IIIINTRODUCTORYNTRODUCTORYNTRODUCTORYNTRODUCTORY

With public relations campaigns, advertising strategies and B2B presentations, busi-nesses have historically dictated both the medium and the message for their corpo-rate communications. Times have changed; the Internet is the catalyst.

The bad news is that many small businesses are finding themselves ill-equipped to manage their corporate brands and reputations online. The good news is that by up-dating antiquated business practices and enlisting expert support, businesses can even the playing field.

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Internet search engines, like Google, Yahoo! and MSN, are powerful and user-friendly resources. The problem is that results that search engines consider most relevant (or

most highly-ranked) do not necessarily provide a complete or accurate picture of a business’s products, services or more general corporate repu-tation. Left to their own devices, search engines sift through Internet content concerning a corporate entity (much of this content is created by third-parties) and return results based upon which websites rank highest in an engine’s mechanized algorithm.

The result is upside down: it is the search engine and not the company

Your Brand & the Internet: It’s a Brave New World

The Answer: Online Reputation Management

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Pre-Internet public relations firms are still capable of placing articles for clients in leading publications and news outlets. Advertising firms, both online and off, are as savy as ever before in reaching a client’s consumer and/or B2B target populations. But neither entity is equipped to manage the portrait that the first several pages of an Internet search engine paints about a corporate client.

In the Internet Age, this is a glaring limitation for traditional corporate brand manage-ment outfits. It begs the need for a third pillar of brand management and that pillar is Online Reputation Management (ORM).

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ORM is the method of monitoring and directing Internet content. Many business leaders mistakenly believe that their successes, perhaps reported in major news out-lets and industry journals, are naturally carried over to the Internet — that search en-gines will filter through the morass of online information and present, in the first few pages of a Google, Yahoo! or MSN search, the ideal representation of their companies. Creating a company’s preferred online representation requires the support of an expert ORM firm.

ReputationDefender Corporate Online Reputation Management

The NumbersThe NumbersThe NumbersThe Numbers

Internet users who have researched a prod-uct or service online

78%78%78%78%

Americans who con-sider the Internet cru-cial in making impor-tant investment or business decisions

16 16 16 16 millionmillionmillionmillion

American Internet us-ers who have purchased goods or services online

89%89%89%89%

Americans consulting Web for information making a major life decision

45%45%45%45%

Top 4 Myths of ORMTop 4 Myths of ORMTop 4 Myths of ORMTop 4 Myths of ORM

People know the Internet is full of inaccuracies. No one is really influ-enced by the information they find online.

Once you or your company is attacked online, there is nothing that can be done.

Public relations and ad-vertising are sufficient for protecting and promoting your corporate reputation.

The Internet does not affect my business.

ORM: ORM: ORM: ORM: How It WorksHow It WorksHow It WorksHow It Works

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The Company: The Company: The Company: The Company: Gallant Trust (GT) is a small business insurance pro-vider. The firm enjoys a stellar reputation . For years, Gallant has em-ployed local public relations and advertising firms to protect and pro-mote the GT brand.

The Event: The Event: The Event: The Event: A regional newspaper publishes an article quoting one of Gallant's smaller, start-up clients as being dissatisfied with the in-surer's response to various routine claims. Gallant executives are not pleased with the article, but they are confident that several well-placed responses will mitigate further fallout.

A New Reality:A New Reality:A New Reality:A New Reality: What Gallant does not anticipate is the effect a single critical arti-cle can have once picked up by the blogosphere, the searchable index of Internet blogs. Whereas an Internet search prior to the problematic article turned up GT’s website along with related industry and general media links, a search now returns two full pages of results, almost all criticizing GT’s insurance practices.

Aware that existing and potential clients use the Internet daily when considering insurance providers, Gallant now has a rather serious brand issue on its hands.

AnalysisAnalysisAnalysisAnalysis

This case study represents a situation that businesses and their leaders find them-selves in everyday. ORM firms like ReputationDefender can effectively manage both corporate and personnel reputations online, even after you or your business has ex-perienced reputational harm.

But it is important to recognize that the more cost-effective and reliable path to effec-tive ORM is to insulate your brand and reputation well before sailing into rocky waters on the Internet. Think of it as Google Insurance.

Page Page Page Page 2222 ReputationReputationReputationReputationDefenderDefenderDefenderDefender Corporate Online Reputation ManagementCorporate Online Reputation ManagementCorporate Online Reputation ManagementCorporate Online Reputation Management

No successful business or business professional is without its detractors. On the Internet, these detractors, both legitimate and not, enjoy thousands of venues through which they can make their mark. This means that as consumers and industry analysts turn to the Internet as a primary and trusted medium for gaining information about a corporate en-tity, that entity’s Internet detractors can become powerful and persistent voices influenc-ing corporate reputation.

