Dialog is always an opportunity
Many companies are afraid—afraid of their customers, afraid of taking the initiative, afraid of criticism, and afraid of dynamic brand management. As a result, even bold initiatives are often slowed down, halted, or implemented only halfheartedly. But there is another way. By Roger Baur, Managing Director of NetProfit GmbH.
Many a product manager or marketing director has made a fist of it: no sooner has a new product been launched - with a lot of money and creativity - than the first critical comments appear in blogs and forums. The product is good - but far too expensive. And yet the calculations were so tight.
So how do the majority of companies react today? First option: They never even find out about the comments, as the Internet is jinxed anyway and it has worked without online monitoring up to now. Second option: get annoyed, ignore and sit it out. After all, this has always been a good strategy. Third option: guerrilla counter-attack. Or was it viral? Buzz? Never mind: "fan posts" left under false user names and lots of praise for the product are ultimately as good as real comments - almost.
All three options have one thing in common: they are not geared towards the reality of modern consumers and their new behaviors. The buzzword is "community management". Because the most worthwhile option is dialog. This is not really all that new. PR people have always sought this form of dialog. For example, when it came to convincing a small village that the new factory would bring many positive benefits. Unfortunately, many consultants and agencies seem to have overslept online PR somewhat.
Will the effort now be immeasurable? Do armies of community managers have to respond to every single "troll" (Internet users who simply like to provoke)? No. Just as at a village meeting only a few people speak, but many listen and even more hear the message - after all, word of mouth existed before the Internet. This means that a single detailed and positively answered question is read by hundreds or thousands of people and spread even further by word of mouth.
Half-hearted communication
Can that also go wrong? Of course it can. But the risk increases with half-hearted communication. If you respond to criticism openly and honestly and, above all, take it seriously, you are already on the right track. But anyone who starts discussions and then deactivates comment functions because it becomes uncomfortable; anyone who mocks users or threatens legal action if fans use a logo on YouTube is treading on Internet quicksand.
But perhaps the internet is also separating the wheat from the chaff: into those companies that really believe in their products or offers and stand behind them one hundred percent, and into companies that know about the skeletons in their closet and therefore prefer to tread softly. There are already brands that are on the road to success thanks to "authentic" communication - also and above all online.
Complexity has increased massively
Does this make traditional advertising campaigns, banner spaces or TV commercials superfluous and useless? Are branding, brand rights and advertising agencies passé? Not at all. A well thought-out poster campaign or a witty commercial will continue to retain their important tasks and functions in the future. But the complexity of communication has increased massively, and this must be taken into account. And, as always, the companies with the best offers and the most honest message have the least to fear. On the contrary: committed customers are worth a great deal.
Roger Baur has been working in the online industry for over 10 years and is Managing Director of NetProfit GmbH.
So how do the majority of companies react today? First option: They never even find out about the comments, as the Internet is jinxed anyway and it has worked without online monitoring up to now. Second option: get annoyed, ignore and sit it out. After all, this has always been a good strategy. Third option: guerrilla counter-attack. Or was it viral? Buzz? Never mind: "fan posts" left under false user names and lots of praise for the product are ultimately as good as real comments - almost.
All three options have one thing in common: they are not geared towards the reality of modern consumers and their new behaviors. The buzzword is "community management". Because the most worthwhile option is dialog. This is not really all that new. PR people have always sought this form of dialog. For example, when it came to convincing a small village that the new factory would bring many positive benefits. Unfortunately, many consultants and agencies seem to have overslept online PR somewhat.
Will the effort now be immeasurable? Do armies of community managers have to respond to every single "troll" (Internet users who simply like to provoke)? No. Just as at a village meeting only a few people speak, but many listen and even more hear the message - after all, word of mouth existed before the Internet. This means that a single detailed and positively answered question is read by hundreds or thousands of people and spread even further by word of mouth.
Half-hearted communication
Can that also go wrong? Of course it can. But the risk increases with half-hearted communication. If you respond to criticism openly and honestly and, above all, take it seriously, you are already on the right track. But anyone who starts discussions and then deactivates comment functions because it becomes uncomfortable; anyone who mocks users or threatens legal action if fans use a logo on YouTube is treading on Internet quicksand.
But perhaps the internet is also separating the wheat from the chaff: into those companies that really believe in their products or offers and stand behind them one hundred percent, and into companies that know about the skeletons in their closet and therefore prefer to tread softly. There are already brands that are on the road to success thanks to "authentic" communication - also and above all online.
Complexity has increased massively
Does this make traditional advertising campaigns, banner spaces or TV commercials superfluous and useless? Are branding, brand rights and advertising agencies passé? Not at all. A well thought-out poster campaign or a witty commercial will continue to retain their important tasks and functions in the future. But the complexity of communication has increased massively, and this must be taken into account. And, as always, the companies with the best offers and the most honest message have the least to fear. On the contrary: committed customers are worth a great deal.
Roger Baur has been working in the online industry for over 10 years and is Managing Director of NetProfit GmbH.
