The time has come for companies to start investing resources in online image insurance. Companies can’t protect themselves from having an employee who is rude, or a washroom that is dirty. Its impossible. But they can step in and act quickly to limit damage. Or they can wait until negative stuff appears in a newspaper, or on TV or on YouTube.
What companies want to prevent is the short shrift – unfair attacks that are allowed to gain strength, or legitimate complaints that fall on deaf ears – a neglected unhappy customer who starts to influence a lot of others, because they aren’t feeling the love.
Instead of spending money on “buzz” marketing where people fake interest in a product or service, or instead of camouflaging a corporate voice in an online network, how about showing pride and stepping into the fray in a transparent fashion.
Here is a link to a flickr album that has been viewed by 379,000 + people. It has pictures of a dirty Wal-Mart store. Are all Wal-Marts dirty? – no. Hmmm Its hard to tell from the comments.
Next post, I’ll start a series on which Social Networks companies should use, why and how.
