Maximizing your online reputation

social media

followers

superpages

insiderpages

google+linkedin

reviewcompetition

citysearch

authentic

internetfacebookyahoo local

instagram

rating

monitor merchant circle

protect

liketwittershare

interact

rankingbrand

yelppreserve

search engines

pinterest authority

engage

directories

advocate visibility

social impact

yellowpagesmaximizeendorse

Maximizing Your Online Reputation:

A Playbook for Engaging with Consumers and Winning Their Business

.

For more ideas on how to market yourbusiness, visit connect.homes.com.

3 Online Reputation Bootcamp

5 Play the Field: Get Listed in Business Directories

7 Scoring Fan Reviews on Social Channels to Enhance Your Image

10 Tackling Reviews: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

12 Blitz the Competition: Monitor Your Competitors to Get Ahead

14 OffensiveandDefensiveMovestoPromoteandProtectYourBrand

19 The End Zone

WORKSHEETS:

21 Social Media Posting Calendar

22 Comment & Review Guidelines

23 Reputation Management Checklist

table OfcOnTEnTS

http://connect.homes.com

.

For more ideas on how to market yourbusiness, visit connect.homes.com. Sources:

OnlineREpuTaTiOnbOOTcamp

First,let’sdefinetheconceptofOnlineReputation.Simplyput,abrand’s Online Reputation is measured by consumer perception in terms of credibility1.Seventy-six percent of consumers regularly or occasionally use online reviews to determine which local business to use while 80% of consumers have received advice through a social media outlet regarding which product or service to purchase2.Consequently, user-generated content in the form of online reviews andsocialconversationssignificantlyshapeyourbrand’simage.Theycan be the deal-breaker for maintaining existing and acquiring new relationships.

it takes 20 years to build a reputation

and five minutes

if you think about that, you’ll do things differently.-Warren Buffett, American Business Magnate

“

”to ruin it.

1Local Consumer Review Survey 2012 2beesocial.com

Whether you’re a large corporation, a freelance professional, or a small, “mom and pop” shop, managingyourOnlineReputationisacrucialpartofmarketing.Takeamomenttoconsiderhowclientsandprospectsperceiveyourbrand.

Trusted Brand

Why Online Reputation?

What is Online Reputation?


.


Sources:

OnlineREpuTaTiOnbOOTcamp

If you did not answer “yes” to these questions, then it’s time for you to invest in your Online Reputation! And you’re not the only one—an estimated four million companies are forecasted to be using Online Reputation management platforms in 20133.Companies are investing heavily in managing their reputations because two-thirds of consumers are using search engines to help them research and make purchase decisions4.Infact,thedaysofpersonal,word-of-mouthrecommendationsareover.Now, in the digital age, it’s all about ‘word-of-mouse’ recommendations and spreading thewordelectronicallyovertheinternet.”AccordingtoHubspot,72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.Ifconsumerscan’tfindyou,haven’theardofyouoraren’ttalkingaboutyouonline,chancesareyourcompetitionwillgaintheirbusiness.So,jumponthebandwagon!

Think of reputation management in terms of a game or a sport, but with the goal of making it to the championship game year after year. As you read on, you’ll be provided with the tools to get in the game and strategy for playing offense and defense to strengthen and protect your name.

First, can they easily find you online? Second, do you know what they’re saying about you? Lastly, do you know where they are talking about you?

3Digimind 2012 4eConsultancy

•Rulesofengagement:anunderstandingoftheobjective,equipmentandhowtouseittoprotect andpromoteyourteam.

•Astrongteamandkeyplayerstofocusontheoffenseanddefensetoscorepointswith customersandwinthemoverandtoprotecttheteamfromgettinginjured.

•Trainthatteamandpracticedaily.

•“Strategory”: play on your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, size up your competition, throw a“HailMary”—takesomerisksandlearnfromyourmistakes.

playbook Overview


.


plaY the field: GET LiSTEd in buSinESS diREcTORiES

bing Local – Bing is a top search engine and has an alliance with Yahoo that has helped thembuildtheirmarketshare.BingisafreeservicethatofferstoolsforbusinessestomanagetheirsearchpresenceincludingaBingBusinessPortal.Thisserviceprovidesmaps,ratingsandreviews.Thereisalsoabulkuploadprogramthatisavailabletobusinesseswithaminimumof25listings.

