What is the reputation. How to build a good social media reputation

Reputation

noun, and., use comp. often

Morphology: (no) what? reputation, what? reputation, (see) what? reputation, how? reputation, about what? about reputation

1. reputation called the created general opinion about the merits and demerits of someone or something.

Good, bad, bad reputation. | Build a strong reputation for yourself. | Have a reputation as a good storyteller. | To have, to earn, to acquire a stable reputation. | The bank has a solid reputation.

2. reputation is called a favorable opinion that has developed about someone, about something in society.

3. If anyone soaked, tarnished his reputation, then this means that this person committed some unseemly act that changed the opinion of other people about him for the worse.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Dmitriev. D.V. Dmitriev. 2003 .

Synonyms:

Books

Reputation of the doll, Solntseva Natalya Mikhailovna. The theme of the book is literary dolls, their traditional perception and modern interpretations. Dolls are artifacts and sources of inspiration, reluctant imitators and self-sufficient androids, key…
The Reputation of a Doll, Solntseva N. The theme of the book is literary dolls, their traditional perception and modern interpretations. Dolls are artifacts and sources of inspiration, reluctant imitators and self-sufficient androids, key…

"Head of a budget organization", 2010, N 2

We are already accustomed to the fact that it is mainly large companies operating in highly competitive markets that think about creating a positive reputation in our country. However, reputation is also important for public organizations, especially those that provide services to the population. How can you build and maintain a business reputation? And most importantly - how not to lose in one moment what has evolved over the years?

Henry Ford warned executives: "If you don't care about your company's reputation, your competitors will." These words can be attributed to the activities of not only commercial structures, but also budgetary institutions, because many of them today work in a competitive environment in the fields of education, medicine, and culture. And this competition is growing every year, and with it the role of business reputation.

According to American experts, the share of reputation in the total market value of a company ranges from 15 to 25% (in some cases reaching up to 75%). In Russia, according to reputation management consultant Alexei Zlovedov, this share is on average 50%.

According to the Harvard Business School, in 11 years (from 1993 to 2004), companies around the world that purposefully worked on their reputation increased revenue by 682%, profit - by 756%, and the number of employees - by 282 %. At the same time, companies that did not pay special attention to reputation issues showed results in 166%, 1% and 36%, respectively. World practice shows that organizations that seriously work on building a reputation become leaders in their field.

Building a reputation

To begin with, let's define what the reputation of an organization is and how it differs from its image.

Compared to reputation, image is the image an organization seeks to create in its environment. And if the reputation is formed over the years, involves the deepest emotions of people, then the image is a kind of external impression of the organization, the way it appears here and now.

Note. Business reputation - a set of opinions about the organization of representatives of stakeholders who are associated with it (employees, consumers, government officials, the media, etc.).

Obviously, the formation of a reputation is a longer process than the creation of an image, and it affects all levels of the organization and all its employees - from the director to the courier.

First of all, the manager should entrust the formation of a reputation program to professionals. Depending on the level of development of the organization, this may be one PR specialist or several specialists united in some structure, for example, in the public relations department. Of course, you can involve specialists from an independent agency and even agree on subscription services. But practice shows that this form of work does not guarantee confidentiality, and some documents may end up not only in the hands of competitors, but also on Internet sites.

1. A clear goal setting: what kind of reputation and for which groups we want to create.

Agree that you can't be the best at everything. Therefore, it is important to highlight the priority direction for the organization and be able to express the desired reputation in a few words. For example: a reliable organization (consumers believe that they strive to fulfill all obligations to them), a prestigious university (it has the biggest competitions compared to other universities, graduates quickly get jobs in their specialty).

2. Identify the "bottlenecks" of the organization that prevent the achievement of the desired reputation.

Suppose a budgetary institution wants to create a reputation among its clients for an organization where all issues are resolved quickly. In this case, the analysis should be aimed primarily at identifying customer interaction procedures that need to be accelerated. In budgetary structures, this primarily concerns the timing of consideration of various documents. If consumers are confident that all applications are approved without delay in the organization, its reputation will be significantly strengthened.

3. Decide how to overcome bottlenecks and eliminate them.

We have a simple managerial task. If your goal is to speed up the procedure for coordinating documents, it is worth analyzing at what stage and in connection with what they "get stuck", how you can motivate (or punish) that employee (or department) where the delay occurs. Here it is important to draw up an action plan to eliminate bottlenecks and implement it.

