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People are instinctively drawn to brands that are considered more authentic than their competitors. How can your brand win?Authentic stories help you build emotional connections with customers. But how can you relate your stories back to the target audience?Below are four tactics that can help add a layer of authenticity to your content marketing.... 
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No matter how on message anyone is, there still may be a difference between what a company or brand says about itself and its reputation, and what consumers say about them. FleishmanHillard calls this the “authenticity gap.” Every year, the company uses research and data to see which companies are on the right track, and whether they are focused on the things that matter most to the audiences that are most important to them. Last month, a group gathered in Toronto to discuss the authenticity gap and how it applies to them. Below is a broad overview from Nick Drew, FleishmanHillard’s Canadian head of research, of the data turned up in 2015....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
What's the "authenticity gap"? Find out more from FleishmanHillard.
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So when new research is published that explains how business can actually improve profits by thinking about the world at large, it's exciting to read and it needs to be shared. The 2015 Cone Communications/Ebiquity Global CSR Study reveals that consumers care more about the world than ever before, and they spend their money with companies that share that belief. Here are just a few important takeaways: Consumers Know More, Research More, and Make More Informed Decisions That Put the World FirstCone calls today's consumers "empowered." Meaning that they read more reviews, talk to their social networks, and do more research about products, and the companies behind them. And if they don't like what they see, the go elsewhere....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
When it comes to the environment and social issues, the word "business" usually has a bad reputation, but it's not always deserved.
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What’s in it for them?” is, perhaps, the most important question that you can ask yourself before you enter into cause-related business (or any business, for that matter). So often, marketers know a ridiculous amount about their product, their points of differentiation, their mission or even their cause, yet when asked about their customer, they run out of things to say rather quickly. The secret to fostering engagement with your customers lies in knowing what they are really buying from you. If you want your business to do good, it better be the kind of good that people care about. People save the cute and cuddly animals first. Baby fur seals and koalas are far easier to rescue than the blowfish. This is not to diminish the importance of any cause, but if we fail to be honest about the way that consumers buy and buy in, then we fail to understand the nature of “good” in business....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Key CSR question for cause marketers: "What's in it for them"
Mike Allen's curator insight,
May 14, 2015 8:05 AM
What payoff exists for volunteers or donation contacts?
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What do you do when your business has a poor reputation online or received a poor review?A lot of businesses and individuals often wonder how they can better their online reputation. First, let me tell you how NOT to address negativity online. Don’t create fake reviews. Fake reviews, especially the kind that are paid for, are easily identified by your potential consumers and that will break their trust in you. In addition to being caught by potential consumers, you will likely be caught by site owners and/or Google. For sites like Yelp, they have publicly shamed businesses that they have caught....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Here are some valuable tips on managing your online reputation and what to do about negative information online.
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Within the last couple of years, you are now starting to see actual companies sharing their revenue numbers and many other things (likeemployee’s salaries). Often times, these sorts of posts are the most read. It attracts readers of all kinds, not necessari,ly just potential customers. Some of the companies doing this are venture backed, and some are bootstrapped. It’s what makes them fun to read. You see a diversity of tactics and strategies being implemented based on what stage they are in.Here is a list of companies providing regular revenue reports that are worth the read, along with a quote from their founders about why they do it....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Transparency is a hotly contested topic in the tech world. Here, nine CEOs explain why they've chosen to go transparent Extreme or just the new "normal" in the future?
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Pinpoint Market Research reports that “twenty-somethings” want something more from brands than just a product or service; they want social, political and community action. The market research company surveyed 1,650 men and women aged twenty to twenty-nine in the U.S. about social issues and brand engagement. What They Want From Brands And The Social Issues That Matter To Them: - Seventy-nine percent choose or boycott companies based on the brand’s allegiance to social issues - Eighty-eight percent want to see brands “effecting real change” in the communit - The issues they most care about: online privacy (31%); America’s debt/deficit (22%); climate change (20%); GLBT rights (15%); net neutrality (7%); police brutality/excessive force (5%)...
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Study shows US consumers age 20-29 want brands involved in the social, political & economic issues they care about.
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Now that the buzz and media frenzy about the demise of RadioShack and the analysis of why by Wall Street and other experts is beginning to subside, another consideration should be examined. What happens to brands that do not remain relevant, stop innovating and sit on their hind quarters? Well in short, they RadioShack….
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Add a new verb to your marketing vocabulary: RadioShack. Good read about brand relevance. 9/10
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Search engine optimization experts share tips and tools to help you manage your company's online reputation. A handful of companies offer free and paid online reputation management services for consumers and businesses, including Reputation.com and Brand Yourself. In addition to using these services, or in lieu of them, both small and midsize businesses and enterprise digital marketers can take strategic steps to ensure their companies' online reputations are solid. The following 15 tips and eight tools are all valuable and effective ways to help manage your organization's corporate reputation online....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Great collection of tools for reputation management as well as advice.
