Tess Alps’ column in the latest edition of Media Week was spot on.
In it she mentioned Thinkbox’s new blog – Televisionaries – but unfortunately didn’t actually give us the URL which may have been an editorial gaff but does add much weight to her premise that what you do offline drives online discussion in the blogosphere.
She’s so right about needing stamina to keep writing too. I remember nearly eighteen months ago, when Steve Barrett asked me to contribute, it took quite a few weeks to get into the groove of subject discovery, and then a fair while honing the discipline of writing it down in an accessible and engaging way.
When it comes to reputation management you can choose your battles. Of course there’s loads written about a lot of generic subjects, but there are tools and services out there which can monitor what’s being said about your particular brand or trigger-word. Responding on blogs where other people criticise you is not for the faint hearted. You have to have a clear strategy and tone that says you’re not there to fight but to present a different perspective. The fact that most blogging platforms let you supply your website credentials alongside a comment means you’re likely to be marketing yourself at the same time, growing your angles awareness within the community that’s built up around your speciality.
If you do measure the buzz around your brand, there may be a negative vocal minority which can be de-prioritised for a while, but once they reach a critical mass I believe it’s crucial to address their issues or needs. There is something about the internet that has fuelled consumer vociferousness. Maybe it’s the relatively anonymous nature of the web, or the fact that our customers have never before had such access to information and the ability to express themselves.
What is certain is that people-power is here to stay thanks to the proliferation of social media.
Because the large majority of blog and forum readers are lurkers and are not actively writing down their sentiment, means they’re sure as hell voting with their virtual feet and not engaging with products and services they take issue with.
It’s the silent majority we need to address both online and off it.