At the same time, Internet search engine results, if managed effectively, provide compa-nies with a new and invaluable avenue with which corporate reputation can be reinforced.

ORM recognizes that the Internet content a company creates about itself and the com-mentary created about that company are part of a larger, democratized conversation of the Digital Age. ORM harnesses this conversation to create an online search engine image that squares with a business or business professional’s intended image. This result is achieved as a function of three techniques:

InsulateInsulateInsulateInsulate the client from reputational attacks from third parties.

Ensure Ensure Ensure Ensure the first several pages of a search engine tell the full story of the client.

RespondRespondRespondRespond to and manage new content created by and about the client.

Note: ORM firms engage in complex mathematical modeling and content creation in order to produce results for clients.

Case Studies in ORMCase Studies in ORMCase Studies in ORMCase Studies in ORM

“Search engines are not “Search engines are not “Search engines are not “Search engines are not

in the business of in the business of in the business of in the business of

giving the world the giving the world the giving the world the giving the world the

truth about your truth about your truth about your truth about your

company. That work is company. That work is company. That work is company. That work is

up to you and it is up up to you and it is up up to you and it is up up to you and it is up

to your ORM firm.” to your ORM firm.” to your ORM firm.” to your ORM firm.”

---- Michael Fertik, CEO Michael Fertik, CEO Michael Fertik, CEO Michael Fertik, CEO

ReputationDefenderReputationDefenderReputationDefenderReputationDefender

The NumbersThe NumbersThe NumbersThe Numbers

Internet users who say that most or all of the information produced by search engines are reliable and accurate

64%64%64%64%

Average # of hours spent online per Internet user p/wk

8.98.98.98.9

Internet users who look online for finan-cial information (e.g., stock quotes, mort-gage interest rates)

41%41%41%41%

Case Studies in Active ORM Case Studies in Active ORM Case Studies in Active ORM Case Studies in Active ORM (cont.)(cont.)(cont.)(cont.)

Page Page Page Page 3333 www.reputationdefender.com

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The Principal:The Principal:The Principal:The Principal: Paul is a managing director at a local consumer bank. For the past several months, he has been running point on a large real estate deal.

The Event: The Event: The Event: The Event: When the deal unexpectedly sours, a “real estate watch” blog devotes considerable attention to its fallout. The blog is picked up by newspapers and online forums. Paul’s judgment is called into question

The Trouble with the Half Story: The Trouble with the Half Story: The Trouble with the Half Story: The Trouble with the Half Story: While Paul has built over twenty years of transactional experience and the bank continues to express confidence in his leadership, this is not what one would gather from conducting an Internet search of Paul’s name. The first pages of Internet search results are populated by articles, blogs and online fo-rum entries criticizing Paul and the recently failed deal.

AnalysisAnalysisAnalysisAnalysis

Paul’s online image is suddenly a liability for his professional reputation and, by proxy, the reputation of his employer. In a business world where we often Google before we shake hands, Paul’s circumstance online is not to be left unattended.

The fiduciary responsibility of a qualified ORM firm, like ReputationDefender, is to ensure that a client’s full story is told over the Internet.

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The Company & the Principal: The Company & the Principal: The Company & the Principal: The Company & the Principal: Winston Lang is the long-time CEO of Clyde’s, a regional furniture store chain.

The Event: The Event: The Event: The Event: Lang resigns unexpectedly when a disgruntled employee leaks an in-house memo to an Internet forum — a forum read widely within the furniture industry. The memo links Lang with de-cisions made by the Clyde’s design team to replicate popular furnishings of a leading competitor. Overnight, the scandal becomes an Internet, print and radio press favorite. The fol-lowing three quarters see several outside and core brand sup-pliers cancel their orders with Clyde’s. Without these brands, Clyde’s experiences an unprecedented dip in sales.

A Different Way Forward: A Different Way Forward: A Different Way Forward: A Different Way Forward: Eighteen months later and under new leadership, Clyde’s is only beginning to pull its head out

of the rabbit’s hole. The company has just turned its first quarterly profit since the Lang fiasco and suppliers are beginning to say “yes” to high-level meetings.

But at almost every turn, Clyde’s executives are frustrated by suppliers’ con-cerns over aligning their own brands with that of Clyde’s. Over a year after the Lang debacle, the Clyde’s homepage remains flanked by damaging search en-gine results.

