SERVICES|ABOUT US|REPUTATION ISSUES BLOG|REPUTATION ISSUES ENEWSLETTER|RESOURCES|CONTACT

Wael Ghonim’s “Revolution 2.0″: Why You Should Read It Now

Posted by Shannon M. Wilkinson, February 22nd, 2012
English: Wael Ghonim personal photo العربية: ص...

Wael Ghonim, the 29-year-old Google marketing executive who launched Egypt’s spring awakening in 2010, has just come out with a book about it.

“Revolution 2.0,” is not just a detailed look at the events that led to that astonishing event; it is, as reviewer Jose Antonio Vargas describes, “a book about social media for people who don’t think they care about social media.”

At first glance a reputation management blog doesn’t seem like the sort of platform for this topic. But a closer read of Vargas’ piece suggests otherwise.

Early on Ghonim realized that “maintaining an informal, authentic tone was crucial to amassing allies.” He shares much more insight about how his careful use of social media launched a revolution — one he never dreamed of when he created a Facebook page out of anger, frustration and hope.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Apple Soars with Highest Reputation in Harris Poll History

Posted by Shannon M. Wilkinson, February 15th, 2012

The 13th annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient (RQ) study of corporations was released this week, revealing a continuing erosion of trust in corporate leadership among consumers. Not all the news is bad: Apple has soared into the highest reputation rating in the poll’s history. (It is $509.46 per share as I write this.)

The Annual RQ surveys more than 17,000 members of the American general public. Respondents identify the 60 most visible companies, then rate their reputations on 20 different attributes. They are grouped into six different reputation categories: Emotional appeal, products & services, social responsibility, vision & leadership, workplace environment, and financial performance. 

According to Harris, Apple has replaced Google as the top-ranked company – now still high as number two on the list. (It is $609.76 per share as I write this.) There was considerable shifting elsewhere. Financial institutions plummeted in rankings. Even Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s company, sagged.

Pollsters found consumers are demanding more information and transparency from companies with which they plan to spend their money. They also value strong leadership, a longtime driver of reputation capital as well as valuation.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Reputation | No Comments »

5 Ways to Turbocharge Your Press Releases With SEO

Posted by Shannon M. Wilkinson, February 10th, 2012

Vanessa Bugasch, senior vice president of global marketing at Cision — the indispensable PR database that we rely on daily – has written an SEO guide that is making the rounds on all the PR blogs and forums.

It’s posted on PRNews, which has invaluable resources for professional communicators, including this blog section. I’ve excerpted Vanessa’s guide here:

5 Ways to Reinvent the Press Release With SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is important to the success of today’s press release. Optimized press releases attract consumers and influencers, as well as journalists—and pulls them into your story.

To get the biggest bang out of SEO, you may need to change the way you write your release. Here are five tips to keep in mind to optimize your releases:

1. Choose the Right Keywords

Search engines think like your audience. Before you begin to write, know the keywords or phrases that will drive them to the news release and motivate them to click through to pages on your Web site. Do basic keyword research on sites like Google AdWords, Wordtracker or Keyword Discovery.

2. Use Your Heads

Use one to two keywords in the headline and subhead. Search engine spiders read left to right, so take that into account as you compose your headlines and your first paragraph. Use no more than 200 characters in the summary or subhead.

3. Optimize From the Top Down

Spiders also read from the top down. Using keywords in the first two paragraphs makes a much bigger impact than using them lower down. As you write, think in sound bites, like 140-character tweets.

4. Don’t Over-Link

As with keywords, don’t overdo anchor text, as it causes confusion and dilutes the impact of the links themselves. Offer two to three links for a 400-word press release.

5. Use Multimedia

Research shows that press releases with pictures, video and other multimedia get at least 80% more search traffic than text-only releases. They’re usually more appealing and interesting, too. You’d be surprised how easy it is to create your own video or add visuals that support your product, message or campaign.

**

This article was adapted from PR News’ Employee Communications Guidebook, Vol. 3. This and other guidebooks can be ordered at the PR News Press online store.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Public relations, SEO | No Comments »

Social Media’s Power Led to Komen Funding Reversal

Posted by Shannon M. Wilkinson, February 8th, 2012

Yesterday Arianna Huffington blogged about how the Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Planned Parenthood funding reversal has been “hailed by many as a victory for the galvanizing power of the Internet.”  Today on CNN, Huff Post’s political reporter Laura Bassett discussed the inside story, calling for Komen to become more transparent.

The reputation management and PR communities have been discussing the situation from the moment it began. They – we — are astonished over how such a well-respected organization could lose its way so quickly.

Komen’s leaders failed to anticipate that a tsunami social media backlash might result from their actions. So they were completely unprepared for what happened.  Now, the Komen organization has become a national news story. It has lost years of hard-earned reputational capital.  The protest has become the single biggest influence on its policies, leadership and funding.

Komen’s situation is similar to what happened to Bank of America last fall.  Neither recognized how hundreds of thousands of people could – and would – rise in protest against their unpopular new policies.   

Social media is a major influence on the new reputation economy. Trust is another. When you lose it, it’s very hard to win back. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure needs to rebuild trust in order to recover. But it will need the help of the social media community to succeed.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Authenticity, Crisis management, Online, Philanthropy, Public relations, Reputation, Reputation rehabilitation, Transparency, the internet | No Comments »

How Google’s Reputation Was Built

Posted by Shannon M. Wilkinson, January 31st, 2012

Google has the best reputation of nearly any company in the world. Reading “I’m Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59,” by Douglas Edwards, helps explain why.

Edwards managed Google’s brand from 1999 to 2005. He is a witty writer with a hard-to-come-by slant on Google’s early days. His story is so entertaining I woke up at 6 am this morning to continue reading it.

From the start, Google’s founders strived to provide the best search experience for users. That goal came before profits.  “If we can’t win on quality,” said Larry Page, “we can’t win at all.” The founders’ refusal to place marketing before the customer experience, helps explain why Google is one of the world’s most respected companies.  (Learning about how Google developed their Page Rank algorithm, indexing and based their search on link quality is icing on the cake.)

If you are interested in gaining insight into how and why real values build and sustain reputations, read “I’m Feeling Lucky”. It’s inspiring.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Reputation | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Send me Reputation Issues Enewsletter
SUBMIT
Services
About Us
Newsletter
Blog
Contact
Contact
212-836-4372