You've spent a lot of time building up your reputation and image both online and off, so it's important to make sure that someone or something has not jeopardized your brand.

One of the simplest and easiest ways to track your reputation is to use Google Alerts. With this free service, you can search either all of Google's properties, or you can specify that only News, Blogs, Web, Video, or Groups is searched. You can then configure the Alerts results to be emailed to you either as it happens, once a day, or once a week. There is also a page where you can edit the alerts once they are created or delete them when they are no longer in use. 

If making a good name for yourself online is a priority, it's time to take a proactive approach to getting your name out there the way you want.  

BUSINESS SOCIAL NETWORKS – Complete your profile in its entirety and connect with key professionals in your network.

BLOGS – Consider a business blog and one that you contribute to – showing you are a thought leader will aid in elevating you or your products in your industry. Likewise, use blogs to amend or respond to bad hype.

WEB 2.0 PR – Get news interviews, podcasts, webinars with clients 'live' online. Third party testimonials by key constituents regarding your products and services will go a long way in building brand reputation.

LINKING – If you have a web site, consider carefully where and how inbound and outbound links are connected – bad links will reflect poorly on your brand.

SUB-DOMAINS - Add a sub-domain for careers, corporate and/or product info for little or no cost.  Not only will sub-domains elevate your search results but add depth to your reputation.

PPC/ONLINE ADVERTISING – This can only help protect your brand and will help influence visitors to see who is the real website that should be visited.

SEARCH - Take control of the visible results of any search related to your brand. By taking a coordinated approach to search engine optimization, you take greater control of the other nine slots.  

FREE MONITORING TOOLS:

Similarly to Google Alerts, Yahoo! Pipes is also a good tool for aggregating and combining feeds into one central repository.

Using Twitter search you can locate any instances of your name and decide whether you want to tweet back or ignore them. 

If you have a blog, then you have to be on Technorati. Technorati tracks “blog reactions,” or blogs that link to yours. Search for your brand on Technorati, and subscribe to RSS alerts so that when someone blogs about you, you find out.

Yacktrack lets you search for comments on your content from various sources, such as Blogger, Digg, FriendFeed, Stumbleupon, and Wordpress blogs.

Best,

Denice MacDonald

2008 has definitely been a year of growth (and change) in many segments of technology and the web. Consider the big story of early 2008, Microsoft’s attempted takeover of Yahoo! – only to see Yahoo! reject the offer – go figure. With the ebb and flow of the economy, it will be interesting to see what happens with my favorite top stories from 2008: 

Google Chrome – With a mixed bag of reviews, Google Chrome did make a big splash - garnering over 1% of total browser users in its first three months of launch. It will be interesting to watch Chrome’s ability to give Google a compelling platform for the delivery of web applications while hopefully playing nice with Firefox in 2009.

• Will Google Chrome Gain Acceptance on Corporate Desktops? by Amit Agarwal, Digital Inspirations  

Video Content Kicks Butt – According to comScore, Hulu, a joint venture between Fox and NBC that offers professionally created content, made the list of the top 10 video sites on the web. With video in general becoming widely accepted (ala YouTube), tv video content on demand via the web is the next big logical step to capture ‘strategic’ advertising dollars. Take a look at the hulu web site and get hooked – like me!

• Web Site’s Formula for Success: TV Content With Fewer Ads by Brian Stelter, The New York Times

Amazon Kindle – Like most professionals, I’m finding it harder and harder to read all the feeds and e-mails I get each day – not to mention grabbing some leisure time for reading. I believe the ongoing rollout and use of e-books (Kindle) will bridge that gap and suddenly make reading ‘cool’ again.

• Amazon's Kindle

Social Communities – I personally belong to 10 different social web communities – several for pleasure and several for business networking. We’ll begin to see the social communities evolve (and share) technologies thereby elevating networks that are working and eliminating those that don’t. Of critical importance, will be the evolution of Facebook - Facebook will debut a "Social Rank" algorithm which will determine which of your friends are most relevant and important. It will be fun to watch Facebook in 2009!

• Predictions for 2009 by Charlene Li (author of Groundswell)  

As web marketing professionals, it will be interesting to see how the above-mentioned trends will evolve in 2009.

To all my subscribers - the best to you in 2009.

Denice MacDonald

As dollars get scarce and competition grows fierce, marketers are now pondering the direction and mode of maintaining their customer base and market share. Let’s face it, tough times force tough choices – what to keep, what to slice, what to start anew.   

Here’s a few suggestions on channels that will aid marketers to stay ‘in the game’ for 2009:  

Online advertising 

Although price competitive, there will be many ‘opportunity buys’ for online marketers willing to take the plunge.   

Search marketing

Still touted as the best deal, search can be measured and refined – allowing targeted and niche campaigns.   

Integrate

Collaborate online branding with search initiatives resulting in a cohesive and measurable strategy. 

E-mail

No it’s not dead – it's resurrected as a viable and affordable means of staying connected to customers and prospects. 

Service is marketing

The best thing you can do to keep customers and potentially increase sales is to focus on customer service.   

Online video

Video engages and can become a viral strategy. Videos also are well poised for repurposing at trade shows, online and within e-mail campaigns. 

Metrics 

Test, test and retest. You can’t get enough statistics to help gauge and refine both online and offline initiatives.  

