanently logged in to a specially created Twitter account: BNW09_Feedback. Social Media is on the rise internet-wise, and with Google desperately trying to figure out a productive way of incorporating it into their search results its inevitable that its going to become extremely important to business online presence the world over. Our attempt to take the Business North West 2009 conference online is an experiment, designed to demonstrate this potential to the blissfully uninitiated. Weve set up accounts on the following Social Media sites: Flickr Twitter Facebook FriendFeed Blogsome Xanga SlideShare Tumblr LiveJournal Wordpress Blog WetPaint Blogspot Scribd Weve also set some of our employees the task of roaming the event taking pictures, short videos and making comments on the various speakers and presentations. If youve got any questions about Social Media and its potential for your business, we encourage you to head over to the I-COM stand (number 5) for a practical demonstration. Social Media Marketing 2009-10-28 10:05:36 http://www.i-com.net/blog/bnw-09-a-practical-example-of-the-potential-of-social-media-259/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/diary-of-a-social-media-curmudgeon-online-effort-real-world-results-258/ Im coming round to this Social Media thing. Whilst I still dislike using it for purely personal and social reasons (isnt face to face always better?), I can see its benefits from a business perspective. In my capacity as SEO Copywriter I dont come into a great deal of contact with Social Media at I-COM but, seeing as its The future of the web (you could probably trace this quote back, in one form or another, to any self-respecting SEO blog on the net) I decided the time had come for me to embrace this huge, uncompromising and multi-faceted beast. So, Ive started helping a friend of mine out with his online presence by writing blog posts, updating his Twitter account, sending Facebook updates to fans of his business and posting adverts on Myspace walls. My friends business is based in Sheffield and focuses on publishing a magazine, hosting live music and poetry events and distribution (which is where the majority of the money comes from). Currently they have no website (though one is on the cards), so the only method of promotion online available to them is Social Media.New to the game Being new at the game, I started by logging onto Twitter and sitting staring at that blank white space thinking Well, what am I supposed to write what Im having for my tea or something? However it soon became obvious that Twitter, once you start following a few people relevant to your business, is a fantastic vehicle for promotion. If you can establish a loyal band of followers who are interested in your product, then you have a captive and welcoming audience for your advertisements all you have to remember is, the Social Media experience is about give and take. If all you do is advertise your product people are going to get annoyed and bored with your content. Take the time to think up some genuinely interesting things to say or, alternatively, repeat what others have said and acknowledge the source theyll appreciate it. The same is true of Facebook and, to a lesser extent Myspace. By establishing a band of followers who are already both aware and appreciative of your product, you have a happy audience at which to direct advertisement, and from whom you can solicit feedback in order to make your business better.Real world results And do you know what, its only having a positive effect! Whilst only time will tell how useful social media will prove to my friends business, the initial reports look good. Advertising space in his magazine has sold out in record time this month and a live event last Saturday attracted one of its largest ever crowds. Whilst I used to (and still do on a purely social basis) agree with founder member of legendary band of futurists Kraftwerk, Ralf Htters statement that "Everybody is becoming like a Stasi agent, constantly observing himself or his friends." I can see, and am experiencing, what a boon this method of online promotion could be for businesses including yours. Provided its used correctly that is. Social Media Marketing 2009-10-23 11:05:39 http://www.i-com.net/blog/diary-of-a-social-media-curmudgeon-online-effort-real-world-results-258/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/business-north-west-2009-harnessing-the-social-media-beast-254/ Over the last few weeks, Tweeters, Bloggers, Facebook and Myspace users have ridden their impossibly tall horses into battle with Jan Moir and Trafigura / Carter-Ruck, and on both occasions have achieved a sort of victory. In both cases the public outcry, largely facilitated by Twitter and other forms of Social Media, resulted in something of an about-turn in policy for Trafigura / Carter-Ruck and a removal of surrounding advertising and a change of headline for Jan Moir's Stephen Gately piece. We couldn't ask for a better example of the power of Social Media to influence vast numbers of people and to effect real change.Business North West 2009 It's this power that more and more businesses are hoping to harness as a method of promoting products, providing real-time customer feedback and pushing related businesses and offers. However, it's an extremely thin tightrope to walk - Social Media is intended as a means of socialising; if your business starts using it to promote itself and push advertising on unwilling recipients, you could be in for a backlash akin to the one experienced by Habitat earlier this year. At this year's Business North West conference, we are hoping to demonstrate how Social Media can be used for your business via an experiment which hopes to take the conference online, creating a medium for conference-goers to upload live comments, images and videos relating to the speakers, exhibitions and events. The following accounts