This is JEOPARDY! No, Alex Trebek will not be hosting, but what could be in jeopardy is your brand without a reputation management plan in place that uses search as a communication channel. So, what exactly is a search reputation management plan? Communication pros can give you a few different definitions. When is comes to search marketing, however, it is a campaign that proactively and reactively gives you presence when you need it and allows you to give your side of the story, directing consumers to your genuine content.

Search creates the wonderful opportunity of being there when people are looking for you. And your brand needs to be there. People are pretty much able to search anytime and anyplace. But what happens when a story’s out there that isn’t straight? Within minutes of the public catching wind of a story, your brand is suddenly in JEOPARDY! However, without an emergency backup plan your time just might run out and you may as well collect your parting gift on the way out…a bad reputation.

One of the first things people do when they hear about breaking news or something of interest to them is either ask someone about it or search for it online or via their mobile device. And if you’re brand is a part of that breaking news, you will want your message found when someone is searching for it, not the message from someone on a message board or a reporter editing down a sound bite. That’s why it is imperative to all marketing and PR campaigns that a search campaign to support reputation management is in place. Look at this like you would auto insurance – you pay for it to hopefully not have to use it, but when the time comes, you are so glad you have it.

Keep in mind that if you don’t get a plan in place, someone else may reap the benefits of your problem. Make sure that the information you have available is not only accurate, but well-timed when an issue pops up. No matter what, you can’t think that the issue has gone away completely.

Why is it so important? We all remember the infamous “finger in the chili” debacle at a Wendy’s restaurant where a customer falsely reported finding a part of a finger in a serving of chili. In just a few months, Wendy’s reported $2.5 million of dollars lost due to the scam. Searches for the chain and story spiked, surged later when the matter was resolved, and continue to show a surge when related stories are broadcast on the news and the chili matter is used as a reference. While the good news was the people involved in the hoax got nine years in prison for trying to pull a fast one, the bad news was that Wendy’s lost a lot of money due to the negative press. They didn’t have a search reputation management campaign in place and took a major hit from this story. But what if Wendy’s had a search campaign in place to tackle the issue and ensure the public that this, in fact, was a hoax, and further push their commitment to food safety and a positive experience for diners? Picture a landing page on a Wendy’s corporate or consumer site communicating the official police findings of the hoax? Even better, sharing their statement on the situation, ensuring the public of their food safety measures and quality of food, and including a coupon for their next visit? They lost $2.5 million. Time to get people back into the drive-thrus.

Avoid putting your brand in jeopardy at the hands of deceiving consumers or ill-fated media reports. Develop a plan to be there, proactively have presence, and ready to take a reactive campaign live before chatter around your brand gets out of control. I’ll take reputation management for the block…what is not being in jeopardy!? So what will YOU wager?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!