Nicola's Outlook
Is it a luxury in the middle of a recession to spend money managing your reputation? On the contrary, it’s even more important to do it now. Nobody buys products or services from suppliers they don’t know or don’t respect, least of all when their budgets are tight. A good reputation is, therefore, the first essential step to making a sale. But it’s also worth remembering that a reputation is not what an organisation says about itself but is what others are saying about it. In 2009 with the explosion of the blogosphere and online social media, a good corporate reputation is getting much harder to earn and even harder to maintain.
That’s why one-way corporate message delivery won’t work any more for either consumers or business customers. An honest two-way dialogue is what’s needed and the careful monitoring of reputation on and off-line. But it’s virtually impossible, of course, to have a continuous personal relationship with all your customers and stakeholders. This is where PR can really help. By using the most respected trade, consumer and regional media plus all that the Internet has to offer, PR can help you can build valuable interactive relationships with the people that matter. To do this effectively, you need advice from a PR practitioner who understands your business, your industry context and what motivates your customers.
Is it a luxury in the middle of a recession to spend money managing your reputation? On the contrary, it’s even more important to do it now. Nobody buys products or services from suppliers they don’t know or don’t respect, least of all when their budgets are tight. A good reputation is, therefore, the first essential step to making a sale. But it’s also worth remembering that a reputation is not what an organisation says about itself but is what others are saying about it. In 2009 with the explosion of the blogosphere and online social media, a good corporate reputation is getting much harder to earn and even harder to maintain.
That’s why one-way corporate message delivery won’t work any more for either consumers or business customers. An honest two-way dialogue is what’s needed and the careful monitoring of reputation on and off-line. But it’s virtually impossible, of course, to have a continuous personal relationship with all your customers and stakeholders. This is where PR can really help. By using the most respected trade, consumer and regional media plus all that the Internet has to offer, PR can help you can build valuable interactive relationships with the people that matter. To do this effectively, you need advice from a PR practitioner who understands your business, your industry context and what motivates your customers.
