It will serve as a great primer for online reputation management and provides some peer case studies that should be easy to empathize with.

On a side note, I’ve always found American Airlines Twitter team to be fantastic in their response. In fact, if you read the infographic, the main reason they faced a reputation crisis online was that their Twitter team was more on the ball than their ground staff.

Thanks to, and via.

]]> http://www.trackur.com/online-reputation-management-fortune-500-companies/feed 0 http://www.trackur.com/google-sentiment-analysis-backlinks http://www.trackur.com/google-sentiment-analysis-backlinks#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 18:39:44 +0000 Andy Beal http://www.trackur.com/?p=5297 As many SEOs now know, Google is planning to unleash a series of updates to its Penguin algorithm-update-thingy.

While Matt Cutts was about as transparent as he could be, without tipping Google’s hand to spammers, Greg Boser told a packed room at Interactivity Digital that he believes sentiment analysis will come in to play when looking at backlinks.

How will Google use sentiment analysis in its next update?

Well,  Boser speculates that Google will start using some kind of automated sentiment analysis to determine whether a backlink is not just authoritative, but positive or negative in sentiment. Why? Well, there are many industries that receive plenty of back links to their web sites, but they are usually from articles or posts that attack their practices or industry. Using sentiment analysis, Google will be able to add extra weight to those links that are neutral or positive, and devalue the negative links.

Of course, we don’t know if Google will start implementing automated sentiment analysis on backlinks–heck, it may already have started–but as an SEO, it would be a good time to start shifting your focus to making sure you acquire links that are positive in sentiment towards your page and desired anchor text.

That’s where Trackur comes in.

All of Trackur’s paid plans include automated sentiment analysis as standard. What sets us apart is exactly how we calculate our analysis of a page’s sentiment. We don’t just look at the overall sentiment of the page–a page could be positive towards one keyword and negative towards another. Instead, we take the keyword being monitored and automatically calculate the sentiment of that keyword on the web page in question.

What does this mean for SEO?

Well, in addition to finding any mentions of your company or product online, you can use Trackur’s automated sentiment analysis for improved back link prospecting. Here’s how:

1. Enter your desired anchor text as your “keyword” in Trackur.

2. Select only to view news, blogs, and perhaps forums.

3. Trackur will return matches to all pages that include your desired anchor text. You can then select to view only those that are positive or neutral.

4. Now you have a list of those bloggers/journalists that are already talking about your keyword and have nothing but positive things to say. You can reach out to them and ask for a link in their existing post, or persuade them to write about your company.

5. You can export the data to CSV so that you can slice and dice it in Excel. For example, you could view only those pages that have a positive sentiment and then sort by those that have the most influence! A double rainbow win!

6. You could even go back to step 2 and select Twitter only so you can find those tweeting about your industry with a positive tone! Or even target links/tweets from a specific country!

If you have any kind of developer skills–or already have your own SEO toolset–then you can take this to the extreme with Trackur’s automated sentiment analysis API. You can provide us with a URL and your desired anchor text and we’ll analyze that page for sentiment towards that keyword! A great way to help you–or your users–find quality, influential backlinks…with a positive sentiment!

Whether Google does indeed start implementing automated sentiment analysis in its algorithm, we don’t know. Either way, you’ll be a step ahead of your competition with fresh, positive, influential backlinks!

RT @trackur: Follow @trackur & retweet this tweet & you could win a super svelte, ultra cool, Google Chromebook! bit.ly/14Ob9Iw

— John Shehata (@JShehata) April 4, 2013

Congratulations John!

We’ll be in touch to get your mailing details so we can ship out your new laptop. Thanks to everyone that entered our contest. Please keep a watch on our Twitter and Facebook accounts for another contest in the near future.

All caught up?  Great, now let’s get down to it.

(Please note: I initially started writing this post with a “how they could have avoided this” perspective in mind. There’s not enough Internet for that, folks, so if you can’t see what they’ve done wrong, do us all a favor and don’t start your own business.  Don’t go into customer service, either.)