4. Create a precedent.

Once the ground has been set and the major issues preventing the desired reputation from being built have been addressed, it's time to start thinking about creating a high-profile event with decent coverage among your stakeholder groups.

If we return to our example with the reputation of a company that makes quick decisions, then in this case it is possible to create such a precedent. Previously, the approval procedures took you a whole month, and with the help of the created "single window" system, you reduced this period to 10 days. And even when the client needed to quickly resolve some difficult issue, your employees made every effort, but met the deadline, surprising him unspeakably. And then you need to make sure that as many people as possible learn about this event with the help of the media.

We maintain a reputation

Building a good reputation is only half the battle. Much harder to keep. An ill-considered act of a management or even an ordinary employee can at one moment spoil what specialists have been working on for years. A fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey can be reckless statements of the first (or public) persons of the company. It is especially bad if the behavior or words of a public person diverge from the stated postulates. Unfulfilled promises to customers also cause irreparable damage to the reputation, especially if they are accompanied by rude attacks from the staff. Attempts to change the rules in the course of the game often turn against the organization. For example, visitors expect certain behavior from your employees and do not realize that priorities have shifted slightly, and as a result, they simply cease to understand what is happening.

Incorrect actions against those people who have access to mass audiences and can ruin the company's reputation (journalists, politicians, etc.) can become especially dangerous. Therefore, it is worth considering seriously before refusing to comment on any respected media.

In the business of reputation management, there can be no trifles. But the values that play a significant role in maintaining it deserve special attention.

History of the company. You are very lucky if your organization has an interesting history going back centuries. It is these stories that the oldest theaters, museums, and higher educational institutions can boast of. They have something to tell the public about themselves, and this story can be exploited for a long time (in a positive sense), inventing new, modern forms. For example, how to present a museum to today's youth if you can't lure them there with a roll? Create a virtual museum with interactive features and an online tour.

But even if there was nothing unusual in history at first glance, it is necessary to find at least a few interesting facts and, on their basis, write history anew, filling it with bright events and achievements. And then make this story public, draw attention to it with the help of interesting publications in the media. A reputation based on nothing is not convincing. A rich history shows that the organization has earned its reputation: it worked hard, quickly rebuilt following changing conditions, experienced ups and downs, showed resistance to negative influences, that is, its success is natural.

Reputation of the first persons. Nothing can be done, but the reputation of the first persons is projected onto the reputation of the entire organization. This rule is true even for a huge company with thousands of people (remember the examples of Anatoly Chubais or Yevgeny Chichvarkin), not to mention a small office, the director of which is its "face". Therefore, taking care of the reputation of his company, the manager must first of all take care of his own reputation. An organization will not develop a reliable reputation if its leader is constantly late for meetings with clients, "forgets" about agreements, and makes scandalous statements in the press. So the process of building a reputation, the manager should start not with the staff, but with himself.

Compliance with expectations. What matters most to customers is where it makes sense to focus on. If reliability is the main thing for a strategic client, then all efforts should be directed to this. If service is more important, then all efforts should be thrown at ensuring that customers say: "They have the best service." If the quality: "They care so much about the quality of services that they are ready to return the money to anyone who is not satisfied with it." That is, it is important to accurately determine the leading need of a strategic client and focus all efforts on its implementation.

Compliance of cases with the declared policy. With the conscious formation and maintenance of reputation, one cannot do without the creation of an information policy - a special document where a description of the reputation that should be formed among various target audiences is clearly recorded. In addition, the document indicates the mechanisms that work to build such a reputation. For example, the organization claims that it is reliable, and in confirmation publishes an annual review, which shows that during the year there was not a single refusal to consider documents. Such an organization is more trusted, because its words do not diverge from deeds.

Concentration of efforts. It is much more profitable to focus efforts on one thing, and then it will inevitably "shoot", everything else is simply maintained at a positive level.

So, when managing the reputation of an organization, it is important to remember this rule: what is different is remembered. In our case, it is different from all other companies and organizations. Market players with a strong reputation are always the best. They say about them: they have the latest developments, they have the best specialists, they have the best laboratory... This is what we should strive for!

The reputation of a company is directly proportional to its success. How to learn to manage it? About this, as well as how to evaluate the company's reputation in monetary terms and a step-by-step reputation protection algorithm, read below.

