Chris Brogan, Reputations
Since this blog’s inception, part of its focus has been on Web 2.0 marketing, including social media and its growing impact on businesses. Regardless of a business’s desire or lack of desire to commit resources to social media, the impact is already being felt by all companies, for better or worse.
Recently Chris Brogan, co-author of Trust Agents, speaker, trainer and all around social media guru, visited Minneapolis and held a seminar he titled “Reputations.” Although I really wanted to attend the seminar, I had a conflict in my schedule, so I convinced a friend of mine, Eric Mitchellette, business coach and consultant, to attend and write an article for this blog that I could share with you.
In this two-part series (part two available next week), Eric shares the key points of the seminar – how to tap into the power of social networks to build your brand’s influence, reputation and, of course, profits.
Businesses must choose now to commit significant resources to leverage social media; now means before it is too late to manage a business’s online reputation or even to profit from it. Businesses must develop a plan to understand social media and create action steps that are implemented in a timely manner. Waiting to commit resources will create an environment in which a business must respond to problems in a crisis mode; with much higher stakes at risk.
As Warren Buffett famously stated, “It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only 15 minutes to destroy it.” Social media can help build or enhance a business’s reputation, but also has the potential to damage or perhaps even destroy a business in a matter of seconds online.
Chris Brogan’s message in this recent seminar covers several key concepts that were laid out in his book, Trust Agents. Chris does understand the need to profit from social media, although profiting from social media does not often have a direct correlation.
Chris points out that, in social situations, we greet each other in a non-threatening manner; showing that we intend no harm. Likewise, social media opens an informational door that provides interested individuals a friendly, non-threatening and even helpful “greeting.” The greeting is delivered from online third-party influencers, also known as “trust agents.” Trust agents are actively engaged “web natives” who trade in trust, reputation and relationships. They use social media to accrue the influence that builds up or brings down businesses online.
Chris uses an example of a hotel that responded quickly to him via Twitter. He wanted to find a hotel for the Web 2.0 Expo in New York and twittered his followers. Shortly after he submitted his inquiry, two followers recommended the Roger Smith Hotel. When he received the recommendation from two of his Twitter friends, the Roger Smith Hotel saw the recommendation tweets through free monitoring services (see a video and learn about these monitoring services in part two of this series) and twittered him offering a deal for “bloggers.” He not only stayed there but twittered other bloggers about where he was staying and that the hotel was offering free drinks in their very quiet bar. Soon after his tweet, both the bar and the hotel were filled up with paying guests — it proved to be very profitable for the hotel.
Chris also points out specific pitfalls that can seriously damage a business’s reputation when using social media. A case in point involved an airline that lost his luggage for a period of time. He then received a very unhelpful tweet from either a person or an automated system. Needless to say he did not feel “good” about their attempt at one-on-one communication. His frustration was compounded by an equally unhelpful automated phone call he received later about the status of his luggage.
When businesses try to use old methods of mass communication to reach customers, they risk angering the very people they are trying to reach. Social media is about authentic one-on-one communications.
Both Chris and the seminar panel addressed how online social tools create “networks of influence” that can help build reputations slowly and conversely damage them quickly. There is no instant method for building an online reputation, as stated earlier, and there is no way to salvage it quickly once it has been lost.
Here are some observations by Chris and the panel on social media:
- Humanize and create your own media, which social media allows you to do; individuals’ opinions now really do matter.
- The web and social media do make better, informed customers.
- Customers in the near future will expect real-time tweets of their concerns about a business. Quality of communication will improve as platforms consolidate.
- Do not be a social media ‘apps’ chaser – focus on the customer and follow his or her lead.
- Planting good articles and stories online, with some thought, will help spread your reputation around the web quickly.
- You can use social media to build networks in order to positively impact your business.
- Use social media to build trust because trust is the key to building online reputations. Trust agents are important people that your business needs on its side.
- Social media’s tools allow businesses to stop, collaborate and listen if they are engaged.
- ROI metrics can be created, tracked and measured from social media, including prospects, leads, phone call volume changes, prospect conversions into bookings, plus the more typical measures of sales and profits.
- Define your social media strategy and the business results and impacts you expect.
- Ask customers how they would like to use social media to connect with you and the type of relationship they want.
- Some companies think in terms of “digital influence;” that is, all aspects of the Internet – social media, e-mail, web site, display ads – and its impact on the business.
- Social media needs a purpose, a definition and an action.
- Customers will expect some businesses to respond on Twitter 24/7, 365 days a year to meet their needs.
- Make sure your social media communications are authentic, timely, and helpful
Chris believes a primary objective for a business is to be helpful. Try to be helpful to the online community; equip them to do better things. Study communities and offer to sponsor them. Be open and flexible in selecting communities to sponsor – a community does not have to be directly related to one’s business when building a relationship.
If you would like to contact Eric, you can do so by emailing him at emitchellette@comcast.net or visiting his LinkedIn page.
Now that you know what Chris thinks, what do you think? How do you feel about his message. Look for the second article in this two part series next week. Please feel free to subscribe to receive email updates by clicking here.
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If you would like to contact me, you can do so by emailing me at mike.clough@bestbizpractices.org or visiting my LinkedIn page.
Posted by: Mike Clough
