Is Brand Control Possible?

Many organizations mistakenly believe if they strictly manage public statements, advertising and corporate representation, they'll be in complete control of their brand. Some of them spend millions of dollars in these efforts. 

In today's everyone's-a-publisher environment, such is simply not the case. 

My colleague in the Social Media Club of Salt Lake City, Sara Brueck Nichols, wrote effectively last month [http://www.utahpulse.com/featured_article/creating-influence] about creating influence, not controlling a message. 

Brand managers recognize that they're not the only ones talking about their brand. Effective managers create ways by which customers or clients help promote their brand. The brand manager should try to steer the conversation, and participate in the discussion, but really can no longer expect to be the sole or primary voice in the dialogue. 

It's time you realize that you're not in complete control of your brand. 

With social media, everyone is a publisher. Citizen journalism will increase. It won't replace traditional journalism, but it will play an even greater role in the years to come. People will always trust the opinion of family and friends over any corporation. 

So once you've had your come to Jesus moment - realizing you're not really in control of your brand - what do you do about it? 

You become a master at using digital media tools to publish your own content which then competes in the marketplace of ideas for mindshare. The more creative, authentic and entertaining your content, the greater your chances of popularity. 

Then you go to work to engage with others using social media to represent your brand. 

It's also time you realize that whether you choose to participate in the online conversation or not, people are talking about you on the Web. 

Smart brands monitor what's being said through e-mail alerts and RSS feeds that deliver search results from places like Google Blog Search, BlogPulse, BoardTracker, Technorati and Twitter. Or they hire a company to provide clips of not only traditional media coverage, but social media mentions as well. 

After all, how can you effectively communicate unless you have a clear understanding of the influences, opinions and characteristics of your constituents? 

Today it's not as much about brand control as it is about brand management and appropriate representation. 

Pete Codella, Accredited in Public Relations is a social media evangelist. In addition to serving as the Social Media Club of Salt Lake City's first program director and chair of the Utah Social Media Awards, he is the owner and operator of Codella Marketing and NewsCactus, a hosted online newsroom solution. He has received numerous awards and always enjoys a good communication challenge. See PeteCodella.com for more information, and check out his social media song music video at YouTube.com/CodellaMarketing.