In this article you will read:

Why is a company's reputation important?
How to improve the company's reputation
What steps to take to protect the company's reputation
Is it possible to evaluate business reputation in monetary terms
What are the nuances of the company's business reputation
How to systematically build a company's reputation
What are the benefits of companies with a good reputation
How to maintain a high reputation in the market, despite the intrigues of competitors
How does the business reputation of a company differ from its image?

The concepts of "business reputation" and "image" of the company should not be confused, although we will not deny the close relationship of these concepts. The image is the image of the company, a rather superficial idea of the object that is emerging in the minds of society. The image of the company may not reflect the deep social and economic characteristics of the organization, the features of its market behavior, the consequences of its activities. The image can be significantly changed, even without any major changes within the company.

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Reputation, on the other hand, is a dynamic characteristic in the behavior of an organization, which is formed by people over a sufficiently long period of time. It is based on a set of information about the methods and how the company's behavior is built.

If a favorable image of the company is intended to attract consumers and partners, then the reputation formed over the years makes them remain loyal and loyal to the company. Reputation is a kind of guarantee that this company will not let down its customers and partners. Formation of the company's reputation is based on reliable knowledge and assessments, assuming a rational analytical approach.

Components of the company's business reputation

When forming the company's reputation, components are distinguished that create and develop positive qualities:

1. Image - is a generalized image of the company in the eyes of the target audience, a variant of its self-presentation, which focuses on the best qualities with strengthening authority among potential customers. The following factors are important for the formation of the image:

– registration of places of consumption of goods;

– availability of products and services of well-known brands;

- Creation of the mission of the organization.

A responsible and difficult task is to choose a company name. Indeed, thanks to successful naming, it becomes possible from the very beginning to determine a favorable place against the background of other market participants. Before choosing the final version, you have to answer the main questions:

How will people perceive a company with that name?

What associations will arise associated with this company name?

2. Positioning of the organization in the market - self-determination of the company, behavior, real steps in the market. Additional factors include advertising, participation in professional conferences, associations, and congresses. By representing the company through events, it is possible to attract customers from different market segments.

– ability to cope with the consequences of crises;

– level of management, financial stability of the company;

- culture of communication;

- conditions for the work of employees, etc.

4) The popularity of the organization in the market is a combination of the financial capabilities of the enterprise, the duration of its leadership in the quality of products, the geography of the presence of goods.

5) The prestige of the organization as a place of work.

6) Financial stability of the organization.

How to build a business reputation

Forming a company's reputation from scratch is unrealistic. The company needs really significant advantages and achievements in its industry, which will be laid in the reputational foundation. It takes a lot of time and serious financial investments to build a reputation. Building a reputation is a constant, complex process in which it is impossible to fully insure oneself against potential losses, threats and risks. Continuous work is needed to build the reputation of the company, with a comprehensive, technological and professional approach.

The company always has a certain reputation. The main requirement is to avoid the spontaneous formation of reputation. It is necessary to do so that the society has an attitude towards the company that corresponds to the desired as much as possible.

The formation of a company's reputation can be figuratively divided into a number of stages

1. We study and identify the target groups of the company.

Each company has 4 main target groups. The main task is to maintain such relations with each of them that will correspond to the interests of the organization and the expectations of the target groups. Among them it should be noted:

Regulatory. Groups that authorize companies to operate by setting appropriate rules and laws for them. We are talking about the government, regulators, the board of directors and shareholders. These bodies evaluate the activities of the company, they can also restrict its activities. A company's poor reputation among regulatory groups can hinder the full development of the business. If there is support from regulatory groups, the company gets additional opportunities to implement its projects.

Functional. These groups are characterized by a significant influence on the daily activities of the company, since they themselves are engaged in the implementation of certain actions that make up the overall functioning of the organization. Employees, distributors, suppliers and service companies are united in these groups. It is extremely important to work with them in the framework of building a corporate reputation. After all, these are the minds and working hands of the enterprise. If they do not adhere to the values of the company, the corporate spirit can be seriously damaged.

diffuse. These are special groups. Their activity in relation to the company is manifested in moments related to the protection of human rights. Diffuse groups include journalists, local communities and special interest groups. When an organization's reputation is at its best, diffuse target groups have little or no interest in it. But the company needs to build effective relationships with these groups to provide a reputational buffer in case of unforeseen crisis circumstances with the formation of a loyal channel in order to transmit the necessary information to society and the outside world. Thanks to the transformation of these groups into allies, the company has a certain “reserve” of security, which also extends to crisis situations when the fault of the organization does not exceed the level of this “reserve”.