AnalysisAnalysisAnalysisAnalysis

Time has passed, but because news articles damaging to Clyde’s are rooted on high-ranking websites, search engines will not consider these articles considerably less rele-vant over time.

Without enlisting ORM experts, such articles will remain top search results.

Spotlight on Spotlight on Spotlight on Spotlight on MyEdgeMyEdgeMyEdgeMyEdge

WhatWhatWhatWhat

MyEdge delivers a meticu-lous ORM service, tailored to client specifications.

At MyEdge, an independent team is assigned to each client.

That team is then devoted to defining and protecting a client’s corporate or per-sonal online brand.

WhyWhyWhyWhy

A client enlists Reputation-Defender’s MyEdge exper-tise for one of three rea-sons:

1. The client has an existing online brand or reputa-tion issue.

2. The client anticipates an online brand or reputa-tion issue.

The client wishes to in-sulate itself from ever having an online brand or reputation issue.

“Companies that get their “Companies that get their “Companies that get their “Companies that get their

hows wrong won't be able hows wrong won't be able hows wrong won't be able hows wrong won't be able

to just hire a P.R. firm to to just hire a P.R. firm to to just hire a P.R. firm to to just hire a P.R. firm to

clean up the mess by a clean up the mess by a clean up the mess by a clean up the mess by a

taking a couple of taking a couple of taking a couple of taking a couple of

reporters to lunch.” reporters to lunch.” reporters to lunch.” reporters to lunch.”

----Thomas Friedman, Thomas Friedman, Thomas Friedman, Thomas Friedman, New New New New York Times York Times York Times York Times ColumnistColumnistColumnistColumnist

ReputationDefender, Inc.ReputationDefender, Inc.ReputationDefender, Inc.ReputationDefender, Inc.

2694 Middlefield Rd. Building A Redwood City, CA 94063-3487 1.888.720.9980 1.650.369.0116 (fax)

Our commitment is to your peace of mind.

Our job is to watch your back.

www.reputationdefender.com

ReputationDefender was created to defend your corporate reputation and your personal reputation online. We are committed to ensuring that the Internet is a medium where our clients can do business, pursue their passions, apply to school, apply for a job, explore romance and stay connected with friends and family, while knowing that their reputations, safety, and privacy are being protected 24 hours a day.

Our services run across four lines:

Picasso: Picasso: Picasso: Picasso: A bespoke service, provided to Fortune 1000 companies, CEOs and public figures who expect the very highest standard of service and results in Online Reputation Management (ORM). MyEdge delivers a holistic ORM suite that allows our clients to manage and control their corporate and/or professional portrait across leading Internet search engines.

MyEdge MyEdge MyEdge MyEdge organizes, optimizes and publishes professional & personal information online, ensuring bankers, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals’ good names on the Web. MyEdge elegantly and strategically places positive content about individuals or their small business on the Internet, and makes sure that it shows up in search engine results. It’s personal PR for the Web!

MyReputation/MyChild: MyReputation/MyChild: MyReputation/MyChild: MyReputation/MyChild: A subscription service, delivering a monthly Search® report of all content existing on the Internet about you or your child. This report is refreshed monthly and monitored by your personally assigned and expert MyReputation/MyChild Search Agent.

MyReputation/MyChild also furnishes our clients, for an additional fee, the opportunity to command the MyReputation/MyChild Destroy® team to remove inaccurate, inappropriate, hurtful and slanderous information about you and/or your child using our proprietary in-house methodology.

MyPrivacy: MyPrivacy: MyPrivacy: MyPrivacy: A subscription service, it delivers a monthly report detailing the hundreds of online phonebooks and databrokering websites that house and sell your personal information, including social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, home address history, income, marriage and divorce records, email addresses, tax liens and telephone numbers. At no additional cost, MyPrivacy will allow you to correct or remove your most personal information from these websites and data brokers.

SourcesSourcesSourcesSources

Crampton, Thomas. “Shopping Online Grabs 10% of the World’s Population.” The In-ternational Herald Tribune. 20 October 2005.

“Digital Future Report: Year Five.” University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication. 7 December 2005.

Friedman, Thomas L. “The Whole World is Watching.” The New York Times. 27 June 2007.

Horrigan, John and Lee Rainie. “The Internet’s Growing Role in Life’s Major Moments.” Pew Internet & American Life Project Re-port. 9 August 2007.

“Internet Activities.” Pew Internet & Ameri-can Life Project. December 2006. 8 Au-gust 2007.

“Life in America.” Techweb: The Business Technology Network. 15 December 2006.