Create or claim a listing here: http://www.bing.com/businessportal/Bing Business Portal FAQ: http://www.bingbusinessportal.com/faq.aspx

Google+ Local – Google+LocalisafreeonlinesearchengineservicethatintegratesGoogle+.Google+Localoffersmoreinteractivebusinesstoconsumerengagementincludingsharingphotos,links,ratingsandreviews.Thisservicehasabulkuploadprogramavailableifyourbusinesshas10ormorelistings.AGmailaccountisalsorequiredtocreateabusinessaccount.

Create or claim a listing here: http://www.google.com/local/add

Yahoo Local – Yahoo Local is another large online search engine that gives opportunities forbusinessestoprovidedetailsandtheirservices.Thereisafreebasiclistingservicewhichprovidescompanyinformationanddetailsandallowsuptofiverelevantcategoriesinplacement.Theydochargeforanenhancedlistingserviceforhigherplacement.

Create or claim a listing here: http://local.yahoo.com/

citysearch – Online city guide that provides info about businesses powered by CityGrid Media.Thisservicedoeschargetousetheirserviceandoffersamobileservice.Consumerscanleavereviewsandalsoseekoutan“AtaGlance”overviewofbusiness.

Create or claim a listing here: https://signup.citygrid.com/

Play the Field: Get Listed in Business Directories


http://www.bing.com/businessportal/

http://www.bingbusinessportal.com/faq.aspx

http://www.google.com/local/add

http://local.yahoo.com/

https://signup.citygrid.com/

.


plaY the field: GET LiSTEd in buSinESS diREcTORiES

Yelp–Yelpisanurbanonlinecityguidewhereconsumerscanleavereviews.Yelpisafreeservice that allows businesses to communicate both privately and publicly, track the number ofvisitors,providedetails,offerdealsandrecommendotherbusinesses.Thereisafeetoenhanceplacement.Inordertoclaimanexistinglisting,searchforyourcompanyandselect“WorkHere?UnlockthisBusinessPage”andfollowthestepstocreatealisting.

Create or claim a listing here: https://biz.yelp.com

merchantcircleTm–MerchantCircle.comisafreeonlinelocalnetworkofbusinessesthatoffersratingsandreviews.Thissiteofferssocialnetworkingfeaturesanddeals.

Create or claim a listing here: http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/landing/signup.html

Judy’s book – Judy’s Book is a review site where businesses can interact with their reviewers.Thesitenowdrivesoveronemillionuniquevisitorsamonth.Thisisnotafreeservice.Alistingcanbeclaimedbysearchingforyourcompanynameandthenselecting“ClaimyourBusiness”onthelefthandsideofthepage.

Create or claim a listing here: http://www.judysbook.com/Biz

There are many other directories including Insider PagesTm, Local.comTM, SuperpagesTm, Yellow BookTm, YellowpagesTm, ZiplocalTm and LocalEdge, so make sure you get listed in as many directories as possible to enhanceyouronlinevisibility.Keepinmindthatthetimeframeforyourlistingtogolivemaydifferfromsitetosite.Forexample,Google+LocalrequiresaPINtocompletetheauthenticationprocess.Theywilleithercallyour business within a few minutes to provide a PIN that must be entered on their site, or they can send you a postcardviamailwithaPINwhichcantakeupto7-10businessdays.


https://biz.yelp.com

https://biz.yelp.com/

http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/landing/signup.html

http://www.judysbook.com/Biz

www.insiderpages.com/

http://local.com

http://www.superpages.com/

http://www.yellowbook.com/

http://www.yellowpages.com/

http://www.ziplocal.com/

http://www.localedge.com/

.


scORing fanReviews OnSOciaL cHannELS TO EnHancE YOuR imaGE

Weallknowthatweshouldbeactiveinsocialspaces,butdoweknowwhy?ResearchbyBazaarvoice.comshows that over half of Millennials trust the opinions of strangers online5.

Bizaarvoice.comalsostatesthat53% of Twitter users recommend companies and/or products in their tweets with 48% on the intent to make a purchase3.

Scoring Fan Reviews on Social Channels to Enhance your Image

Sources: 5bazaarvoice.comSocialCommerceStatistics

AccordingtoHubspot,thenumberofmarketerswhosaythatFacebook is critical or important to their business initiatives has increased 83% injust2years3.

Media Post News reports that brands with the highest “social media activity” (including reviews) increased revenue by as much as 18%3.

