purposeweb» PR http://www.purposeweb.com purpose driven web marketing Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:24:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Keep a Reputation Manager on Retainer http://www.purposeweb.com/keep-a-reputation-manager-on-retainer/ http://www.purposeweb.com/keep-a-reputation-manager-on-retainer/#comments Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:10:05 +0000 Daniel Dessinger http://www.reputationadvisor.com/keep-a-reputation-manager-on-retainer/ In speaking with several dozen clients and potential clients over the past few years, I see a definite common thread that runs through too many business plans: If I don’t see a fire, I can’t afford to get the tools to put one out.

Let’s be totally honest. This is like health insurance, life insurance, safeguarding your pool or railing near walkways, etc. There are certain things you should prepare for, and some that might be worth the gamble. We pick and choose our insurance policies and expenses based on personal priorities and the scope of foresight.

If a fast food restaurant doesn’t think ahead and allows unsafe equipment near the customer, expect an accident and a lawsuit. And expect to have to rectify the situation like you could have done in the first place. A little foresight in this situation would have yielded the same safety precautions without the PR crisis or legal expenses.

I read a post on The PR Lawyer earlier this morning that concluded with this statement: “In my opinion, engage a good law firm and plan for the crisis…Then hope it never happens.”

Hundreds, if not thousands, of corporations keep a good PR law firm on retainer “in case” something should ever happen. This preparation safeguards a business from having to scramble after the fact and risk losing valuable time while their good name is under attack.

Having a lawyer on retainer is just good business sense. It is a wise expense.

In exactly the same way, keeping a reputation manager on retainer is a smart move. Unlike the lawyer, whose primary contribution may come after the fact (except in the case of providing excellent legal counsel prior to company policy changes or public statements), a reputation manager can proactively support the company online. By building page after page of positive, authoritative content, your reputation manager helps you fight back against libellous comments before they are made.

The way libel and complaints have the most effect is through search engine results. If I come across negative statements or warnings about a company within the first page or two of my search, I am more likely to avoid the business in question. True, people will come in contact with negative press everywhere they go on the Web, and this can be combatted as well.

Keep in mind rule #2 of reputation management: The best defense is a good offense. A qualified reputation manager will use social media, SEO, copywriting, and PR skills to promote your company on dozens of stages across the Web. Build authority and trust early on, and you’ll find accusations and complaints much more difficult to stick.

And for those of you wonder what rule #1 was, it’s this: Avoid bad press by conducting your business in the most ethical manner possible. It’s not a glamorous rule. It’s just sound business advice.

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]]> http://www.purposeweb.com/keep-a-reputation-manager-on-retainer/feed/ 1 The Thin Line Between PR and Search http://www.purposeweb.com/the-thin-line-between-pr-and-search/ http://www.purposeweb.com/the-thin-line-between-pr-and-search/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:45:16 +0000 Daniel Dessinger http://purposeinteractive.com/?p=28 As Lee Odden mentioned the other day, there is a thin line between public relations and search engine optimization. Some people may try to wax eloquent on the diverse and multiple ways in which SEO and PR can benefit each other or work hand in hand. To make such claims is to muddy the waters unnecessarily.

Online PR and SEO fit hand in hand because at various stages of each they are one and the same. But before I get a bunch of emails from bellyaching professionals in a huffy mess, let me clarify. Online reputation management is a component of public relations. Some may say they are one and the same when, in fact, they can be easily distinguished from each other. “Reputation management” as a term is more accurately used to describe the attempt to monitor and respond to negative press and attention. “Public Relations” encompasses both reputation management and press releases, interviews with the press, making public statements and retractions, and all things involving interaction between company and media.

Online Reputation Management (ORM) is a term I like to use to describe the process of managing how the world views your company, name, website, product(s), or service(s) through all Web mediums including blogs, social media, articles, press releases, and forum discussions. What does ORM look like? It begins with monitoring the Web for mention of your name, company, etc., learning what is being said, determining how to best respond, and launching campaigns to apologize, explain, divert, or promote.

ORM is similar to SEO because the most powerful tool affecting your image online is the search engine. Search engines are the preferred method for discovering information on the Web, and it is likely to be the first place the user encounters your company, for better or worse. The goal, then, is primarily to control what is being viewed about your party on Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and Ask. As with SEO, the focus is upon the first three pages of any search since 90%+ of all search engine users stop viewing results after page three.

What, if anything, is the difference between SEO and Public Relations?

  • Online PR is concerned with quality of positive search results and other Web conversations
  • SEO is concerned with outranking competitors in search results
  • Search Engine Optimization focuses on traffic and conversion (which leads to sales)
  • Online Public Relations focuses on identity and reputation (which affects sales)

The faint difference lies in the quality of content you pursue for those first 30 search results. Though not very likely, an SEO may still follow the belief: “Any news is good news.” Any rankings may equal more traffic, but certain types of negative press still leads to a loss of ROI.

An online reputation manager is paid to combat the negative press and proactively create positive press. After all, the best defense is a good offense. Then again, not many companies have the foresight to hire someone to promote their business online until something bad happens and they’re obviously losing money. That being the case, the quality of search engine results will matter more to the reputation manager than at least some SEOs. That being said, your higher tier of SEO firms and specialists will care about the quality of your visible search results.

The other major difference is that most SEO campaigns do not undertake the company name or names of executive officers into consideration. The goal of SEO is to drive traffic and to convert that traffic into sales or repeat visitors. The goal of PR is to manage reputation. An SEO firm may not focus at all on your names, since these rarely drive traffic or sales. Companies with established names and/or brands receive traffic due to their names, but most draw traffic by what they discuss and what they offer.

Any company that earns business leads or sales from the Internet is obligated to undertake both SEO and ORM. You’ll see a lot more about online reputation management and PR this year. 2007 is the year that ORM will really take off. If you have any questions about how to incorporate Search Engine Optimization and Online Reputation Management campaigns into your marketing strategy, feel free to contact us online or at 888-4-VIZION.

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