What Amy’s Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro‘s business name lacks in punctuation, the owners more than make up for in crazy.  Scary crazy, not fun crazy.  They’ve got all of the ingredients for a big old bucket of hot mess.  I really don’t even know where to start.  Stealing tips from their own employees? Check. Yelling at customers?  Check.  Being such horrid people that Gordon Ramsay couldn’t even stand to work with them for what was sure to be a chart-topping episode of Kitchen Nightmares? Check.  Buying baked goods from other retailers and repackaging to sell as their own?  Check.  Stealing culinary photos to pass off as their own creations on social media?  Check.  Hiding behind so-called “Christianity” while tossing F-bombs at Facebook commenters?  Check.  Social media meltdown of historic proportions? Check and check.

Uh… I’m pretty sure even Walmart makes their own baked goods.

Amy and Samy Bouzaglo, the very interesting owners of the so-called baking company, are blaming both haters and bloggers alike for the horrible portrayal of both them and their business online during an insanely over the top mega meltdown on Facebook.  They said they’d be going after the “Yelpers and the Reddits” (whatever those may be) to put an end to their “WITCH HUNT” (their caps, not mine.)  The posts on their Facebook page ranged from angry to outright belligerent.  One commenter who asked if they were taking reservations for the following day was called a “fat whore” in response to her question.  Nice, eh?

Friends, it is very rare that I’m speechless.  Looking over the Amy’s Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro Facebook page, speechless is exactly how I was left.  I cannot, for the life of me, begin to fathom who would ever have thought that the posts, responses, and outright rants were anything but grossly inappropriate and outright crazy.  And now, the beautiful little cherry on top of this insanity flavored sundae?  ALL of their social media profiles have been hacked, and these posts were made during a malicious attack!  Across a variety of social sites!  Of course they were!

Does anyone buy that malarkey?  FBI computer crimes unit?

If I’m being completely honest (which we kind of pride ourselves on around here) I’d venture a guess that this business did not have a whole lot of life in it before word got out about Kitchen Nightmares.  But this social media insanity?  I’ll be very surprised if they make it past the surge in business they’re going to get from the curious locals hoping to catch a glimpse of the nutters behind the counter.  If they have any staff left, I sincerely hope they’re being paid extremely well.  Apparently Samy and his little “jewel in the desert” do not agree with me.  They’ve hired a PR firm to help them through this.  Whoever signed that account is either very confident in their skills, or nearly as crazy as the Bouzaglos.  If I had to venture a guess, I’d say we’ll be seeing a very tightly managed press junket followed by a ridiculous reality show that will air just a little too long after they’re no longer relevant.  Hopefully Amy and Samy can use that downtime to learn how to prepare food, so if they have to change their names and open a new restaurant far, far away from the ill-fated Amy’s Baking Company, maybe they can fare a bit better than they did in Scottsdale.

My question?  Who was brave enough to take these two wildcards on as clients?  Brilliant, or equally insane?

In fact, for some demographics the amount of purchasing decisions influenced by Facebook friends doesn’t even make double digits.

Surprised?

Via Marketing Pilgrim and PPC Associates.

Just because you’re getting your brand name out there often enough doesn’t mean that it’s sending a cohesive message. It might appear sporadic and sloppy from one social network to the next. So it’s crucial that you focus on brand consistency in social media.

1: Make Sure Everyone’s on the Same Page

If you, John Doe Businessman, have a plan for a new marketing approach, then other people within your company need to know about it. Unless you’re all on the same page, different departments and people with different duties are going to paint a completely different brand picture. James Smith Employee is bound to use what he “thinks” is wanted, but if you and Susie Q Partner had a different idea, then you’re at complete odds with one another. Consistency starts within.

2: Stay Open and Transparent Inside and Out

As mentioned above, it’s important that everyone inside of your company is on the same page. This is so nothing makes it out there in the public eye that you wouldn’t approve of. And the only way to avoid getting wires crossed, either with your employees, coworkers, partners, or with your fans, is to always stay engaged about the brand and what it is everyone wants and expects from it.