Darcy Bevelacqua's curator insight,
November 17, 2014 11:54 AM
Everyone needs to check thier on line reputation on a regular basis before it becomes a crisis. 
Melanie Leszcynski's curator insight,
December 10, 2014 11:10 AM
I like this article a lot because it shows a helpful step by step way to better understand your company's reputation on the internet. You'll be able to track whatever your typical computer user would see when searching for your company or things related to your company. Tracking these types of topics manually can save you money if you're a small business trying to make your reputation better tailored to your consumers. Larger companies may pay someone else to do it, however, it could also be a good way for large companies to check and make sure whichever third party they're using is doing their job in the best interest of your company.
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Ever Googled yourself? What did you see? Did you like your web “you”?
Jeff Domansky's insight:
What's your online brand? Jeff Bullas explorers.
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Australians are increasingly favouring ethical brands, with more than three quarters of respondents to a Havas PR study showing some conscientious consumption. In the past, almost three fifths of respondents reported failing to act conscientiously.
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Here's a trend marketers need to pay close attention to as it spreads and deepens around the globe.
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As executive influence becomes more important, C-suite executives really do need to “be their brand.” To that end, being seen as an influential thought leader or opinion maker is vital for any CXO hoping to lead a competitive company in today’s world. But how do you do that? We decided to look at people who are doing it successfully today, and reverse-engineer their secrets. We identified 7 important habits, the first 4 of which we’ll cover in today’s article. They are:
So let’s see exactly who these influential leaders are....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Good look at thought leaders, how they do it and how they could do better.
Dr. Helen Teague's curator insight,
September 24, 2014 10:18 AM
As executive influence becomes more important, C-suite executives really do need to “be their brand.” To that end, being seen as an influential thought leader or opinion maker is vital for any CXO hoping to lead a competitive company in today’s world.
But how do you do that? We decided to look at people who are doing it successfully today, and reverse-engineer their secrets. We identified 7 important habits, the first 4 of which we’ll cover in today’s article. They are: Own A TopicMake The Most of ControversyCorollary – Don’t Work in FinanceTweet Early, Tweet Often aka Publish or PerishKnow Your AudienceBe More Than A Brand ExtensionMake Yourself Accessible
So let’s see exactly who these influential leaders are....
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From
nuzzel
Social media thought leadership requires both direct and indirect tactics. Using your own social media channels is your direct reach. It is limited by the quality and size of your audiences on each of the social networks you use and how attentive your audiences are to your posts. You can improve attentiveness by being interesting, engaging and useful, but there are limits to what you can do with direct outreach here. It is via indirect channels that you truly become a thought leader. When people share your posts with their networks, when they seek you out for answers to their questions and when they start talking about your ideas without even mentioning you, that is what thought leadership has become.
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Here's a look at what thought leadership looks like in the social media age.
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Every business must serve a social purpose”. These are not the words of a social campaigner or a politician; they are the words of a banker, Ashok Vaswani, the CEO of Retail and Business Banking at Barclays, one of the world’s largest banks. Barclays has been involved in at least one major trading scandal and holds the dubious honour of the most fined bank in Britain. There will be some people who will treat his words with understandable cynicism but that would be to miss the point. The point is not whether the words are sincere or not – it is that they should have been said at all. Banks are concerned with the control of money, why should they concern themselves with any purpose beyond that? The reason is that society is demanding they do. When banks first started they fulfilled a social need in the community, to enable ordinary people to fund their ambitions. Over the years banks forgot that purpose and focused most of their efforts on funding their own ambitions through obscene profits, often at the consumer’s expense. The bubble burst in spectacular fashion with the downfall of Lehman Brothers in the US and RBS in the UK. It isn’t just the banks that have lost their way. Now it’s critical for any business to demonstrate it has a purpose before, and beyond profit; that it seeks to improve the lives of its customers as a primary goal. Failure to have such a purpose, to be clear about it and to ensure it directs everything you do, will lose customers, employees and ultimately business value....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
This is a thoughtful post about what it takes to be a purposeful brand. Barclays Bank and Volkswagen need not apply lhough there is a long list of others that don't measure up!
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“Many companies are showing greater willingness to take public stances on controversial issues,” said West. “While the vast majority of consumers in our study said they are likely to purchase from companies they agree with, only 3 in 10 have actually done so. This makes me think consumer behavior hasn’t quite caught up to this new environment in which companies take stands on controversial topics.” But the risk is evident—and ultimately begs the question: From a company perspective, is it worth it? “The overwhelming majority of consumers in our study agreed they are more likely to buy from companies they see eye to eye with, and almost half of consumers said they had already stopped buying from a company over a difference of opinion. This tells me that consumers are willing to vote with their dollars,” said West. “But there may be more danger for many companies than opportunity—especially if you serve, as most companies do, a market with diverse political views.”...
