A recent post-holiday buying experience illustrated for me what many are calling the "death of authority". The phrase is a comment on the plethora of opinions found throughout the web that are commonly passed off, or interpreted, as expert and authoritative. I helped a family member buy a new LCD television. Within the reviews of the TV we ended up purchasing were people who called it the worst TV ever, and others who spoke of it as if it were delivered directly from the heavens above. What value did this add to my shopping experience? What role does it play in my perception of the brand?
I’m smart enough to realize that these reviews are far from expert opinions. But many hold these up to be the gospel. Couple this with the staying power of anything posted online, and you have a recipe for disaster. Any customer with a gripe can forever alter the perception, and equity, of your brand. This is further exacerbated by the fact that it is difficult to distinguish what is real, from what is embellished or completely false. It is not uncommon for competitors, pissed off ex-employees, and others who may never have actually transacted business with you, to pose as customers in order to launch a barrage of attacks as a means to discredit your business.
To mitigate this, what is required is a vigorous and effective effort to join the conversation. While online commentary may have an unusually long shelf life, it has an inherent weakness. That weakness stems from its ability, or inability, to be found. When people search for your brand, products or services, what do they currently find? Controlling the answer to this question is not typically that difficult, but it does require a sustained effort. Through a specialized offshoot of search engine optimization that we call Online Brand Management, WebMetro not only joins the conversation for you, we break into song. We develop a strategic, layered campaign that overtime, builds a chorus of positivity around your brand that is hard to penetrate.
Too often companies are content to control only the top spot in Google for their brand. This approach not only provides searchers with at least 9 other options to choose from, but it leaves you vulnerable and unprotected from attack.