Gavin Ingham Brooke, managing director & Ana Catalano, research consultant, Spada

Much has been written about the angst of conservatively minded chief executives and, for that matter, HR directors who feel their organisation has been poorly or wrongly covered in the press. If that has been part of an old paradigm then image conservatives such as these are in for an even bigger culture shock in the new age of digital media.

In our own mind’s eye we might like our organisation to be considered successful, genuinely meritocratic, fair and just, hard-working, family-friendly, interested in our fellow man and woman, environmentally conscious and so forth. Yet, even if we are all of those things, conveying our orgnanisation’s proposition so that our reality is adopted within a crowded marketplace has always been difficult.

Now further change is afoot. The days of ‘big’ brands which are more or less controlled by employers (so long as they have a large enough budget, that is) are becoming numbered. Content that previously could be centrally orchestrated and projected by the employer is now subject to constant – and critical – review by a range of the organisation’s stakeholders, from employees right through to the general public. These guys may not agree with ‘centre’; they may not agree with each other. Communication has become not just a two-way, but infinite number of ways, street.

User-generated content

Sites like JobVent.com and Glassdoor.com allow people to contrast and compare employers’ claims, work experiences, and even that most holy-of-holies, salaries.  Indeed, in a remarkable power-shift, content about an organisation is now primarily designed by the user him- or herself. The proliferation of user-generated content online together with the gradual decline of ‘blind’ trust in institutions (including business and professions) that has characterised post-industrial society may seem to pose an insurmountable challenge for those whose job it is to ‘manage’ an employer brand. So, where would you even start?

Web 2.0

The first answer is not to put ‘Web 2.0’ in the too-difficult box. Web 2.0 is, after all, only a new forum for debate which can be amenable to your organisation and your brand.  The opportunities that social media technologies present – to create lasting communities bound by common interests and concerns, interact efficiently with a range of audiences, and share new ideas immediately – far outweigh the perceived risks.

Based on our experience of starting our own blog, here are a few aspects you might like to consider in exposing your organisation to Web 2.0.

1. Get your head out of the sand

Do you know what online audiences (eg would-be recruits) are saying about you, and how your brand is being ‘consumed’? Do you know what the strength of sentiment surrounding say, flexible working, really is?  If not, conduct a social media audit. Specialised consultants can do this for you, but you can also carry out a simplified version yourself. Start by searching for coverage of your company on the blogs in Google Blog Search and Technorati, on wikis in Wikipedia, and on forums and message boards on BoardReader. These sites will allow you to search for content which cites your organisation, either in specific posts and entries or over entire blogs. You can subscribe to an RSS feed or email alert to receive instant updates whenever your company is mentioned.

2. Put your own house in order

Once you have the base-line information, use it. You may discover that your brand’s online reputation does not quite match the rosy picture you wish to project. In order to use Web 2.0 to respond to critics and build your brand, it is important that you are seen to take criticism seriously.  This does not mean taking everything lying down. Comments or debates need to be scrutinised for their potential impact on the organisation. Some low-level posts can be handled by a well-humoured and polite offer of further information. Others may need a  keynote response from the chief executive. Where there is a genuine defect in the company’s dealings with employees the Web 2.0 footprint can and should spur management to take steps to change, enabling you to re-inspire trust with dissatisfied stakeholders or employees.

3. Engage in conversations, in the spaces they occur

Once you have made the assessment and, possibly, used this knowledge to change and improve your offering, you are in a good position to engage critics of your brand in conversation. It is worth doing so.

The first thing your organization should do, if it has not already done so, is to develop its own set of brand and internet policies. To preserve an authentic Web 2.0 ‘voice’ you need to respond to comments with honesty, canniness and friendliness. Intelligent, personal interactions such as these bring a ‘human face’ to your brand. The Dell story is a great example of a company using Web 2.0 to strengthen consumer loyalties even in the midst of a major crisis brought about by a single angry blogger. Perhaps one of the greatest potential benefits of Web 2.0 is that it may re-humanise anonymous organisations, making them more intimate and accountable.

The risks and rewards of Web 2.0 engagement both climb steeply in crisis or dispute scenarios.  The very accessibility of the medium enables a disgruntled employee to put across hostile viewpoints quickly and effectively, enabling them to play David to corporate Goliath. The online community has already become a vital context for the wider HR process – sympathies need to be skillfully garnered and not alienated. Just try abritary dismissal of an employee who has been writing a humorous and engaging blog with a good following!

Spada also predicts every greater use of Web 2.0 as part of wider campaigning in union vs corporate battles, with systematic efforts to mobilise online opinion complementing other techniques such as neighbourhood campaigns, community initiatives and lobbying. Barack Obama’s campaign team has shown the efficacy of grassroots online campaigning.

So much for the higher ground: what about more normal corporate concerns? If a social media audit finds that your biggest challenge is sheer invisibility in the blogosphere, wikis and forums, then how do you develop a presence? A good place to start is a simple blog, where your organisation can contribute its knowledge and share news with employee, recruit, client, supplier and opinion-former communities. Spada’s white paper on Web 2.0 and the professions details how to start a blog here (it is still useful even if you are not a professional service firm).

4. Know your defamation, privacy and copyright laws

The Internet is not free from law. Though you may not be able to control what people say about your brand, the same laws apply to information published online as anywhere – namely, defamation, privacy and copyright – watch for unintended consequences in employment law too. False and pejorative statements, private or intimate information, and work produced by you or your organisation is protected by law. Most people will not want to engage in legal action if the average blogger or online publisher infringes these laws, and luckily in most cases you can restore your brand’s reputation without resorting to such steps. The same methods which work for traditional print media apply to new media. Claim ownership of your work and ask that false, pejorative or private information be taken down. Because of E-Commerce Regulations, if an Internet Service Provider (ISP) receives a complaint claiming they are hosting offensive material, it is in their interest to take it down quickly as the best defence in the case of a defamation lawsuit.

Employers are right to recognise certain risks posed by the rise of Web 2.0 technologies, but overly cautious organisations face a bigger risk: losing out on a major opportunity to build their brand, foster innovation and improve their own organisation by exploiting new technologies.

The balance of power between clients/consumers, employees and employers has shifted, and this is too big and too important a phenomenon for organisations to ignore. Each organisation must work out its own way to best use new technologies. It might not make sense for a small employer to invest in the (primarily time) cost of hosting and authoring a daily blog, when information can be shared easily the ‘old fashioned’ way – face-to-face! Instead, a small company might consider gradually building a presence on niche blogs and forums (like Changeboard), writing guest pieces on issues that distinguish it to potential employees and other stakeholders. Though there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for employer brands, by thinking creatively social media can be used to encourage innovation, restore and strengthen online reputations, attract and retain more scarce talent and build new revenue streams.