Reputation Management

Earning and Protecting the Trust Between You and Your Publics

Elizabeth KeserauskisAssistant Vice Chancellor for University Relations,Marketing and Communications

SlideShare.net/bethkeserauskis

Reputation Management is…

Building authentic trust between your organization and the people that matter most to you.

Value of Reputation

Trusted Relationships

Strong Reputation

Increased Organizational

Value

More Resources,

Visitors, Funding

Source: Standing Partnership

Today’s Relationship Drivers• Satisfaction with experiences• Consistency• Trust• Commitment (personal)• Transparency (honesty)

Sources: Terry Flynn, Ph.D., McMaster University; David Armano, darmano.typepad.com

The New Rules of Marketing & PR• PR is for more than just mainstream media audiences• PR is not just about seeing your organization on TV; it’s

about seeing you on the Web• It’s about helping people move through the decision-

making process with great online content• It’s authenticity, not spin• It’s participation, not propaganda• It’s direct communication at the moment and in the way

your audience prefers, not one-way interruption — Adapted from The New Rules of Marketing & PR

The Link Between Brand and Reputation• Brand Promise– Defines the experience your customers should have

with you– Aligns your business operations with the customer’s

experience– Defines and protects your reputation

• Reputation = Current perceptions of an organization– A variable based on experiences, news, events,

actions

Reputation Management

Reliable, Predictable Experience

Unreliable, Unpredictable Experience

When the experience

doesn’t match the promise, reputation declines

Reputation

Index

Source: Standing Partnership

Reputation Management• Trust equity – a reputational insurance policy that

creates economic value for your organization

• Turning relationships into results– Customer loyalty– Recruiting/retention– Increased funding/donations– Potential premium pricing– Protection against crisis– Empowering brand ambassadors

Communicating in the 21st Century• Considerations:

– A competitive, global marketplace– 24/7 media environment– Consumer-centric– Expectation of governance/responsibility

• Challenges:– Providing context, perspective– Demonstrating our competitive advantage– Consistent message and experience

The Mass Media Model

Edited and controlled content broadcast to mass audiences

Adapted From: Mike Arauz, Thoughts on New Media and Assorted Links

PR

Print

Website

Advertising

Email

The Social Media ModelIdeas shared, adapted, changed and shared again, and again, and …

Source: Mike Arauz, Thoughts on New Media and Assorted Links

Social Media Continuum of Tools

PublishConnect Syndicate, Search, Aggregate

Collaborate Rank, Tag, Comment, Bookmark

Measure

Social Media Marketing: Simplified• You can buy attention (advertising)• You can beg for attention from the media (PR)• You can bug people one at a time to get attention

(sales)• Or you can earn attention by creating something

interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free: a YouTube video, a blog, a research report, photos, a Twitter stream, an ebook, a Facebook page.

Source: David Meerman Scott, www.WebInkNow.com

Source: FTC, Jul 2010; Image: Daniel St.Pierre / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

300,000,000

200,000,000

# of US citizens

# of US citizens on the FTC’s

“Do Not Call” List

• One third of US consumers spend ≥3 hours online every day; two thirds: ≥1 hour.

• 57% of Internet users search the web every day.

• 46% of daily searches are for info on products or services

• 20% of monthly Google searches are for local businesses

Sources: The Media Audit, Oct 2010; marketshare.hitslink.com, Oct 2010; Google, Apr 2010

300 MillionUS CITIZENS

152 MillionUS FACEBOOK USERS

21 MillionUS TWITTER USERS

93% of US adult Internet users are on Facebook

• 1 out of every 8 minutes online is spent on Facebook• The average user spends >11 hours/month on Facebook• Facebook is overtaking Google and Yahoo in total time spent online

Sources: Comscore, Feb & Aug 2011; Facebook Press Room, 2011

• Roughly 9% of adult Americans use Twitter• The majority of US Twitter users are 20-29 years old

(50%)• 79% of US Twitter users are more likely to recommend

brands they follow• Twitter users are young, smart, affluent & tech-savvy• However, the average Twitter user has 27 followers,

and 40% of Twitter accounts have never sent a tweet

Sources: EMarketer, Apr ‘11; PEW Research Center, Jan ‘10; Edison Research, ‘10; RJ Metrics, Jan ‘10; HubSpot

What Now?

Using Social Media to Build Reputation

• Internal collaboration• Direct conversations• Relationship building • Thought leadership• Instant feedback• Community• SEO (search engine optimization)

Image: xe-pOr-ex / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“But I just don’t have time…”

• Empower your employees

• No tweeting by committee

• Hire talent you can trust

Engagement Best Practices

• Deputize people throughout the organization• MyStarbucksIdea.com• Department representatives• Engaging with people would come naturally

Sources: www.ENGAGEMENTdb.com

Are you REALLY listening?

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Are you REALLY listening?

Web Content Fuels Traditional Media Relations

More than eight of 10 journalists (84 percent) say they have used or would use blogs as primary or secondary sources for articles.

— 2007 Arketi Web Watch Survey

Eighty percent of journalists say they spend more than 20 hours per week online.

— 2009 Arketi Web Watch Survey

Web Content Integral to Reputation

The Internet has made public relations PUBLIC again, after years of almost exclusive focus on media. Blogs, online news releases and other forms of Web content let organizations communicate directly with consumers.

— David Meerman ScottThe New Rules of Marketing & PR

Marketing Shift

Your website is not just a static brochure but rather an interactive “conversation” with your users consisting of three key elements:

• Findability• Usability• Personality

Communication with an Impact

Search engines

Social Media

Other interactive outlets

Findability

Focus the user

Facilitate a positive user experience

Make it easy to take the next step

Usability

Communicate the spirit of your company

Represent the people

Appeal to multiple audiences

Personality

The online relationship begins the second a potential customer hits your homepage. Show customers a reflection of them self. Organize your site with content for each of your distinct buyer personas.

— David Meerman ScottThe New Rules of Marketing & PR

Segmenting Your Audiences

• 50.6 million items in collections• 89 locations• 3,200 staff members

Web site must serve a wide variety of on and offline visitors

– Academic researchers from around the globe– Bronx residents who speak Spanish as a first language– NYC tourists who want to tour the Fifth Ave building– Film industry who want to use the famous setting – Potential supporters with donations

Approach to Web Content

Text for Bots: Search engines “crawl” your pages looking to establish what they are about so that they can display YOUR pages to searchers.

Approach to Web Content

Content for Humans: What are they looking for?• WII-FM• Personalization• People• Stories• Real answers• Data to substantiate• Social proof

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Approach to Web Content

Messaging: What is your brand promise?• Emotions• Connections• Stories• Share ideas• Listening is important• Invite participation

Elizabeth Keserauskisekesera@siue.edulinkedin.com/in/bethkeserauskis@bethkeserauskisSlideShare.net/bethkeserauskis

Image: Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net