Research by Gartner states that 74% of consumers rely on social networks to guide purchase decisions3.

So, what do all these numbers mean to you and your business? These numbers are representative of the factthatpeoplearenotonlytalking,peoplearetalkingwiththeintenttobuy.Thisiswhyitissoimportantforyouandyourbrandtobeactiveonsocialmediasites.Weallwantahighamountoffollowers,but


.



doweknowwhy?Brandadvocates.That’swhy.Theseareyourbiggestfansthathavehadanamazingexperiencewithyourbrandandbelieveinitsomuch,thattheywillsingyourpraisesanychancetheyget.What brand would not love to have thousands of brand advocates out there singing your praises? This free,“wordofmouse”marketingispriceless.Theserecruitersaretryingtoconvinceconsumersthatareonthefenceaboutyourbrandandyourcompetitionthatyouarethebestchoice—therightchoice.

Howdoyougetthesebrandadvocates?Youhavetogowheretheyare.Youhavetomake your presence known in the social spaces—Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Instagram are the biggest social platforms that currently gather the mostengagementandconversation.

Countless brands know that they need to be on social sites, but what they don’t realize is that it’s notenoughjusttobethere.Theyneed to be having conversations with past, present, and future consumers.Brandsneedtobeengagingonadaily,andsometimeshourly,basis.Consumersareactiveonsocialsitesconstantly—notjustMondaythroughFridayfrom9to5.consumers want to interact, to be heard, and they want to be spoken to. When brands interact with consumers, it brings the “big business” mentality

thattheconsumermayhaveregardingthebrand,andreplacesitwitha“human”feel.So,ifyourbrand isn’t interacting with consumers, you better believe that your competition is! Don’t miss out on thisopportunity!CheckoutoursampleSocialMediacalendaronpage21foryouruse.Printoutandcustomizeforyourbusinesssothatyou’repostingavarietyofappropriateandengagingcontent.


.



So what do you do now that you are equipped with this knowledge? Get your brand on social sites to increaseyouronlinevisibilityandengagewithyourfans.Asyourfan-basebuilds,sowilltheironlineconversationsaboutyourbrand.Andultimately,you’ll see those online dialogues convert into sales and significant growth overall.Andwhowouldn’twantthat?

Starbucks® Facebook page Starbucks® Twitter page

Starbucks® instagram page Starbucks® Google+ page


.


tackling Reviews: THE GOOd, THE bad, and THE uGLY

They say it’s always “the squeaky wheel that gets the grease” Well, the same is true for customers who complain and leave not-so-nice reviews and one and ahalfstarratingsonyourbusinessprofile.It’sthebadanduglyonesthatgettheattentionandrequireyourquickandcarefully-wordedresponses.We’dall love to respond to the good ones—the pleasant and glowing reviews about how wonderful their experience was with your brand, but truthfully, we’re typically on the lookout for the bad and ugly ones so we can quickly pounce onthemandputthosefiresoutstat.

Here’sareal-lifeexampleofa“bad”review(completewithphoto),turned“ugly” (i.e.widespreadnewscoverageandlawsuits).

You may recall SUBWAY®’s sandwich scandal in which their famous sub fell short at 11 inches6.Theentire uproar began, and then went viral, on SUBWAY®’s Facebook page when a customer complained on theirpagebypostingaphotoofthesubnexttoameasuringtapeconfirmingthatthesandwichfellaninchshortofitsnamesake(“bad”).SUBWAY® initially responded that the name wasn’t intended to be a “measurementoflength.”However,whenthreecustomerssubsequentlynamedSUBWAY® in a lawsuit (“ugly”),theychangedtheirstanceandstated,“OurcommitmentremainssteadfasttoensurethateverySUBWAY® FootlongTMsandwichis12inchesateachlocationworldwide”(“good”).

Sources: 6Los Angeles Times 2013

Tackling Reviews: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

HowSUBWAY®’s FootlongTM Turned Their Online Footprint to ‘Footwrong’


.


tackling Reviews: THE GOOd, THE bad, and THE uGLY

Hubspotreportedthat58% of consumers trust a business with positive online reviews, 65% read between two and ten reviews and that a large number of reviews gave users more confidence in the legitimacy of the star ratings7.Withsomanyconsumersrelyingonstrangers’ratingsandcommentsaboutabrand,youreallyneedagameplanforresponding(ornotresponding)tosuchcontent.