3: Strive for Consistent Engagement

How you interact with people is what puts a personality to your brand. You’re hoping for a happy face, of course, but what you don’t want is multiple masks. You don’t want people thinking that your brand acts differently in Facebook posts than in a Twitter reply. You want to come across as the same cohesive brand across every platform.

4: Be True to Your Business

A lot of brands end up appearing inconsistent because they’re going against their brand principles to placate an audience on popular social networks. They end up with a Twitter account that’s garbage and a Facebook account that’s nothing like their LinkedIn profile. This is an obvious side effect of trying to be a people pleaser instead of a legitimate brand. By remaining true to your brand, you can show consistency across different platforms.

5: Understand Your Market

Another great way to ensure consistency is to understand the market you’re catering to. When you have no grasp of the niche you’re targeting, you’ll be more inclined to try a wide range of marketing options, many of which are going to fail, but all of which will be available to the public eye. So, of course, you’re left with a lot of material that doesn’t at all represent the brand image you’re attempting to put forth.

6: Don’t Be Afraid to Hire Out

Professional writers and others you can outsource work to make it their business to keep your theme consistent, no matter what the product is. So if you’re having any trouble in the consistency department, for whatever reasons, outsourcing might be a good way to go here. Looking for a skilled writer can help you put out a consistent theme.

Most brands suffer a lot of ups and downs over the course of their lifetime, but brands that prove to be inconsistent will die on the vine long before their life span is up. This is particularly true with brands on social media, where a new startup is creating a Facebook brand page every hour of every day. So if you’re unable to appear consistent and reliable, you might not be competing for long.

Use the information provided above to help you maintain a consistent brand image.

Craig Robinson. A freelance writer from Qwaya.com – a facebook ad management tool and helps advertisers organize their campaigns. Craig also loves to participate at some social media communities and forums.

Your social profiles are a look into your business’ personality.  Ensure that you’re giving the right first impression and putting your best foot forward.  Here are some quick and easy suggestions for getting some fresh air (and eyes) on your social spaces:

•  Facebook – Take a look at your interactions on your page, and think about what you could be doing better.  Fresh images, more conversation, and a great contest are all easy ways to increase traffic to your page.  The more eyes on your business, the better chance at conversion!
• Twitter – How long have you had that background?  Are you posting the same stuff you always post?  Switch it up a bit.  Make an effort to engage with your followers more, you won’t regret it.
• Blog - Even the freshest blog designs get a bit stale over time.  Give your blog an overhaul, and watch the page views start climbing.  Check widgets and links to make sure they still work properly, update images, verify that your code is up to date, and verify that email addresses on your site are all pointing to current employees.
• Image Sharing Sites – Whether you share business-focused photos and videos, or more personal images, get some new images out there.  If you want people to share your photos, make them worth sharing.  Great scenery, inspirational quotes, a fresh version of your logo, even pictures of your office space.  People want to see what you’re up to.  Show them. (Maximize your efforts by sharing the same photos here that you’re sharing on Facebook and your blog.)
• News – While you obviously don’t have control over news outlets, you can nudge them in the right direction when it comes to talking about your business.  Issue a press release talking about why your business is one to keep an eye on in the upcoming months.  Make sure it’s newsworthy to avoid annoying your audience.

Do you have any quick tips for cleaning up your online presence?  We’d love to hear them in the comments!

I’m always happy to oblige!

So, up first, we’ll take a look at some of the ways HR (human resources, personnel, hiring managers etc) can benefit from monitoring social media.

Potential Employees

• Monitor the name of a potential employee and you’ll go beyond what they are saying, but what others are saying about them!
• With Trackur, you can monitor your company brand, but refine it to only show mentions that include the name of a potential hire. Are they bad mouthing your company before they’ve even started?
• Maybe you’ve not actually identified a candidate yet. Why not use social media monitoring to look for those discussing your industry and find candidates with the most influence and clout?

