Marketing Pilgrim

Don’t forget to catch me at the SEO Meetup next Thursday, 7pm in Charlotte, NC.

For just $35 you’ll learn Online Reputation Management in Seven Steps, as well as get to network with Charlotte’s talented search marketers.

If you’re still on the fence about attending my one day Online Reputation Management Workshop in Raleigh (August 7th), the Charlotte event will give you a good taster.

Register here.

Paul Dunay has finished his Reputation Management for New Media Survey and you can now download the report–for free!

Finding useful stats on for online reputation management can be a chore, so I’m excited to get some insight into how companies are preparing, or not preparing.

Some highlights include:

• 53% of companies are making reputation monitoring a strategic priority in 2008.
• Yet, only 42% have any kind of online reputation plan in place, and
• 55% of those polled say they are not adequately prepared to handle a reputation crisis.

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You have only until the end of day tomorrow to register for my Online Reputation Management Workshop and get the heavily discounted rate of just $797. After July 3rd, the rate goes up!

Whether you work for an online marketing/PR firm, or handle the branding for your employer, you’ll want to attend the workshop.

Heck, if you’re an SEO, you should attend if only to learn how to manage a client’s Google reputation. If you’re not offering Google reputation management services, you’re missing out!

I hope you’ll join me on August 7th, in Raleigh, NC!

While most of Radically Transparent is about managing and monitoring your online reputation, we spend a lot of time explaining that customers are discussing your brand and would love to have you join the conversation. New research from ExpoTV.com shows just how badly your customers want to hear from you.

Jeremiah Owyang has summarized the key points (emphasis is mine):

• 55% of customers in their survey want to have an ongoing discussion brands
• Respondents were most anxious to talk to the product design (49%) department, followed by customer support (14%), marketing (14%) and pricing (13%)

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Since launching my own online reputation monitoring service, Trackur has seen more than 2700 registered users. Those that sign-up range from small mom-and-pop shops to some very well known Fortune 500 companies.

Those that seem to really get the most out of Trackur are marketing agencies and PR firms. Even if they’re not offering reputation monitoring services to their clients, just knowing what’s going on with a client’s brand, can be invaluable.

One very positive Trackur review caught my eye recently. Search marketing firm EngineWorks took the time to praise Trackur and explain why it’s so valuable to their clients.

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You know that just about any mention of “reputation” and “Google” is going to get my attention, so I was eager to hear about Ziggs.com. My local CBS affiliate WRAL, teased me that the new service will tell you who is searching for your name on Google.

No way!

No, really. There’s just no way.

You see, whether WRAL has been misguided by Ziggs (see update below) or just a victim of its own naivety, there’s just no way that you can know about everyone that searches for your name on Google. Boy, it would be nice though, wouldn’t it?

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If you have any interest in online reputation management, then you need to be in North Carolina on August 7th–that’s when I’ll host my first ever Online Reputation Management Workshop.

I want to keep the event small, so that I can spend quality time sharing the online reputation management tactics I’ve developed over the years. The workshop is open to just 20 people.

If you’re responsible for your company’s brand/reputation, or perhaps you want to offer online reputation management services, then you’ll want to secure your spot–it may be the only time I offer this workshop!

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There’s no doubt that democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama knows how to use the web to improve his chances of being elected this November. His campaign has used the internet to raise millions in funds and our own research has proven that Obama’s efforts have created a very positive online reputation.

However, his smartest move to date could be the launch of the FightTheSmears.com web site. The site–actually it redirects to a page on the my.barackobama.com web site–is Obama’s initiative to address the many rumors that circulate the internet about him.

Here’s an example:

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ReadWriteWeb was the first to blog our big Trackur announcement, but I’m excited to bring you news of Trackur Trends–a new way to measure social media conversation trends.

What is Trackur?

(I’ll assume there are few readers who’ve not yet seen me mention my new service, so here’s the 411)

Launched in February 2008, Trackur is a self-service social media monitoring tool. With a huge gap between Google Alerts (free) and high-end measurement services (costing thousands of $$ per month), Trackur offers an affordable, powerful option for those looking to monitor buzz about their company, executives, products, or even competitors. Trackur monitors virtually all social media, including blogs, news, videos, images, bookmarks, and even Twitter!

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Every time I speak with a journalist about the online reputation management (ORM) industry, I’m often asked “How big is the industry?”

You know what, I don’t know.

However, when it comes to Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM)–which is a component of ORM–I have a better feel for the amount spent in the space.

So, in light of the complete lack of “estimates” for the SERM space, I–well actually Trackur–have put together the first ever estimates for the size and growth of SERM.

Here’s the estimate:

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I know you’re used to reading 10, 20, and 101-step articles for online reputation management, but when it comes to hotels and local businesses, just one step could save your reputation.

That one step?

Don’t let the customer leave your premises unhappy.

I know, sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yet, so few companies take the time to ensure that their customers’ have enjoyed a pleasant experience, service, or stay. Simply asking them if they’re happy, is the easiest way to remedy a complaint, before they open up their web browser and head for TripAdvisor or Yelp.

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Whenever I discuss being Radically Transparent, I refer to my “Three Simple Words” approach to remembering how to react to a reputation crisis.

Sincerity, Transparency, and Consistency (see bottom of post for full explanation). Today, I found that the guys over at Twitter are well on their way to following this approach. After suffering, what feels like, daily downtime, the Twitter team posted an open and honest explanation.

Sincerity:

Thanks for your patience during these current frustrations (and those to come) as we figure out how to work the kinks out. Thanks also for speaking up: we’re listening.

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