Lessons Learned:

1. Wordtravelsamillionmilesanhouronline–especially when a disgruntled customer posts negative content aboutyourbrand.

2. Respondquicklyandconsistentlytoavoidthe“snowball effect”(andlawsuitsandmediascrutiny,etc.).

3. Nameyourproductsappropriatelytoavoid“falseclaims.”

SUBWAY® customers were relatively disappointed as was evidenced by the subsequent number of photos of subs and measuring tapes that were posted to SUBWAY®’sFacebookPage.Thisreal-lifescenarioillustrates the importance of monitoring customer sentiment, addressing matters in a timely manner and withaconsistentmessage.Beingmindfulofthesetipswillelicitgoodcustomerexperiencesandreviewsandminimizethosebadanduglyencounters.

Sources: 7Local Consumer Review Survey 2012


.


blitz the cOMpetitiOn: mOniTOR YOuR cOmpETiTORS TO GET aHEad

PepsiTMandCoca-Cola.TM Wendy’sTM and McDonald’sTM.TargetTMandWal-Mart.TM All of these brands have astrongonlinepresenceandtheyareallwatchingeachother’snextmove.Whetherit’sapublicrelationscatastrophe,acharitycontributionoranewproductlaunch,theyarealltalking.PartofmanagingyourOnlineReputationalsomeanskeepingoneeyeopenonyourcompetition.

And, more importantly, these brands are learning from their competitors; mistakes! After all, a wise man oncesaid,“Winnersbuildonmistakes.Losersdwellonthem(ArnoldMori).”Taketheopportunitytotakesomerisks,playoffothers’successesandfailures.Taketheleadonatacticthatyourcompetitioncouldn’tgetquiterightandeventakeapageoutoftheirplaybookandmakeitworkforyoutoo.

In 2011, Target produced a documentary called “Behind the Bull’s-eye”, in which they explained to viewers thatnotonlyaretheythenumbertwodiscountretailstorebehindWal-Mart,buttheyarehappythere.They are happy in the number two spot because they aren’t scrutinized as much in the shadow of the glaringlimelightthatshinesonWal-Mart.Targetcanflyundertheradarwhenitcomestonegativepublicity,whichismoredifficulttodowhenyouarenumberone.Nottosayyoudon’twanttobenumberone,however,thistacticofpayingcloseattentiontoyourcompetitorscanworkinyourfavor.Youcanpushyourbrandharderandtakeriskswhenyourcompetitorreceivessomenegativepublicity.

is not only the basis of

protection to the consumer,but is the incentive to

-Herbert Hoover

“

”

Competition

progress.


.


blitz the cOMpetitiOn: mOniTOR YOuR cOmpETiTORS TO GET aHEad

Blitz the Competition: Monitor your Competitors to get Ahead

Set up Google alerts and other third-party tools for competitors and industry news. Payattentiontowhatisbeingsaidaboutcompetingbrandsandtheindustryasawhole.Usetheinformation to make your services better, pick up where your competitors are slacking, stand out wheretheydon’t.Findoutwhyyourcompetitionisbeingnoticedandfigureouthowyoucanmakeitbetter.

Follow industry leaders on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, as well as growing channels like pinterest and instagram. SimilartoGoogleAlerts,usetheinformationyouseeinsocialchannelstoyouradvantage.Iftheyarelaunchingaproductorhostingacontest,seehowyoucanplayoffofit.Couldyoudosomethingbetter?Isthereawayyoucouldoffersomethingthatcouldworkhandinhandwiththeprizetheyareoffering?Stayintunewithyourcompetitors’socialinitiativesandmakesomeofyourownthatarefreshandnew.

check out analytical tools and reports to compare and evaluate the activity on your social channels versus the activity on your competitors’ channels. Use these tools as a benchmarking system to evaluate how your content stacks up against yourcompetitors.Aretheygettingmoreclick-thrusandcommentsthanyou?Aretheypositiveornegative?Dotheyhavemorefollowers?Thesereportswillbehelpfulinfine-tuningyourmessaginganddeterminingwhattypeofcontenttriggersmoreengagementandbusinessgrowth.

Sign up for your competitors’ promotions and newsletters and subscribe to their blog feeds.

Taking these steps and understanding what is and isn’t working for your competition will prove to be a strategicmoveforenhancingyourownreputationandcomingoutahead.Takesomerisks.