are those which have been set up, whether by I-COM or another individual or business involved in the event, specifically for Business North West: Flickr Twitter Facebook FriendFeed Blogsome Xanga SlideShare Tumblr LiveJournal Wordpress Blog WetPaint Blogspot Scribd Well be inviting attendees and their colleagues back in the office to contribute using extra PCs installed at the I-COM booth, iPhones, Netbooks, Blackberries and Laptops.Growth through Innovation The Business North West conference is now in its third year yet has already established itself as the North Wests most important business networking event. It is this kind of innovation that will see it continue to grow, and will also serve to demonstrate the huge potential of Social Media as a positive force for your business. Business North West 2009 takes place at Manchester Central on the 28th and 29th of October. For more information, visit our events page or the official Business North West website. Social Media Marketing 2009-10-19 16:55:37 http://www.i-com.net/blog/business-north-west-2009-harnessing-the-social-media-beast-254/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/currys-and-pc-world-show-how-not-to-treat-your-customers-on-facebook-236/ Working for a company that firmly believes that social media is now integral to any company's online marketing strategy, it never ceases to amaze me that large retail companies allow social media such as Facebook to become a tool for employees to vent their spleen and insult customers. Take for example yesterday's news, Gadget Shoppers Branded Stupid, that staff at shops owned by the Dixons Stores Group (Currys and PC World) have been caught insulting customers on a social networking site. Comments on the Facebook group branded customers "stupid" and recounted unflattering shop floor conversations with them. Now I understand that DSG Group has limited influence on content on external Facebook groups but surely someone in the group should be monitoring these social media groups (particularly with both brands' online presence being extremely important) and formulating some form of strategy to stop these negative comments?There can be nothing worse than insulting or ridiculing your customers - either online or offline and it can often lead to commercial suicide (ask Gerald Ratner). Social Media Marketing 2009-09-09 08:58:40 http://www.i-com.net/blog/currys-and-pc-world-show-how-not-to-treat-your-customers-on-facebook-236/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/chris-moyles-the-saviour-of-social-media-190/ Now I will be the first to admit that I listen to The Chris Moyles Show in the morning for one reason and one reason only - the man annoys the hell out of me! Combining this fact with a loud, deliberately badly tuned clock radio on the other side of my room and I have a sure fire recipe to make me get out of bed in the morning!However, Mr Moyles has pulled off some fairly impressive things in the world of Social Media - the biggest being introducing twitter to the masses.  Now before I get trampled to death by angry twitterers going on about Wossy, rustyrocket & stephenfry, I will happily admit that yes they have been on twitter longer and have a huge following.However, what was it that bought twitter to the attention of the masses? Not Mr Fry, Ross or Brand but the overweight gobby annoying man from Leeds who started talking and tweeting in Mid March and hasn't stopped since.  And what is really interesting is that it has exploded over popular culture ever since, everybody is at it, google was going to buy it (allegedly) and facebook was going to die because of it.So what is the purpose of this post, well, as I was woken up this morning I heard Mr Moyles wittering on about audioboo.  I have seen this phrase in retweets on twitter and know a couple of people who use it.  Essentially, it is a an micro audioblogging site, you can record audio blogs and upload them to audioboo, you can also follow other peoples 'boos' and listen to them if you wish.  Now, yeah, it has a bit of an underground following but nothing massive.  My question is - will Mr Moyles talking about audioboo promoting it on his radioshow cause the same explosion in micro audioblogging that he has with his radioshow?Is Chris Moyles - the annoying gobby man from Leeds the saviour of Social media?  Social Media Marketing 2009-05-06 17:02:07 http://www.i-com.net/blog/chris-moyles-the-saviour-of-social-media-190/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/sell-out-your-facebook-friends-for-a-burger-143/ Today, is a sad day for the advancement of communication via social media sites. Burger King has unleashed upon the world Whopper Sacrifice. Pick ten friends and delete them from your Facebook account and you can get a free Whopper. This is a great advertising ploy if ever there was one and, according to the website, at the point of writing this post, 231,287 people have been sacrificed by Facebook users to claim their free Whopper. But let's think about this a bit more; Social Media is meant to be the next big thing, a new way for people to communicate and exchange ideas. We hear it all the time, but how useful and important can interactivity and communication via social media be if you are willing to get rid of 10 people for a free hamburger? Yes, you reply, but I've got hundreds of friends on facebook so i can get rid of some of them. This really begs the question, if people agree to "befriend" anyone that likes the look of them on Facebook, are these 'virtual relationships' really worth anything? In the end, what is this free burger promotion: a funny, clever viral campaign or a damning indictment of the shallow and pointlessness of social media 'relationships'? Whatever it is, I'll have mine with extra cheese and no pickle! Social Media Marketing 2009-01-14 14:35:05 http://www.i-com.net/blog/sell-out-your-facebook-friends-for-a-burger-143/