The Core Concepts of Effective Reputation Management

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln.

Do you have the good reputation that you deserve? Bad publicity has always been a challenge, even to the good guys. In these days of social media that can instantly harm you there is a need for a sophisticated response strategy. Make sure people are aware of your character, and not looking at someone else’s shadow.

Reputation management can have many forms, and can require several different roles. In a large organization, the role would be filled by a full-time strategic communication advisor; but even then, the key employee may need consultation depending on the situation.

Perhaps the defining characteristic of effective reputation management is good judgment. Maintaining a good reputation involves planning your organizational structure so that you have a smooth flow of information as well as confronting specific issues as they appear in the business environment and in the media.

Any confusion caused by incorrect reporting must be addressed with authority in a timely manner.  Any roadblocks to communication within your organization must be located and eliminated.

Whether it is for a hospital board, an African nation, the U.S. Department of Defense, a corporate public relations department, or a small business operating a marketing strategy, a reputation management strategist coordinates clarifying your position. This important advisor will also assist in the formation and adjustment of policy.   

The higher your authority, and the broader the scope of your endeavors, the more important it is that you are in position to be able to manage the public perception of your efforts. An effective reputation management strategy is much more than “spin.” The creation and implementation of good policy needs dedicated attention and support in the unpredictable climate of popular opinion.

The Possible Roles involved in reputation advisement:

• As an educator, the advisor communicates with employees and associates to make them better conduits for a policy that has been decided upon.  In order to avoid inconsistency of services or product, all people involved in implementing your service should be schooled in the philosophy of your business or social mission. This involves coordination with human resources and training of department heads as well as direct presentation to large groups.

• As a publicist, the advisor has editing, writing and speaking skills to distribute information through appropriate networks, whether through existing corporate newsletters and email systems, or media outlets. The publicist is familiar with social media and monitors interaction on strategic sites. The publicist can produce content, as well as inform others on proper responses to online forums.  The publicist has a close relationship with any formal spokesperson or media relations department for a large organization, acting as a liaison between management, media, and policy formation.

• As an analyst, the advisor suggests what information should be given to a particular group, be it employees, associates, or volunteers. The analyst assists in the timing and proper media for press releases. The analyst provides support and assembles research opportunities when adjustment of policy is necessary.

• As a researcher, the advisor is aware of trends in the social fabric regarding your endeavors. The researcher is aware of meaningful published work, and, if necessary, attends relevant summits and discussions by experts in the field. The researcher evaluates new ideas and innovations, making recommendations to you for discussion and review of policy.

• As a coordinator, the advisor makes certain that internal and external policy is consistent with your goals, and develops measuring techniques to monitor progress in accurately portraying your efforts to the public. The coordinator will be aware of budget compliance, and will be able to provide recommendations for necessary adjustments, whether in policy or implementation of existing policy.  

Give us a call, and clarify your position.

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4 Important Email Marketing Strategies

Email newsletters are an important part of any marketing campaign, particularly as people spend increasing amounts of time online. E-newsletters go directly to customers’ inbox, giving them an advantage over other forms of social media. Like other digital media, e-newsletters are inexpensive to produce and send to customers. And fortunately, there are some simple tips for writing an email-newsletter that customers will be likely to read!

1) Start with a captivating subject line. Many readers use an email subject line to determine whether they will open the email, and it is crucial that your e-newsletter stand out among the many other emails a customer receives. Including the word ‘you’ gives the email a personal touch. Make your subject line timely and short, to catch the reader’s eye. 

2) Use visual means to convey your message. Video sites, like YouTube, and applications, like Vine, are rapidly rising in popularity. Often, readers are more likely to watch a short video than they are to read lines of text. Capitalize on this tendency by creating video (or even photo) content for your readers, whether your intent is to engage the customer, sell products, or tell a story.

3) Entice customers with a special offer. Including a special offer in your e-newsletter is one of the best ways to retain customers and keep them interested in future promotions. You will strengthen brand loyalty when you help customers feel as if they are important to your business. (They are!)

4) Utilize other forms of social media. Include social media links (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) in your e-newsletter, as these digital marketing tools go hand in hand. A great way to involve customers and increase your market exposure is by rewarding customers when they share your e-newsletter (or other content) on social media. 

With these tips, you can improve your email newsletters to make the most of the opportunity you have to communicate with your customers. For the best ways to include email in your marketing strategy, contact us today!

Earned Media: Building an Integrated Strategy

Earned media is an elusive form of marketing in which your company is promoted by positive media that comes from outside the company itself.  News stories, radio interviews, and positive reviews can all constitute earned media.  Earned media is alluring because it costs nothing for the business, yet can significantly increase overall revenue.

While by definition a company cannot buy or create its own earned media, there are a few strategies that can increase your company’s chances of gaining earned media.  One of the best ways to increase the earned media that your company receives is to design an integrated strategy that blends content marketing strategies with earned media potential.

Make Your Business Easy To Present.  As soon as possible, spend time developing an elevator pitch for your business.  Highlight the attributes that make your business unique, and write your company’s vision.  This makes it easier for media outlets to highlight your business in a coherent manner, without causing journalists the frustration of having to unearth your company’s vision and purpose on their own.

Develop Your Own Media Marketing Strategies.  Using media strategies such as content marketing will increase your company’s visibility and thus the likelihood gaining earned media.  Making your company searchable by developing a presence on social networks and other sites makes it easier for your company to be ‘found.’