1

2

3

4


.


Offensive and defensive MOvestO pROmOTE and pROTEcT YOuR bRand

Now that we’ve armed you with the basics of how the game is played, now youmustactuallyplay.Sohuddleup,practice,incorporatesomemovesintoyour playbook to score points, win over the fans and avoid dropping the ball or throwinganinterception.

Inthisgame,it’sveryimportanttocommunicateopenly.Findouthowyourimage is faring by listening and, more importantly, responding to what the publicissayingonsocialsites,reviewsites,Googlesearchesandblogs.

It’salsoparamounttobeproactive.Afterall,howareyougoingtoplayoffensewithoutfieldingyourfansforsomewinningreviews.Think of online reviews as “Testimonials 2.0”8. Continuetoaskforreferrals,butasksatisfiedcustomerspostareviewabouttheirexperienceonyourbusinessprofileinthedirectoriestomentionedearlierlikeYelpandCitySearch.Promotethoselinksonyourbusinesscards,emailsignaturesandothermarketingmaterials.Offerincentiveslikecashordiscountsforsubmittinganonlinereviewaswell.

Sources: 8National Association of Realtors 2010 ProfileofHomeBuyersandSellers

Evenmorecrucialtothegamethanplayingoffenseandscoringpoints, is your defensive strategy and responding to unsportsmanlike conduct-orhandlingnegativereviewsinthiscase.

Carefully crafting the appropriate response is key to maintaining relationships and acquiring potential clients.

Reputation Management Defensive Playbook

Offensive and Defensive Moves to Promote and Protect your Brand


.



Sources: 9MarketingPilgrim,“MotrinFacesTwitterHeadacheOverNewVideoCampaign” 10Hubspot,“ImportantLessonsinOnlineReputationManagementFrom@AndyBeal[@InboundNow#24]”11Remove Negative Review with Reputation Management, Local Gold Mine Blog

2RuLE

Always use empathy and be authentic!Putyourselfintheirshoesandtrytounderstandwhytheyfeelthewaytheydo.If you come across as unsympathetic or dismissive you will either look bad to otherclients/consumersorencouragethepersontotakefurtheraction.Beinggenuine and open about your brand—good and bad—is always the right way to goasitlendstoyourcredibilityandauthenticity.

3RuLE

Don’t blame the customer or another teammate!Takeresponsibilityforthesituationandconfrontitheadon.AccordingtoMarketing Pilgrim, when applicable, you should quickly apologize and then do some damage control before a situation gets even more widespread (i.e.Subway’s“Footwrong”debacleabove)9.Consumersdon’tcarewhosefaultitis.Theyjustwantitfixed.Ifyoustartpointingfingersatthecustomertheywillgoonthedefensiveandthesituationwillescalate.

4RuLE

Never get into an online comment battle!Alwayskeepitprofessionalandrespondquicklytounfavorablereviews.Yournumberonegoalistoattempttorectifythesituation.Advisethereviewertomeet or call you to discuss the matter further to show that you are concerned abouttheirexperience.AndyBeal,founderofMarkingPilgrim,says,“Oftentimes, you have the opportunity to turn a detractor into an evangelist by fixingsituations10.”Turnyourbrandenemiesintobrandchampions!

5RuLE

Keepittimelyandneverignorebadreviews!Alwaysacknowledgethereviewandrespondquicklytosetthingsright.Torecoup their trust, follow through immediately or they may not trust you or remove the negative review11.

1RuLE

Never write a response while angry!Yourharshwordswillcomebacktohauntyou.Oftencustomersjustwanttobeheard.Byrespondingyouaregivingthemthesatisfactionthattheircomplaintwasacknowledged.Plus,yourpotentialclientscanseethatyouaddressedtheissue.


.



Reputationisanassetandmustbemanagedlikeotherassets.Employeesareacompany’sbestadvocateandbecomeyourprotectors(defense)andpromoters(offense).Werecommendsettingupateamofkeyplayers representing several departments that have ownership of the brand, social media, reputation and riskmanagement,legalandhumanresources.TheteamshouldchampionthecauseforsocialmediaandOnlineReputationmanagement.Thisgroup’sgoalistoensurethatownershipandmanagementofthebrandiscarriedoutatthecorporatelevel.Mostbrandstypicallyhavemultipledepartmentsthatrangefrom sales, marketing, public relations, legal and human resources, IT, third-party vendors and customer service.

