As Twitter and other social networking sites become increasingly popular, rumor management–now being recast as “reputation management”–grows ever more vital. A consumer’s opinion is more trusted than what the company advertises (according to one study run in 2007, 68% of consumers consider opinions from “people like me” to be the most credible source of product information); unfortunately it can be difficult to untangle fact and opinion. Online conversations have the potential to impact a company’s bottom line significantly–for good or ill.
It used to be possible to track online discussions with a simple tool like Google Alerts. The online universe has becom quite complex in a very short time, however, generating the need for more sophisticated monitoring and analysis. Online reputation-management services let you track what others are saying online about your company, including positive and negative sentiment. This allows you to monitor and understand what you are doing well, while also letting you quickly discover and take action on discussions having a negative brand impact.