Consumer. Buyer groups segmented by their needs.

2. With the help of surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, we find out the loyalty of representatives of the target audience to the company.

The formation of the ideal informational image of the organization occurs as follows: first, it is necessary to clearly articulate how the company plans to look among its target audiences, then carry out an objective assessment of the existing image at the moment. Effective management of a company's reputation comes down to minimizing the gap between these key parameters.

3. Define marketing tools, with which the task will be performed. We are talking about advertising, PR, interpersonal communication and presentations.

Briefly formulate the process of creating a corporate reputation and maintaining its high level can be as follows: the company's reputation is actions + communications. In this regard, the statement of Henry Ford would be appropriate - "reputation cannot be built on intentions to do something." Only by continuously ongoing work and its results and achievements can the formed image of the company be determined by the target audience.

PR-specialists who create a positive reputation of the organization are sure that its formation is based on the "three pillars":

Impeccable quality of the company's products, high level of service, proper behavior of employees.

Correctly defined mission of the company, which is based on the allocation of a socially significant idea taken as the basis of activity.

Evaluation of the company's activities in the media, attitudes towards the organization on the part of public and state structures.

Therefore, the most important task in corporate PR deserves attention, which is that a set of positive information worked for the reputation of the company "to the fullest". It is necessary to operate with the success of the brand, corporate and managerial culture, the degree of ideological employee motivation, the overall size of the market, the volume of financial turnover, the potential of competitors, etc.

How is the business reputation of the company managed?

Business reputation management is an integral process in the business environment. It is distinguished by strategic thoughtfulness, planning, and complexity. Managers of responsible companies 15 years ago preferred to be guided by the formation of the company's reputation. Business reputation management of the company is based on a set of measures. But there are 2 main areas in the activities of PR agents aimed at increasing reputation:

– interaction with external audiences, including business partners and consumers;

- work with internal audience - employees of the company.

Often, increasing the prestige within the company involves establishing the specifics of the generally accepted opinion, attitude towards the company.

The most significant criteria for employees are indicators of comfortable working conditions, team cohesion and corporate etiquette, the personality of the leader, and the stability of financial payments from organizations.

Reputation management also involves addressing gaps in employee motivation. When dissatisfaction appears, the manager either replaces the employee or brings up the necessary qualities in him. If there is a problem of team disunity, PR managers of the company create a reference group with the formation of corporate etiquette, recommending suitable team building. Therefore, the work is carried out on the basis of the analysis of the already formed relationship.

Effective management of a company's reputation is impossible without influencing the opinions and assessments of a consumer group. It is achieved through competent self-presentation of the organization.

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The leaders of the company position themselves as a company capable of providing the best products and services with the best value for money. This positioning acts as an "ideal" image of the organization, based on the manipulation of the consciousness of an external target audit, and not on the actual creation of products or service concepts.

With this method, an important point in increasing the reputation lies in the sources designed to inform the external target audience about the specifics of the company. These sources are usually represented by the mass media, the Internet, television, newspapers, radio. Reputation management with their use involves active access to the company's activities with the creation of the effect of a "transparent policy" of the enterprise. Consequently, increasing the overall credibility of the public.

How to assess business reputation

Russian accounting rules assume that the value of goodwill is what you get if you subtract the book value of all assets and liabilities from the company's purchase price.

International financial reporting standards refer to goodwill as the difference between the price paid by customers and “fair value”—often it is significantly different from the value of assets.

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But at the same time, both methods allow quite clearly and fully assessing the reputational capital of the company. However, there is a certain drawback - the determination of the value of reputation is possible only after the sale of the company. The price of reputation can also include factors that are not directly related to the cost.

To determine the current value of the organization's reputational assets, an expert assessment method has been created, which is more likely not a financial, but a marketing approach. Indeed, in this case, the cost of reputation is calculated by experts using various methods and criteria. American corporations assess the value of goodwill using the excess earnings method. This method is based on the following essence:

1. First, the income received by the organization through the use of the brand is calculated.

2. The amount received is multiplied by a special coefficient, which is calculated based on certain criteria. Among them are the stability of the company's financial performance, industry leadership, and so on.

3. These calculations will determine the value of the brand, which is an important component of the overall reputation of the company.

The reputation of a company can be assessed using indirect indicators. In particular, based on the compilation of the Fortune-500 rating (which includes the 500 most respected American companies) based on a survey of analysts and company executives.