The only economic constant is change -- it will be paramount for marketers to stay agile relative to initiatives for 2009.

Best,

Denice MacDonald 

Organic search optimization is wonderful - it helps visitors interested in your services find you through search engines by merely typing your name into their web browser or search bar.  However, if your company name is "MacDonald", you get interesting visitors to your site. 

So, to honor all those visitors looking for "McDonald's", I'm here to write a blog especially for you based on the top search string to my blog site: McDonald's Marketing Strategy.

McDonald's Brand Positioning and Messaging 

One of the greatest attributes of McDonald's is its "everyday affordability" message that drives customers to McDonald's restaurants. Think of your children - they know McDonald's by the time they are two years old. Chanting "Mickey D's", you can't possibly drive by a 'golden arches' without having to stop. 

Flanked by great integrated campaigns centered around such initiatives as the Olympics, the Kung Fu Panda film and fresh "I'm Lovin' it" ads, McDonald's continues to keep their marketing edge (and brand) ahead of the pack (its sales are three times that of No. 2 burger chain Burger King). 

Ongoing Innovation and Knowing When to Make Changes 

For McDonald's it will continue to be a year of innovation. According to CMO Mary Dillon: "We are the kind of business and brand that is never happy with yesterday. We are always looking to tomorrow and how do we get better?"  This type of thinking and marketing philosophy has always kept the fast-food giant in the black.

Global Reach 

By combining fundamentally sound operational practices with innovative marketing strategies, Ray Kroc (McDonald's originator) laid the foundation for McDonald's global success. Today, McDonald's values transcend borders and cultures. Each and every day, 47 million consumers worldwide visit McDonald's because they know and love the Golden Arches, Ronald McDonald and Big Mac sandwiches.

Keeping Up with McDonald's

• Corporate web site - includes latest news briefs
• Values
• Fact Sheets

Best,

A proposal must show that your organization understands the problem that the prospect/customer is experiencing. Whether it’s a sense of urgency or a long-term need, you need to ensure that you grasp what the prospect/customer is looking for.

If the proposal does not reflect a clear understanding of the problem, those reviewing it won’t feel confident that your company will be capable of effectively dealing with it.

Define the Solution: The proposal must clearly outline how you will solve the problem. Include personnel you will assign to the project and their resumes (including photo’s for a personal connection). Include an estimated timeline for completing the work along with anticipated costs. Don’t provide too much information about the proposed solution. You want to give them enough of a teaser so they ask for more.

Bottom-line: Connect by providing a defined ‘overview’ of the solution along with who will solve it, within what timeframe and for what cost.

Easy to Read: If the proposal itself is difficult to under and contains bloated or misspelled words, the chance of it being selected is greatly diminished. Reason simply, it will be difficult to convince the prospect/customer that the proposed work will get done properly if the proposal itself is shoddy. Remember, the proposal is oftentimes the only chance your company has of making a first impression.

Bottom-line: Create a stellar proposal written in a format that the prospect/customer will understand, grasp and act upon.

Nix the Template – Add Market Knowledge: The proposed solution must not be a boiler plate of sorts. It must take into consideration industry background, competition and opportunities not yet implemented by the prospect/customer as part of the solution package. 

Bottom-line: Do your homework! Show depth and credibility by providing opportunities not-yet tapped.

You’re the One: This is your chance to shine. Include relevant background on your company, years in business, similar work completed and awards. If appropriate, differentiate your methodology and how it would enhance the solution outcome and budget adherence.

Bottom-line: Convince them that you are the company of choice.

Best,

Denice MacDonald

Despite its iconic status, Starbucks has struggled of late, stung by disappointing quarterly results and closing some 600 stores. Where did the coffee giant go wrong? AND, do they have an opportunity to get back to the brand's heritage and core values? 

If you're like me, Starbucks had initially been a 'coffee treat' - that is, I would cherish those moments where I would opt for a $4 cup of coffee over having to buy a gallon of milk. As time went on, I got really hooked on the coffee AND the Starbucks culture - an environment with an amzaing brand experience that I wouldn't get from driving through McDonalds for an iced coffee. But I sense that Starbucks has moved beyond their initial brand experience — offering a bloated storefront with retail goods along with breakfast sandwiches to entice new customers.    

What can we learn from Starbucks early legacy and success?

Simply this, when creating a differentiating brand, insure that your entire company understands what your brand ultimately promises to customers. A brand promise is the backbone of any marketing strategy. Starbucks differentiated themselves by offering “indulgence and escape” not just “expensive gourmet coffees.”   

Delivering a memorable and relevant experience will drive customer loyalty and ultimately create brand ambassadors — people who not only buy from you but also virally testify to the benefits of your brand to others. Building a relevant experience is critical if your company is vying for optimum growth — even during economic fluctuations or competitor resurgence. 

Lastly, how do you create these experiences?

The answer lies in understanding what is important to customers. What information do they seek? What is valuable to them? What can you do to make their life easier? By understanding your brand and how it resonates with customers, you can create experiences rather than just selling products. 

Resources

Building Brands: Unlock Your Potential

Building Brands and Believers: How to Connect with Consumers Using Archetypes by Kent Wertime

Brand Channel

Best,

Denice MacDonald