Do Something Out Of The Box.  In order to be newsworthy, your company needs to be doing something different from the competition.  What is your company doing to stand out from the crowd?  Determine your company’s unique aspects, and don’t hesitate to make them known.

By establishing a robust marketing strategy, it will be easier for news outlets to highlight your company through earned media.  Take the time to invest in your company, and the earned media will follow.  To learn more about ways to improve your small business, please visit our website and contact us with questions or comments.

Marketing Strategies: What Draws the Eye?

Content marketing is a powerful tool for increasing your company’s visibility and authority in a field.  If your company is investing in content marketing, you are likely producing a valuable body of work you hope will be accessible to clients.   However, if you want to draw an audience to your work, keep in mind the way information is organized is almost as important as the information itself.  Here are a few tips for keeping information user-friendly:

1. People Love Lists.  Use lists if you want to engage site visitors from beginning to end. Lists are easy to conceptualize, and they encourage people to read an entire post from start to finish.

2. Keep Your Content Fresh.  Humans crave newness and will invariably be drawn to novel information.  If the material you present isn’t engaging, people will navigate away from your site in the click of a mouse.  Satisfy your audiences’ need for originality by keeping information new.

3. Make it Pithy.  Many people have short attention spans, especially online.  Don’t overwhelm your audience with lengthy posts.  Break up your information and keep it short so people will remember it better.

4. Pictures Draw the Eye.  Don’t hesitate to incorporate pictures and color into your content.  Too many images can make a page overwhelming, but a few images will attract attention.  In addition, make sure that your company logo is attractive and prominently displayed.

5. Ask Questions.  People are interested in themselves, which means they will be interested in hearing their own input.  Use this to your advantage by posing questions and giving people a chance to interact with your content.

Want to learn more about content marketing and other marketing strategies? Please contact us with any questions.  We would love to hear from you!

Avoid These Mistakes for a Better Social Media Content Strategy

You invest significant time and money into your social media content strategy. Yet, you still ask yourself, “What can I do to secure a higher return on influence for the resources I expend on content marketing?”  There are a few common mistakes that businesses make when trying to engage clients through social media.  Here are a few to avoid:

• Not Posting Enough.  We live in a fast-paced society, and clients are constantly hungry for fresh information.  To keep people coming back to your site, make sure to post new content regularly.  Websites that stagnate will quickly lose interest and clients.
• Information is Too Dense.  People are busy and don’t want to wade through dense articles for information.  While you should avoid posting fluff, as this will generate little interest, spend time ensuring that your content is user-friendly.  Break up dense articles into smaller sections, and format your content so information appears in bullets rather than in blocks of text.
• Wasting Time Responding to all Comments.  It’s easy to become distracted on social media, especially if your audience is fully engaged.  However, keep in mind you don’t need to respond to every comment posted if you have other pressing projects on hand.  Respond to important remarks, and make sure that your comments are relevant.  Otherwise you can spend days on social media without accomplishing anything else.
• Staying Blind to Impact.  Do you know which leads and opportunities are coming from your social media marketing?  Find a way to measure social media’s impact on your business, whether by using online tools to measure page views or by asking people how they learned about your company.  Measuring social media’s impact will allow you to adjust the amount of energy you spend on social media marketing.

Companies that make these mistakes waste time and fail to fully engage an audience, while companies that avoid them see a higher return on influence in social media.  Want to learn more about successful business marketing strategies?   Contact us with any questions.

Four Essential Elements of Content Strategies

There is no generic plan for content strategy that you can apply to all projects and clients. Instead, there are general principles and theories you can use to create a meaningful and effective message. The principles may seem basic but following them will guarantee you create information that is useful.

1.  Content Is Appropriate
Select content that is appropriate for your business, your users and in the right context. Content appropriateness takes into account users emotions, cognitive conditions, and their goals. Remember how the message is going to be delivered, which can affect the style, structure and amount of information that you publish. For example, wording is much different for a flyer versus an email. Another example, a user is looking up your company on their phone versus the full website. One good rule to follow is to always allow users the option to see more content if interested.

2.  Good Content Fulfills Goals
No one who writes content sets out to write information that is ineffective, boring or confuses people. Any web search will bring up lots of pages that never get read. In order to avoid this, make sure the content that you’re providing accomplishes something. Typically, content that is specific will produce better information. Evaluate your subject against its purpose and make sure you have an overall goal in mind with what you want to accomplish with your content.

3.  Center Your Content On Your Users
Think about the wording, jargon, and the graphics being used within your writing, and double-check to make sure it fits your users and not your internal team. Mission statements, heavy-laden industry terminology or internal organizational charts aren’t very useful to many users. With so much information available to consumers, your content has to be able to grab the customer’s attention and keep it.

4.  Use the 3 C’s When Writing Your Content
Clear, consistent and concise are three words to keep in mind when strategizing what information you’re going to use. Make sure your writing is clear and free from grammar and spelling errors; and is easy to understand. Consistency comes from keeping the tone and style similar. Concise is one of the most important elements. More is not always better. This goes back to evaluating the intentions of your subject and if there isn’t a purpose for the content, then you probably do not need it.

Creating effective content can be challenging and overwhelming. Contact us for assistance. TwoGirlsConsulting will help you develop, evaluate or edit your content.