Facebook updates to AVOID!

Posted on by

Social media can range dangerously out of control and ruin your online reputation if it’s not managed properly.  An old-school approach to PR was “as long as we’re in the news, it’s a good thing”.  This was said to justify bad publicity in print media – way before the prolific rise in the use of Facebook and other social media as viable communication channels.

It’s really easy for any company to ‘have a presence’ on Facebook; it’s not that easy to manage the online reputation.  ORM is a skill and it has to deal with many changes in the digital landscape.  Some companies feel that they should have an opinion on things that actually to their ORM more harm than good… here are 12 great examples of what to avoid when updating your SM status.

<Kim Phillips>

1. Disturbing photos
Pictures of starving babies, burned dogs, and people with horrible disfigurements are in poor taste and are very upsetting to some people. We know there is usually a very good cause involved, but use some discretion.

2. Hard sales
Not everyone is in the market for expensive make-up or real estate. Share something the whole class can enjoy.

3. Guilt trips
“Make this your status for an hour or else you were a) not raised right or b) don’t care about babies with cancer” just makes people feel bad. The modern version of a chain letter doesn’t help the cause.

4. Games
This is like forcing people to play charades when they hate parlor games. Ask them first if they like games and whether they will mind the hacks, spams and viruses that come with some of them.

5. Urban myths (our worst pet-hate!)
Before posting that eating pomegranate seeds will cause your kneecaps to burst, run it through Snopes.
Continue reading →

Are you professional?

Posted on by

"Professionalism is often more valuable than experience and qualifications."

Professional behaviour has little to do with qualification, position or pay grade.  It has to do with integrity.  We often assume that those with big degrees, lots of letters after their name and a big salary will act professionally, but this is not always the case.  Hopefully, in getting to that position, these people would set a good example in what it means to be professional, but it is just a possible for the person who opens the gate or locks up at night, to be equally professional in their behaviour.

We recently wrote an article for one of our clients, that specialises in outsourced labour solutions, on professionalism.  If you want to build a business and online presence that is based on strong values and principles, then professionalism will play a key role in your reputation.  This article highlights a few key areas where professionalism can be built and maintained; we wrote it in three points: presentation, integrity and boundaries.

These points are applicable to anyone and everyone, they are fundamental to building a strong and mature character.  We’d love to know your thoughts too – so leave us a comment or start a thread on Facebook! Continue reading →

Blogs build relationships…

Posted on by

Click here for a great article on blogging!

Do we really need a blog?  The question is simple, but the answer it complex.  If you have a strategic approach to your online reputation, or your ORM, then you should realise the complexity of the answer.

One of the hurdles that many online communicators is trying to get tangible results from their efforts to reflect in the profits.  Old-school management styles expect this, but they are on the decline.  Any business savvy person will know that we operate on a level of the triple bottom line:  people, environment and profit.  Leaders and managers alike have acknowledged that without healthy people and a healthy environment, there will not be sustainable profit.

We have said it before, and we’ll keep saying it.  To succeed, you have to put relationships first.  That’s why the answer to ‘Do we really need a blog?” is complex.  It’s complex because it’s about people, and people are no picnic.

Here is a fantastic list of 25 reasons why you need a blog – and they have NOTHING to do with finances…, well, not directly! (read original article)

  1. Create a database of answers — Blog about customer questions. Use links to those posts to save time and answer future questions.
  2. Reward employees — Shine a spotlight on brilliant employees by featuring their ideas and accomplishments on your blog.
  3. Marketing integration — Turn content from your blog into sales and marketing materials.
  4. SEO — Having an active, relevant blog can have a powerful impact on search engine ranking.
  5. Point of differentiation — If your competitors don’t blog, is this an opportunity to stand out in your niche? Continue reading →