Theteamshouldhaveavarietyofplayerswithdifferentrolesandincludeonetotakeownershipofthecompany’simage–yourquarterbackorteamleader.Thisplayermakesthecalls,ralliestheteam,knowstheplaysbackwardsandforwardsandisyour“goto”andisresponsibleforday-to-daymanagement.The team leader within this group should be responsible for championing resources, identifying internal andexternalbrandadvocatesandsafeguardingthebrand.Theteamiscriticalinestablishinggovernanceandbestpractices,policymakingandconductingcompany-widetraining.Herearestepstohelpyougetstarted in creating your team:

identify the key players to become a part of the team and engage each of them in the creation oftheguidelines.

Set routine meetings for the team to share best practices, new trends, emerging platforms and technology.

Establish goals,objectivesandtacticstosupportthem.

conduct a reputation and social media audit.

craft a risk management plan along with response protocol to become a strategic guide for unitsoftheorganizationtofollow.

Set up listening tools and formal mechanisms to actively monitor, measure and manage reputation.

develop internal training materialanddeliverittotheorganizationasoftenaspossible.

Evaluate effectivenessofactionstaken.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Create a Reputation Management Team


.



Creating a Policy

Comment and Review Guidelines

Development of corporate policies, with particular emphasis on those relating to social media participation and managing your online reputation isimportant.Youshoulddefinetherulesof tohelpguideyourorganization’sresponsetothreats.Bybuildinginadefinedsetofresponseprocedures,itispossibletominimizetheamountofdamagethatasocialmediacrisiscaninflict.

engagement to be followed

Comment guidelines set the boundaries for acceptable behavior on the company’s social media profilesandacrossthewebonreviewsites,localdirectoriesandsearchengines.Knowwhatthemedia,competitors, employees and consumers are saying about you and track the content of the conversation to gaugesuccess.

It’s good to respond to the three inevitable types of conversation - questions, complaints and compliments.

Questions that need to be addressed:

•Whenareyouremployees“your”employees?

•Areyouresponsiblefortheiractionswhentheyare“ontheclock”?

•Areyouresponsiblefortheiractionswhentheyareontheirowntime?

•Consideryouraudienceandbeauthentic.

•Remembertoprotectproprietaryandconfidentialinformation.

Questions Complaints Compliments


.



according to business news daily, by following these tips, you’ll maintain a solid reputation on the web:

• Focus on a simple, clear and compelling narrative that will stick in the mind.It’sthemainthingaboutyourbusiness.Thisiswhatyoualways wantpeopletoknowaboutyou.

• be authentic. Talkinalanguagethatisrealforyouandyourbrand.Avoid thejargonofcorporatespeakandmarketingtheory.Themoregenuine andhumanyouareinthewayyoutalk,themoreyouwillengagepeople. Don’tbeafraidtousehumorwherepossible.

•Talk about the “dramatically different’’ things you do. People want good stories,sofindthethingsthatareexcitingtotalkaboutandamplifythem.

• Encourage conversations with your customers and even your investors, employeesandthepress.SocialmediaallowsyoutodothisviaTwitter, YouTube,Facebook,blogsandLinkedIn.Youneedtohavepeople monitoringandactivelyencouragingconversations.

• make it as easy as possible for consumers to talk about you. Empower your team to talk directly with consumers and build rapport, recruit consumers to be fans and when anything goes wrong, deal with it at lightningspeed.

Lastly, to ensure you’ve not left any stone unturned, print out our “Reputation Management Checklist” on page23.Thishandylistwillguideyouthroughgettingsetuponlinebypublishingyourcontactinformationineverycornersoyou’llbeseenonsearchengines,reviewsites,directoriesandsocialsites.Itwillremindyouwhattomonitor,whereandhowoften.Andfinally,itwillensurethatyouaremakingkeywordadjustmentsasnecessarysothatconsumerscanfindyouwhenusingrelatedtermsintheirsearch.

Review the “Comment & Review Guidelines” on page 22 to help develop your brand’s guidelines.


.


