Homer Alaska - Business

If companies want to protect their brand image and reach their customers in the new media age, they'll need to reach out to the consumers where they now communicate: social media Web sites like Facebook, Twitter and a slew of others.

Such was the message delivered by Colin Clarke, a senior strategist with public relations firm AadlandFlint, at an American Marketing Association luncheon Feb. 11.

"These are your customers, and this is where they're spending their time," Clarke said. "Word of mouth is changing everything."

Clarke said that as technology has improved, the universe of methods through which consumers receive and disseminate information has likewise widened. No longer content to sit in front of the television and absorb news and entertainment through a one-way channel, consumers use social networking sites, mobile devices like cell phones, text messaging and video game systems.

Regardless of whether companies choose to tune in to the discussion, consumers are talking to each other through these means and sharing stories of their experiences with companies, Clarke said.

The substance of these discussions can be devastating to a company's reputation and brand identity, Clarke said, and it's important to listen in and respond quickly when consumers voice dissatisfaction en masse.

Clarke cited an example of an incident in which a video uploaded to user-driven hosting Web site Youtube became a sensation and threatened a company's public image. That company was Domino's Pizza, and the video in question showed an employee sticking a piece of cheese in his nose before adding it to a sandwich.

The situation could have become a crisis, Clarke said. Within 24 hours, the video received hundreds of thousands of hits. However, also within that time period, the store in which the employee worked was temporarily closed and a video was uploaded to Youtube, this time by Domino's Pizza, apologizing to angered and disgusted consumers and laying out corrective measures that would be taken.

To alleviate potential problems and take advantage of potential boons derived from these new social trends, Clarke suggests a four-step process companies can undertake.

* The first step involves researching these various media of communication and learning everything they can. Clarke suggested a number of easy means of accomplishing this step, including Google alerts, a Google search feature that sends e-mail alerts to a user whenever a new Web page appears utilizing certain search terms.

* The second step involves developing a social media strategy, one that is as thorough and practical as an advertising and marketing strategy. Much as a company might do with a marketing campaign, Clarke advised attendees of the event to determine what the company's purpose was in engaging social media, and what sort of relationship it wants to maintain with its audience.

* The third step involves letting go and embracing change, instead of sticking to old ways of thinking.

* The fourth step involves participating in the new media revolution actively.

In engaging the consumers in this way, Clarke advises companies not to be combative and raise barriers, but rather to be open and understanding.

He also believes companies should hire community managers whose purpose it is to monitor the way employees communicate in the new media to ensure that what they are saying reflects positively on the company.

Sean Manget is a reporter with the Alaska Journal of Commerce in Anchorage.