By David L. Rawle

I recently had my annual physical. (Good news: I have the heart of a 20-year-old.) Through our annual physicals, we find out how our body is doing. We talk to our doctors, whom we trust and have a relationship with, and then, one hopes, we make the lifestyle adjustments that will give us a better report next year.

In a way, that’s kind of the old-fashioned method that companies used to employ to get customer feedback. Customers and companies communicated one-on-one through surveys, letters or phone calls. Customer feedback was received and acknowledged, but the company remained in charge.

Now all of that has changed. You don’t have to wait to see how customers like you. Just turn to the Internet, where you’ll find an instantaneous and continuous evaluation of your goods or services, and not just on traditional Web sites, but also on blogs and wikis and within social networks.

Talking about you

Today, consumers are more likely to be part of a linked, online community discussing your product or service than to be communicating directly with you; just go online and see for yourself.

They’re talking about you, reviewing you, and sharing photos and videos about you. They’re deciding whether what you’re offering is worth buying, plain and simple, and whether you, “the company,” are there or not.

Suppose you’re in the travel industry, our community’s biggest industry. Travelers used to turn to the Internet for trip research and planning.

But now they turn to Web sites or online communities where what they read and discuss is often shaping their next trip decision. If you’re not part of that decision-making process, you’re essentially closing your eyes and hoping travelers will head your way.

So the challenge is, how do you rejoin the consumer conversation and create those crucial consumer relationships in this online world?

It’s really a three-step process that we regularly use to lead our clients through this new 2.0 world:

Monitor. Read what’s being said about you and about your industry; pay close attention to who’s doing the talking.

Participate. Watching or just reacting isn’t good enough; you have to join the dialogue just as you would when joining a new community to be heard and trusted.

Anticipate. Think ahead about what issues seem to be bubbling up that you can head them off at the pass and address them head-on.

Operationally, these steps might come to life in a variety of ways, such as educating key staff members about sensitive issues being raised by consumers online; aggressive monitoring of online discussions to secure product feedback; dedicating a portion of a staff member’s time to participate, as a consumer would, in the online dialogue; and creating a PR strategy to

counter negative attention.

For example, staff members who interact with your customers need to be trained on the implications of the Web 2.0 world. Living and delivering on the brand promise is more important than ever, because our consumer communications-driven society can shatter a brand in an instant. Staff members need to appreciate the greater consequences today of a bad customer experience — and need to encourage satisfied customers to communicate their positive experiences online.

Similarly, listening to the online conversation and understanding how people are talking about your company are critical. You need to be monitoring what’s being said about you, and about your competition.

By doing so, you can detect early any issues that may become potential problems, improve your ability to react quickly and do a fast “damage control” if necessary.

Bring your message online 

But again, it’s not just about reacting, it’s about proactively participating and making your message part of the online conversation.

The bottom line is that there’s a whole new world out there that is shaping your image and your bottom line.

It’s the Web 2.0 world, and you need to be engaged in it not only strategically but also operationally. And that’s fun. Because it’s always changing and challenging, and never dull.

And what’s really cool is that you can take your company’s “temperature” at any and every instant, no longer waiting for that annual “physical.” 

David M. Rawle is chairman of Charleston-based Rawle Murdy Associates Inc., a marketing, advertising and public relations firm. E-mail him at drawle@rawlemurdy.com.

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