Who and why can harm the reputation of the company

A company's reputation can be damaged by internal and external factors. Damage to goodwill associated with internal factors usually refers to the problems of the organization's business activities. Various factors can provoke these problems, among the main of which should be noted:

- negative dynamics of income, unprofitability of activities with poor output and poor labor efficiency;

– staff drain, involvement of low-skilled specialists;

– lack of proper equipment, negative working conditions;

- cheapening of goods, products, low level of quality of services.

All these factors lead to an immediate impact on the level of reputation, status, prestige and image of the company. In this case, the damage to the company's reputation is eliminated through internal work in the company. An in-depth analysis of the manager's compliance, efficiency ratio, working conditions, activities, customer base is carried out.

Negative company reviews: a quick way to kill a reputation

Profitable companies usually have PR departments and analyst departments that will study the needs of external and internal targeted audits. When carrying out reorganization in the company itself and due to active influence on external assessments by consumers, it is possible to eliminate harm to the business reputation of a legal entity.

But not only objective internal problems of the company can lead to problems for the company's reputation. For external factors, the most applicable means leading to damage to business reputation is anti-advertising, dissemination of discrediting facts and black PR.

How to neutralize negative rumors

Yuliana Slashcheva, President of Mikhailov & Partners. Strategic Communications Management, Moscow

Against slanderous rumors You can fight with their own weapons. In particular, it is possible to respond to the "duck" with another rumor, which turns out to be even more implausible and unrealistic, due to this, the first of them can be leveled.

For example, a rumor is spreading that, due to financial difficulties, the owner plans to sell the company and go abroad. You can answer this information with a rumor according to which he plans not to immigrate, but to fly into space. Then we launch an even more implausible rumor - for example, it does not go into space, but descends underground for 300 kilometers. In our experience, these are very effective tools. People simply consider them absurd and no longer believe the first rumor.

What damage does the company cause damage to its business reputation

If effective and urgent measures are not taken to restore and protect the company's reputation, significant losses can be faced. In particular, the number of clients and consumers is decreasing, partners are starting to refuse cooperation. The damage to the company's reputation can be reflected in the loss of valuable personnel, the unprofitability of projects and a drop in income. Therefore, regular protection of the company's reputation is necessary.

How the company's business reputation is protected

Protecting a company's reputation is a very young legal instrument that is only continuing to develop. Therefore, it is still impossible to unambiguously talk about some ways to improve the reputation. After all, even with a victory in the trial, it will not be easy to restore the reputation. Although companies that continue to work in good faith will gradually restore their reputation.

Although you can take certain steps to punish the offenders, if you are sure of his deliberate actions to worsen your reputation:

- documentary evidence of slander. To document the facts in question, you need to use the services of a notary office. These measures must be taken before competitors remove the posted defamation;

- Posting a disclaimer. Suitable for this Internet and media. Not every negative review will affect the business reputation of the company. These can only be false reviews that are aimed at forming a negative attitude;

– preparation of documents on causing material damage;

– preparation of a report on the assessment of the market value of goodwill.

Responsibility for the dissemination of information discrediting business reputation

When disseminating information that discredits the reputation of a competitor, it is possible to bring the defendant to administrative or even criminal liability. If the distribution of advertising has led to negative consequences, the administrative liability of the company may be expressed by a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles.

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In the case of the dissemination of information that discredits the reputation of the company, it, in accordance with Article 29 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Slander), can file a lawsuit to bring the opponent to criminal liability. A claim for the protection of dignity, honor or children's reputation in civil proceedings may be filed.

1) Formulate your position and be ready to speak with it in front of partners and the press

Many domestic producers have to interact with unprepared partners or the press. They believe that a thorough knowledge of the market and the business will suffice. But often unpleasant, tricky questions come from journalists. Therefore, before contacting partners or the press, you need to formulate your public position - why the company's reputation has suffered, what preceded this, and most importantly - the methods and steps that will be directed to solve the problem.

2) Don't be afraid to stand up for your reputation

There may be situations when the company was unscrupulously used in a certain transaction, or is in a crisis situation - with a reduction in staff, being on the verge of bankruptcy. If you are sure of the company's innocence in this situation or its ability to get out of the crisis, you should not be afraid to convince them of this.

3) Make a public apology

General Motors and other car manufacturers that have identified defects in manufactured cars are apologizing to buyers by recalling cars. This requires significant spending. This represents the social responsibility of the company to the consumer.

