This is a question I’m often asked – sometimes people mishear it as ‘reputation management’, which is a different animal altogether. Some people just hear ‘marketing’ and assume we do all marketing activities. So it’s time to set the record straight.
Reputation marketing is all about creating the image you want to project and then putting it where your target audience are looking.
Our RAVE acronym explains it:
- R is for Reputation – creating it by influencing what people say about you
- A is for Authority – so you’re the ‘go-to’ person people think of when your industry is mentioned
- V is for Visibility – so you’re seen in all the right places and people don’t forget you exist.
- E is for Expertise – demonstrating how good you are at what you do.
Of course this all comes under the marketing umbrella, but marketing covers a lot more than we do. We don’t do ‘marketing maths’ (comparative analysis of competitors, demographics statistics, etc.). We don’t do research and development of products or services. We don’t do product launches or other events.
The reputation marketing portfolio
These are the core activities that are included:
- Building ideal client profiles
- Developing the list of client benefits
- Finding where ideal clients ‘hang out’
- Choosing the tools that will reach them best
- Identifying means of measurement for your activities
- Planning website structures and creating content to attract, engage and persuade
- Writing articles for blogs, newsletters and other publications
- Creating social media profiles that present you professionally
- Creating content for social media and managing your social media activity
- Building sales funnels from lead magnet to email campaigns to nurture your list
- Writing content for marketing material e.g. flyers, leaflets, brochures, etc.
- Creating influencer videos and getting them showing up at the top of the searches on YouTube
- Getting articles placed with relevant publications and invitations for podcast or video interviews
- Sourcing awards and writing entry submissions
- Planning, ghost-writing/editing books and helping you to get published.
Everything on this list is aimed at making you and your company shine in the public arena. Whether you want to make a splash locally or are looking to get on the international stage.
The secret is not in doing everything, but choosing carefully what will be the most effective way to reach and influence your audience – and then consistently going for it.
As Hannibal Smith used to say ‘I love it when a plan comes together’!
