Google the words "United Airlines." What do you see? When I did this test, the website United Airlines -- Problems with United Airlines showed up within the top five results, right underneath headlines about a drunken United pilot getting arrested at Heathrow airport. Twitter, too, was buzzing with news of the pilot the day I searched for #unitedairlines. And of course "United Breaks Guitars," the user-generated music video about the airline breaking a customer's $3,500 guitar and then refusing to cover the damage, is still the No. 1 "United" search result on YouTube, with more than 7 million views, to date.
Online results like these damage United's reputation, reduce its brand equity, and are prime examples of how consumers these days are using social media to make themselves heard. With social media becoming more popular and more accessible (think about smartphones and, ironically, the Wi-Fi available on airplanes), it's now one of the first channels consumers turn to when they feel the need to share their experiences.
Often, this sort of sharing can be a good thing because it allows companies to have valuable, one-to-one, real-time interactions with consumers. However, when a customer is unhappy and turns to the web to vent, things can quickly get ugly for a brand. While good news spreads online, bad news proliferates even faster, thanks to quick and easy communication tools like Twitter and blogging.
United isn't the only company that's unintentionally gone viral lately: Earlier this year, Domino's Pizza had a PR scare when two employees posted a YouTube video showing their less-than-sanitary work practices. That video received thousands of views before being pulled from the site. Ralph Lauren also received a national drubbing this fall, after its ultra-photoshopped ads made the rounds on various blogs, and the news spread to Twitter and Facebook.
It's easy for today's media-savvy consumers to publicize negative brand experiences: a click here, a copy-paste there, and instantly they can sound off to all 800 of their friends and followers. Even the most service-oriented and best-intentioned companies can struggle to please everyone at all times, and subsequently have to be prepared for a social crisis.
However, your company can reduce its risk of a being impacted by an unintentional viral hit with a brand management program in place; that is, a proactive, not a reactive, one. Often negative public reactions happen too quickly for a follow-up PR campaign to effectively defuse them. In this fast-paced world, brands need a proactive positive PR machine running at all times so that they can be ready for those unexpected mishaps.
A proactive brand management program works to build positive brand sentiment around the clock, so that when a crisis breaks, your company has fans, advocates, and good news out there to balance it out.
OK, now what?
You can build your company's proactive program in a variety of ways, including engaging "influentials." Get influential consumers (such as bloggers, thought-leaders, or even well-followed and active Twitterers) and industry executives on your side by reaching out to them. Use social networks for immediate, one-on-one conversations, and really listen to the likes and dislikes about your company. Working with influentials before a crisis strikes means they'll be more likely to forgive and defend you, and push out good news about your company in the case of an unflattering moment down the road.
Network with your brand fans
Social networks, of course, can be used to communicate with more than just influencers. Use these channels to create social content your company can control, and that any consumer can pass along. Establishing accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other applicable networks helps you grow a fan base and publicly set the facts straight about your company or brand. Additionally, due to the nature of the online environment, it's important to consider that if you don't own your brand identity in these online spaces, it's likely someone else will be happy to snap it up.
It's also important to monitor social media channels for mentions of your company and product names. This way, if a potential crisis or inflammatory content does pop up, you can be the first to know and react immediately. Make sure you have guidelines set out for what constitutes "crisis" or "inflammatory:" You don't want to wear your PR team out by scrambling every time someone is not totally thrilled with your products or service. But if there's a legitimate concern or complaint, and not just a rude off-handed remark, use the comments as a red flag to fix the problem immediately.
Optimize your SEO
Another key is to focus on your company's SEO strategy. If you optimize positive, relevant content about your company, executives, and brand so that it comes up first in keyword search results, it will naturally appear prior to any negative news or commentary; not to mention, it will balance out the story for anyone who reads both sides. There's a double plus-side to this approach: Outranking bad press on the first couple pages of search results reduces its chances of going viral. If no one sees it, no one can click it or link to it.
When the damage is already done
If a PR disaster occurs even after you've taken all these steps, don't panic -- there are ways to mitigate and repair the damage. Remember all of that social networking you started doing proactively? Use those connections now to promote positive messages. Post an explanation for the company's mishap and positive write-ups of new products on your Facebook page. Have a high-level executive write a blog post about all the good your company is doing, and make sure it's search optimized and easy to share. The positive messaging strategy should use all the channels available to your company, including basic press releases.
A PR calamity is also a good time to turn to those brand advocates you've been cultivating. Enlist their help in building positive buzz around your brand. Other consumers will be more likely to take praise of your company seriously if it's coming from a trusted third party than if it is coming straight from your PR team.
While a brand contingency plan should be part of any marketing budget, never underestimate the power of unintentional viral hits nor the proactive steps you can take to ward off damage before it affects your brand, your corporate reputation, and your bottom line.
Blake Cahill is senior vice president of marketing for Visible Technologies.
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