4) Don't fool the public

Transparency and openness of the company is one of the main criteria for trust in it. You should determine for yourself what information you are ready to bring to the public, although you should not forget about trade secrets.

How to deal with the spread of defamatory information about the company

Evgeny Yushchuk, Member of the International Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), Yekaterinburg; PhD in Economics

How to deal with negative information in the press. First of all, you have to find out who is the owner and editor-in-chief of the publication that decided to be at enmity with you. In the case of affiliated media, created to provide informational cover for certain commercial structures, other print publications must be looked for in order to strike back. If the information is provided by an independent publication, a variant with an informational counterattack is possible.

Since by law you have the right to answer and refute, with the possibility of publishing a comment in the next issue of this publication. With proper use of this rule, it will be possible to win back your positions significantly. Sometimes it is also possible to identify the real author of such custom-made material - in order to choose the optimal direction and strategy of one's counterattack.

How to deal with negative information on the Internet. Today, any person has the opportunity to convey his position to the public no worse than the media - using the Internet. In particular, fans of certain brands on thematic forums can seriously influence manufacturers. Today, such reviews and opinions have a significant impact. But sometimes the opinion of such a "client" turns out to be biased - after all, your competitor acts in his role.

The optimal strategy of your actions can be determined if you can understand the reason for the appearance of negative information. It is likely that the reviews were objective - they arose due to imperfections in the work of your managers. In this case, you need to work on correcting the identified shortcoming.

Online reputation management: how to work with reviews

If discrediting information is deliberately disseminated, it is necessary to understand the reasons, the motivation of the initiators. It is likely that it is enough just to show the true reasons for the buyer's aggression in order to discredit him and stop such attacks. And sometimes the best strategy is not to react at all.

If competitors are the initiators of the dissemination of negative information, try to influence them. For example, let them know that you know who organized this negative campaign and you can start talking about it publicly. Sometimes it is effective to use similar steps against competitors so that they do not feel their impunity.

You can resist discrediting information based on the following algorithm:

- Participate in online forums. Your specialist can directly indicate his connection with the company or be a regular forum member.

- Arrange an artificial scandal. It is desirable for this to have several nicknames on the forum - some will be the defenders of the company, while others will be pseudo-opponents. Organize a staged scandal at the expense of nicknames of pseudo-opponents, during which you will fully demonstrate the advantages of your company by discrediting the “attacks” with competent arguments.

- Find out who is hiding behind nicknames on Internet forums. For this, search engines are usually quite enough, even with a minimum of information about the user.

- Create a corporate blog. It is possible to organize a network of "combat" pseudo-independent blogs of various specializations in the blogosphere. You will be able to indicate blog posts at any convenient time, but opponents will have limited opportunities to express their opinion.

Information about the author and company

Yuliana Slashcheva, President of Mikhailov & Partners. Management of strategic communications, Moscow. She began her career at the American company Quasar Communications. In 1994, she joined Mikhailov & Partners as a manager, and later became a partner of the company. In the period from 2002 to 2004 she worked in the companies ESN Group, BBDO Group. In 2005, she returned to Mikhailov & Partners, becoming its president. In 2007, she was included in the rating of the most influential business women in Russia (according to the magazine "Career"), for two years in a row (in 2007 and 2008) she was also among the top three in the "Professional Services" category of the "1000 Most Professional Managers" rating Russia" (according to the Association of Managers of Russia and the publishing house "Kommersant").

Evgeny Yushchuk, Member of the International Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), Yekaterinburg; candidate of economic sciences. Graduated from Sverdlovsk State Medical Institute and Ural State Technical University. Associate Professor at the Higher School of Economics (Business School at the Institute of Economics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Associate Professor at the Ural State Technical University. Author of the books "Competitive intelligence: marketing of risks and opportunities" (M.: Vershina, 2006), "Internet intelligence: a guide to action" (M.; St. Petersburg: Vershina, 2007), "Blog: create and promote" (M. .: Vershina, 2008), "Counteracting black PR on the Internet" (co-authored with Alexander Kuzin; M .: Vershina, 2008), "Disinformation and active measures in business" (co-authored with Alexander Kuzin and Igor Nezhdanov; Kazan: Yanalif, 2009). Has been engaged in competitive intelligence since 1994.

Eric Kualman

1. Don't post things you'd be ashamed of in front of your parents.

If you're looking to create a good reputation for yourself or your company, avoid offensive content.

