The 11 Laws of Reputation Management

by Andy Beal

About Andy Beal

• CEO of Trackur.com

• Coauthor of Radically Transparent

• Publisher of MarketingPilgrim.com

• Founder of a super secret startup, codenamed “Rodney”

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YOUR REPUTATION IS CONSTANTLY EXPOSED

Law #1

Know Your Reputations

• Your personal actions are part of your company’s reputation

• Your company’s actions are part of your personal reputation

• Cross-pollination happens between offline and online reputations

YOU CAN’T GROW APPLES ON AN ORANGE TREE

Law #2

You Character is Your Reputation

• How you treat customers will affect your reputation

• Be transparent in every part of your interaction with stakeholders

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

THE BIGGEST TROUBLEMAKER IS THE ONE YOU FACE IN THE MIRROR

Law #3

Know Your Achilles Heel

• What is your biggest weakness?

• Collect feedback and improve

• Be prepared for a crisis– Chain of command

– Practice responses

– Crisis blog?

• Train staff, but don’t stifle them

BE QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK, & SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY

Law #4

Listen, Listen, Listen!

• Listen carefully to conversations– Wide net– Centers of influence

• Measure twice, act once– If nothing else, listen– Improve your service– Share feedback– Learn from others’ mistakes

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COMELaw #5

Take Control of Your Community

• Build your online community– Blogs– Twitter– Facebook– Forums & message boards– Email newsletter

• Nurture your community

ADD MIRACLE-GRO TO YOUR REPUTATION

Law #6

Fertilize Your Community

• Don’t blast, engage!– Respond to tweets– Interact with Facebook fans– Encourage interaction in comments– Share announcements & new products– Run a contest

• Create a community manager• Share links to your communities

IF YOU DON’T PLANT CORN, YOU’LL GET WEEDS

Law #7

If You Don’t Build It, They Will

• No one likes the sound of crickets

• If you don’t create the official channel, someone will create the unofficial one

• Don’t let someone else love them

• Unanswered complaints fester

WHEN THE FECAL MATTER HITS THE OSCILLATING BLADE

Law #8

When Under Attack

• 83% of companies will come under attack• Collect the facts• Get insights from others• Three rules for responding– Sincerity– Transparency– Consistency

• Take it offline

IT’S EASIER TO EAT CROW WHILE IT’S STILL WARM

Law #9

Talk Really is Cheap!

• A quick apology does wonders• It’s hard to do, but let it go• Lifetime value of a customer < lifetime cost of

unhappy customer• Happy customers tell 5 people• Unhappy customers tell 10 people• Restituted customers tell 20 people

YOU CAN’T KEEP BETTING THE FARM

Law #10 Credit: Kathleen Cronin

Repairing the Damage

• Three strikes and yerrrr out!

• Identify detractors and work with them

• Don’t silo; share and learn

• It’s more expensive to repair than prevent, but it’s expected anyway

THERE’S NO CRYSTAL BALL FOR REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

Law #11

Thanks! Questions?andybeal@gmail.com

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