Existing Employees

• Do you have key employees that talk to bloggers and journalists on a regular basis? Get notified on anything they say and make sure they’re not overstepping the company line.
• Employees don’t like to be spied on, but employers shouldn’t have to worry about their public behavior having a negative influence on the company’s reputation. Small companies could monitor the online activity of all employees, but larger ones might have to pick those that have already been disciplined for unruly behavior.
• Why not monitor your company name for any signs of disgruntled employees? Or, look for updates from staff that mention taking a sick day from your company to go fishing.

Ex-Employees

• Look for any ex-employees violating any non-competes by monitoring the hiring news of your biggest competitors.
• Likewise, keep an eye out for any disgruntled ex-employees bad mouthing your precious reputation.

Industry News

• HR professionals would also be wise to monitor industry news and legal updates for the human resources industry. Stay on top of new trends and developments.
• Why not also keep a look out for any upcoming industry conferences that could offer a wealth of potential new hires.

As you can see, there’s a great many reasons why social media monitoring tools should be extended to your company’s HR department. With Trackur’s Premium or Ultimate plans, you can set up separate Profiles for your HR folks so they can track what’s important for them!

I'm an HR professional. Let me try Trackur!

Admit it, you’ve wanted to do this a time or two…

What do you do in the face of a technological oops?  Do you turn tail and run?  Not if you want to maintain the respect of your customers and colleagues.  Here are some surefire ways to get back on your feet after a faux pas of the electronic nature:

• Acknowledge the incident.  With any potentially damaging situation, be up front and above board with your customers.  Trying to bury something rarely works out for anything other than losing the trust of those around you and damaging your reputation.
• Apologize.  After letting people know that you’re aware of your error, apologize for any inconvenience or frustration they may have encountered.  This is especially important for technology outages – if email is down, your help desk is inaccessible, or your website is down, you want people to know that you understand the inconvenience caused by the problem, and you empathize with their frustration.  A sincere apology goes a long way, especially in this era of “not my fault” that we seem to be living in these days.
• Be honest.  Did you accidentally fire off a Tweet from the wrong account?  Hopefully you’d never post something overly rude or offensive from any account, but even if you caused some confusion, let your followers know what happened.  A sincere “oops, we goofed!” will go a long way in securing trust for your brand.  Everyone makes mistakes, it’s the way that we react to them that displays our character.  Show your customers and associates that yours is good.
• Make it right.  If your downtime caused a client to lose money, give them a discount on their service with you for the next month, or refund part of their most recent payment.  It will cost you a lot less in the long run if you can convert them from a disgruntled customer to a brand evangelist.  Make sure they’re happy and avoid them leaving you for the competition.  Don’t know what you can do to make right with a client?  Ask them.  Often, they’ll be happy to tell you what they need, and it is typically less than you’d imagine.  People want to know that they’re being heard, and that their opinion matters.  Show them that they are and that it does, you won’t regret it.
• Move forward.  What will you do to prevent an incident like this one in the future?  Better servers and hosting to reduce downtime? More efficient organization to ensure that emails get returned promptly?  Whatever type of problem you’ve encountered, take a few minutes to figure out how to avoid it in the future, and then tell people what your plans are to fix things.  It is surprisingly refreshing when brands are candid and transparent with their users.  Be that breath of fresh air.

Everyone knows that technology isn’t foolproof, show them that no matter what happens, your service is.  Be the brand that people are left feeling great about after they interact with you.  In the long run, it takes far less effort (and financial investment) to provide great service – why not set the example for the rest of the business world?

Do you have a memorable experience centered around a technology frustration?  Did it end well, or were you ready to take a baseball bat to a machine before it was over?

I know you’re all super busy, so here are 20 quick tips for improving your online reputation. It will take you less than a minute to get a great refresher on how you should manage your online brand.

If you like it, please bookmark and share.

Thanks!