This document discusses reputation management strategies in the age of user-generated content and social media. It recommends that companies regularly monitor online conversations, respond respectfully to negative comments, and address customer service issues raised online. The document provides a case study of how Avis identified reputation issues on social media, addressed customer complaints, and created brand advocates. This led to a 200% increase in approval ratings and outperforming competitors. Overall, the key message is that companies must engage with online conversations to manage their reputation in today's transparent digital world.

1. Reputation Management
in a Web 2.0 World
22nd October 2009
#LBTB

2. The consumer as publisher

11. Mr Angry-Traveller

14. Monitor Respond
Evaluate Take it Offline
Encourage
Reposting

15. Monitor

17. Respond

18. The world moves at an alarming pace

22. Dealing with issues on-line

23. “Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.”
Yoda, Star Wars

24. Some ways to get past the fear (& anger)
•! It is better to respond
–! Consumers fill the void
•! Thank the respondent for their comments
•! Don’t be defensive
•! Take the conversation off-line
•! Solve the problem if you can
•! Ask the individual to repost

25. A case study in being pro-active

27. Avis: We try harder
•! Identified impact of social media on decision
making process
•! Saw negative comments around the web
•! Opportunity to service Avis customers better
•! Reinvigorate ‘we try harder’ brand promise
•! Create brand champions opposed to critics

28. The solution
•! Conducted an audit of online discussion
•! Identified key conversation topics
–! Clearer contract
–! Satnav/GPS
–! Enhancement to the loyalty programme
•! Adapted customer service offer in accordance
•! Created wetryharder.co.uk bespoke blog
–! A platform through which to enter the conversation

30. The results
•! Avis approval rating increased by 200%
•! Eclipsed Hertz, a main competitor
•! Over 400 independent positive customer
comments
•! 10% growth in a sector growing at 1% p.a
•! Award winning
–! 2007 SOCAP award for Innovation in Customer
Service

32. Measurement

33. Free web based tools

34. Most of all…..

35. “Google is not a search engine. Google is a reputation-management
system, and that’s one of the most powerful reasons so many CEOs have
become more transparent: Online, your rep is quantifiable, findable, and
totally unavoidable. In other words, radical transparency is a double-
edged sword, but once you know the new rules, you can use it to control
your image in ways you never could before.”
Clive Thompson, Wired, March 2007.

36. A Google check-list in 30 seconds
•! Monitor regularly
•! Engage with user generated content that ranks
highly
•! Promote your own content
–! Change frequently
–! Use keywords in your headlines
–! Post links around the web

37. Thank you

38. Questions?

39. Reputation Management
in a Web 2.0 World
22nd October 2009
#LBTB