THE End ZOnEAndthereyouhaveit-OnlineReputationinallitsglory.We’ve armed you with what it is, why to do it, when to do it, where to do it, how to do it, the good and bad and the ups and downs! Now, it’s up to you to nurture that shiny, new reputation and foster those ratings, conversations and engagedaudiencesintoathrivingbusiness.Remember,if reputation management is a sport, your goal is to get in the game and win! Your identity should be complete with ateamofbrandchampionstoprotectyoufrominjuries,promote your brand to win over your fans, take risks, learn from mistakes, size up your competition, add to your playbook, practice daily and most of all, give the fans what they want - a solid, reliable, trustworthy company that listenstoitscustomersanddeliversontheirpromise.

But wait - there’s more! Our reputation management strategies don’t end here—for real estateprofessionalsatleast.Homes.com knows that a strong Online Reputation also means being aware of homebuyers and sellers’ needs and we have the resources and tools to help you manage that.

For example: Discover homebuyers’ preferred home amenities as reported in our American Dream Home Survey.

The End Zone


http://www.homes.com

http://blog.homes.com/2012/07/american-dream-home-survey/

.


THE End ZOnE

Now that you know what it takes to manage your Online Reputation, we want to empower you with some toolsthatcanmakemanagingiteveneasier.WithHomes.com’sSocialImpactprogram,wehelprealestateprofessionalsmakeastrongfirstimpression,engagemoreprospects,protectyourbrandandcontroltheconversation.SocialImpactisyourpersonalsocialmediaassistant.Thiscomprehensiveservicehelpsyouexpandyouronlinevisibilitytoensurehomebuyersandsellerscanyoufindyouonline.Itmonitorsyourreputation,socialmarketingeffortsincludingaccountsetupandmaintenance,contentdevelopment,videocreationandmore.

Signupfor30%offSocialImpactTODAY!Contact us at (866) 675-1058!

Takealookatthesereal-lifereviewsofrealestateprofessionalsthatareprettydamaging.Fumble!Imaginehavingtorespondtoreviewslikethese.They’renotonlyembarrassing,butcantrulymakerecoveringtheballanearimpossiblechallenge.Toavoidthisormakeacomeback,we encourage you to visit our blog for access to various resources including presentations and othereBooksregardingsocialmediaandOnlineReputationmanagement.


http://connect.homes.com/category/blog/

.


sOcial Media pOsting calendaRMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday



For more ideas on how to market your business, visit connect.homes.com.

Page 21



.


When we have an Internet crisis, brand abuse or defamatory discussion threat, what does our response system look like now?

What social media sites are we currently on?

Who is our company spokesperson should a crisis arise?

What social media sites and online sources do we currently track?

Do we have the capability to quickly issue out a statement?

Do we have a monitoring program put in place to track positive, negative and neutral mentions of our brand?

Howdowemanagealloftheresponsesthatcomeintodayandwhoisresponsible?

Howwillwemangenegativereviews?

What is our plan of action if a crisis occurs during business hours and after business hours?

Howwillwemanagepositivereviews?

What tools are we using to track defamation?

Willwerejectcommentsthatincludeoffensiveorinappropriatelanguage?

Some Things to Consider

Will we allow personal attacks?

On-topic comments: What will you do with comments that veer away from the topic of the post or other peoples’ comments?

Will we allow comments that appear to be spam?

Willwetakeactionagainstrepeatoffenders?

Will we provide a way for commenters to contact someone if their comment is not approved, or if they have other questions?

Inanidealworld,youmightallowpeopletoquestionorargueyourcompany’scontent–afterall,thismediumisaboutconversation.Evenifyoudoallowcriticism,consideroutlawingaggressiveattacks.

Page 22

cOMMent & Review GuidELinES For more ideas on how to market your business, visit connect.homes.com.



.


RepUtatiOn ManageMent cHEcKLiST

Establishing Brand Presence

Bing Local 411.com

LocalEdge

Yellow Book

Other

Google+ Local DexKnows

MerchantCircle

Yellowpages

Insider Pages

Yahoo Local Local

Super Pages

Ziplocal

Judy’s Book Kudzu

Yelp

Search Engines Directory Sites

Review Sites

Contact Information

KeywordAdjustments:Updates/Additions

Monitoring: Reviews/Mentions/Social

Correct Business Name

Daily

Current Address

Weekly

Current Phone Number

Current Website

Daily

AsIamNotified/Immediately

Weekly

Weekly

Monthly

Monthly

Scanning Frequency

Response Frequency


Maximizing your online reputation

Documents

Transcript of Maximizing your online reputation