I’ve been beating the drum about reputation management and social media (mostly at Search Engine Strategies conferences) for a while now, so I’m glad to see the new Citizen Marketers book getting some attention and spawning another round of conversations about authentic engagement, especially in the nonprofit world.

Here’s the problem: Most organizations (.coms and .orgs) still aren’t fully getting what authentic engagement means in a Web 2.0 world. They may be stepping up efforts to avoid a “top-down”, “one to many” tone of voice in their emails (email is still a one to many tactic by the way); they might be sharing some of the bad stuff in an attempt to be more open (the now defunct Ford Bold Moves Blog); they may be using tools that enable some level of engagement (the McDonald’s CSR Blog, with, gasp, moderated comments). They might even be revamping their customer service departments to be more, well, customer-centric (although being “responsive” without truly fixing the problem is hardly a good relationship builder).

All of which is fine (assuming the attempts are sincere). Changing the way we communicate, being nice to customers, listening, etc. is necessary – it just isn’t sufficient. In a Web 2.0 world, authentic engagement requires ceding some control and accepting, even welcoming, true participation in the co-creation of your brand.

But (the little voice is now saying) I can’t let people define my brand…I’ll lose control, sales will plummet, etc.

Here is the sad fact: You aren’t in control NOW. Google is the home page of your Web site because search engines are the window into the online conversation that is defining and redefining your brand everyday (with or without your permission). Drowning out the conversation or making it invisible is an option, but not always the best one, especially if you have multiple detractors. Even the best Enterprise Generated Media strategy (which is a good and necessary thing, don’t get me wrong) will not be able to generate as much fresh content as an angry Blog Swarm (and even if you could keep up, consumers trust each other’s content far more than they trust marketers’.)

The best option is to proactively establish a real relationship (preferably long before a big problem arises) with your customers/supporters and facilitate their participation in the co-creation of your brand. If the relationship you’ve created is successful, you’ll get some positive content out of it – and even if it isn’t all positive (which it couldn’t be if the relationship is authentic), you’ll learn what is wrong and fix it sooner than you would have otherwise (which solidifies and strengthens the relationship and maybe gets you a brand evangelist or two in the process). Yes, there will always be some negative CGM floating around out there about your brand no matter what you do, but it will be easier to tip the balance toward the positive if you engage with your customers as partners.
More thoughts on what some authentic engagement initiatives look like later this week…

Filed under: Non-Profits, Reputation Management, Social Marketing on Sunday, July 22nd, 2007 by Nan Dawkins | 1 Comment
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