Remember the rule: if something would embarrass your mother, do not do it offline and then post it on the Internet.

2. Focus on the target audience

Decide what audience you are posting on social networks for. Decide what goals you are pursuing. The answer to the question “To whom and what do I want to demonstrate?” will help to simplify the existence of the network.

Often we want to be “everything to everyone”. Singling out your people and focusing on them is much easier and more productive.

3. Don't post gossip

Do not replicate unverified statements or rumors about colleagues and acquaintances on the Web. It is very difficult to get rid of the reputation of a gossip. In addition, if the rumor is disproved, you will be in an even more stupid position.

If you were whispering about it offline, don't post it.
Eric Kualman, "Secure Web"

4. Be honest

Lies on the Internet are quickly exposed. Do not try to embellish events, ascribe extra years of work experience to yourself, or appropriate the fruits of someone else's labor.

Also, the concept of honesty includes sincerity and courage to demonstrate their true beliefs, and not hide behind a feigned mask. Do not try to build a false beautiful image. Sooner or later the truth will come out. Better highlight your real strengths and values. Or gradually acquire profitable benefits. But don't imitate anything.

Honesty is what you do behind closed doors or when you think no one is looking at you. Honesty is the true essence of you, your beliefs and values.
Eric Kualman, "Secure Web"

5. Don't complain

Spare your subscribers the trouble of complaining about the weather, health, the political system, or an impolite salesperson. Any whining broadcasts negative energy, drags you into meaningless disputes, and simply infects others with a bad mood.

6. Praise and thank someone every day

Do not skimp on positive comments and posts. Liked the service - praise the company. A colleague helped with business - write a thank you post, emphasizing how important this is for you.

There is so much negativity on the internet, be one of those rare people on the web who post a lot of positive information. Give small compliments, put likes, cheer friends on social networks - all this will create a reputation for you as a positive and.

Research shows that posting positive information about others makes you happier.
Eric Kualman, "Secure Web"

7. Don't criticize in public

If a laudatory or thankful post can and should be published, then it is better to leave criticism until a personal meeting. Any remarks in text format may seem harsher than you think. The non-verbal cues we send in person soften criticism.

Nobody likes to be criticized, even the most constructive, especially in public. Forget about nitpicking comments, correcting spelling errors, and other small and useless remarks.

8. Fix mistakes, don't try to hide them

If you make a mistake online, don't deny it or justify yourself by shifting the blame onto others.

How you deal with negative situations online has a major impact on your reputation.
Eric Kualman, "Secure Web"

Stumbled and did something unacceptable? Then follow four steps:

Write an apology post, taking responsibility for the unpleasant act.
Let them know what you're willing to do to make amends.
Keep what you promised.
Take a lesson from what happened and draw conclusions.

The Internet knows more than a dozen cases when an attempt to hide a small mistake led to big scandals with revelations. Admit and make amends at the initial stage.

9. Put personal communication first

People are more sympathetic to those they meet in real life. Do not limit your communication with subscribers or customers only to the Internet. If possible, hold group meetings or just go for coffee with the person you like.

If the distance is difficult, use video and audio calls so that people can hear your voice, intonation, see your face and accept.

10. Don't create separate profiles for work and friends

Many users have multiple social media profiles, one for work and one for friends. As a result, they seem to split their personality into an official and often feigned image for clients and partners, and a real one for friends and family.

You should not start two profiles for at least two reasons:

You risk losing yourself by hiding behind a fictional "right" image. Such a network bifurcation takes a lot of energy.
A personal account is easy to find. As soon as subscribers realize how different your official image is from the real one, an unfavorable contrast will be created. Therefore, try to combine and competently intertwine your informal hobbies and work image. Do not store anything on the Internet that does not fit into this portrait.

If you want to learn about the rest of the rules for building and maintaining a good online reputation, read Eric Qualman's book The Secure Web. Rules for Preserving Reputation in the Age of Social Media and Total Publicity.” The author illustrates the rules of conduct in social networks with real stories from the lives of individuals and large companies. From the book, you will learn what mistakes famous brands and high-ranking government officials made on the Web, as well as draw conclusions and begin to improve your reputation on the Internet today.

The tone of references is analyzed. For this, the tools of the system of analytics of mentions in the media and social networks are used, for example, . All mentions of the client's brand and competitors for at least the last year are studied, the number of positive, negative, neutral messages is estimated. An understanding is formed at what level the customer is relative to competitors.

With the help of the system, the behavior of the target audience on the Internet is studied. A user portrait is collected based on statements and profile data in different social networks.

Let's analyze the case of a baby food manufacturer. Its audience is young mothers. In this case, the profiles of all young mothers are found in social networks based on open information and analysis of what the user writes in statements. Those who left messages that they are young mothers were included in the list. In addition, authoritative platforms for the selected audience are analyzed. From there, you can also get a list of young mothers. After that, the distribution of interests is built. After that, it becomes clear what hobbies the audience has, opinion leaders and the most authoritative resources are determined.

A list of sites that the target audience visits and is used by competitors to generate traffic is compiled. 5-10 competitors are analyzed. External sources are studied separately. In addition to the sites themselves, it is taken into account what message the competitors carry on these sites. It can be video, infographics, content. The most successful formats of interaction with the audience on these sites are recorded.

Issuance by brand queries is analyzed. This is necessary to study the tone of brand mentions.

Denis Shubenok: “Such a detailed preliminary analysis allows you to build a content strategy, focusing not on a hypothesis, but on the exact knowledge that there is a target audience on the selected sites. Thus, by spending more time on analytics, we will be able to spend a smaller budget on content distribution in the future. We will know for sure and hit exactly in those areas that are the most effective.”

Drawing up a content plan

The development of a content plan begins with the preparation of topics. Topics are compiled on the basis of a large amount of data. For example, based on feedback from the audience, based on in-depth interviews, based on focus groups, based on statements. Trends, seasonality, important areas of the client's business are taken into account. The content plan prioritizes. When drawing up a content plan, it is important to consider the following fact:

Denis Shubenok: “When analyzing the positive and negative on the Internet, we begin to understand that about 70-80% of the negative about a given product or brand is concentrated around 5-10 topics. Users do not write negative about 100 different topics”

As a rule, there are leading themes. Users write both negative and positive about them. It is important to highlight these trends in order to understand where to start. The main content should be written in response to established trends. This will cover most user questions and will be distributed most efficiently.

In the case with the baby food factory, there were only four main topics.

In the example, three leading themes are clearly visible. You need to start with them. Bloggers are getting involved, a content marketing campaign is being launched on the topic of creating baby food in Russia. The leitmotif is that there are no problems with the production of baby food in Russia. This is a far-fetched myth, and it is most likely created by competitors. There are uniform world standards.

So, with the help of a variety of content, the audience is informed that Russian production is even better than in Europe. Thus, all negative topics are worked out at the client. That is, for each comment, an unfounded answer in the spirit of “our food is good” is not written. A systematic, saturation with information and the creation of a database with content are being carried out. It includes articles on authoritative resources.

The positive is also worked out to strengthen the positive attitude of the target audience. You can use comparative materials that highlight the advantages of the brand relative to competitors. The task is to spread as much positive as possible on the most trendy things.

Denis Shubenok: “It is very important to develop neutral content. It may be quite a lot. Often it is associated with promotions, charity, or just people asking about product selection. It may just be a statement of fact. We need to try to translate neutral statements into positive ones by opening the conversation, asking questions, holding actions.

Promotions work well. For example, asking them not just to write hashtags, but to tell a detailed story about why you use this product. So that users read the content not in a neutral way, but in a positive way.

Communication with the audience is analyzed separately. This includes the analysis of social networks, external resources where the agency or client makes placements. The involvement of the audience in the discussions is assessed. It is determined what type and subject of content most involve the target audience in the dialogue. The most effective formats and topics are fixed, and a content plan is drawn up based on them.

Distribution mechanisms, production and delivery

Distribution mechanisms are built on the basis of all the information that has been collected previously. There are three types of content delivery: brand sites, viral effect, paid traffic.

At this stage, a plan is drawn up on what and how to place, KPI is predicted for each channel and the budget.

After that, the production and delivery of content starts directly. The results are analyzed. The most effective methods are determined, the cycle is repeated.

In the case being analyzed: in July 2016, the formation of an information background around the brand began. Before that, a lot of negative messages appeared daily.

Gradually, the number of negative statements decreased. This made it possible, with a slight increase in the number of publications, to significantly reduce the negative trend that the client had for the past few years. The negative decreased by more than four times in six months.

The material was prepared by Denis Shubenok, Executive Director of Ashmanov & Partners.