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Research shows no clear advantage to brands in taking sides on controversies for brands. Recommended reading. 9/10
Kate Marsh's curator insight,
August 5, 2015 8:24 AM
Research shows no clear advantage to brands in taking sides on controversies for brands. Recommended reading. 9/10 
Kenneth Carnesi,JD's curator insight,
August 5, 2015 9:32 AM
Research shows no clear advantage to brands in taking sides on controversies for brands. Recommended reading. 9/10
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Everyone knows price matters to consumers, but a new study suggests the lowest price doesn’t always win. Even more important to consumers is the reputation of retailers—and how prices correlate to that brand reputation. Price Still Matters This guideline comes from Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business, which does agree that price remains an important factor for businesses. But price is a relative figure that relates to the reputation of a business, and consumers typically gauge whether a price is good based on how it compares to a brand’s reputation. In other words, a high price isn’t a deterrent to many consumers, as long as it corresponds to a positive reputation. When price and reputation seem misaligned, consumers are turned off....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
The results are in: When price and brand reputation seem misaligned, consumers are turned off. But when reputation soars, pricing becomes secondary.
Clark Stott's curator insight,
June 1, 2015 12:02 PM
Move your business away from price wars and discounting! Build your reputation so you can work with your ideal clients more often and start building your prices! Almost all of us will pay more for a better product or service, but we have to believe it is better and also better value. Being expensive is fine, being over-priced is not! Show your value by becoming a leading authority and an educator in your field. The better you become at educating your ideal clients the more you can charge for your services.
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We all know that social media plays a huge part in building and boosting your personal brand in the digital world, but do you feel lost sometimes with all the different social media channels and are not sure where to start? There are tools that can help!Here are 9 cost-efficient social media tools that we recommend to help make your personal branding efforts easier.....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
9 cost-efficient social media tools that Delightful Communications recommends to help make your personal branding efforts easier.
Lori Wilk's curator insight,
April 23, 2015 3:03 PM
This is a simple and easy to follow list of sites that can help you to measure the effectiveness of your social media efforts. Once you have some information you can make better decisions about how to adjust your social media activities for better results. 
ERBRAINS MICROSOFT DYNAMICS's curator insight,
August 1, 2015 1:11 AM
9 cost-efficient social media tools that Delightful Communications recommends to help make your personal branding efforts easier.
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The 'Reputation Complex' is a moving combination of various reputational factors, components and drivers that are linked in a close and complicated way. This combination brings with it, for all organizations, equal risks and opportunities – the first to be managed and the second to be exploited in the right manner.
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Good Slideshare on reputation management from Pascal Beculer.
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People often ask me, “Will customer reviews help or hurt my business?” Several months ago, I advised readers not to panic over customer reviews and to claim their accounts on Google Local, Yelp, and other sites that list businesses and accept reviews. Since then, I’ve come across a mix of opinions regarding customer reviews, and I still think that good, honest businesses benefit from reviews, even if they aren’t always full of praise. Recent research shows that consumers who post reviews not only refrain from being overly negative, but want reviews to be balanced and informative. This is really good news for honest business owners like you....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Here's why business shouldn't be afraid of online reviews if you're managing your social footprint wisely.
india cox's curator insight,
March 22, 2015 11:09 PM
The good side of online reviews in comparison to the bad trip advisor ones. It shows how hotels can benefit from online reviews and how they can respond to the negative ones. Creating a honest balanced online presence rather than a negative one. Rather than posting reviews that are all negative and that take 6 good reviews to get your good online presence back.
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Last summer, PR giant Edelman became the focus of negative media attention when it became known that the agency was open to representing so-called "climate deniers." A perception of environmental callousness was furthered when an internal email from Edelman somehow reached the Climate Investigations Center, in which the firm's then-CEO and U.S. president Mark Hass said it was not necessary that he comment on the agency's stance on which clients it will or won't take.
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Client or agency driven shake up? Time will tell.
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Though consumers will show no remorse when it comes to holding companies responsible for unethical or distasteful behavior, they will also proudly advocate and defend the brands that are doing their jobs well. For the past fourteen years, theEdelman Trust Barometer has benchmarked consumer confidence in businesses, media and the government through an annual, global survey of more than 30,000. Respondents are asked to rank brands on how much they trust each institution to do what is right. Recently, Edelman launched an additionalbrandshare™ survey that seeks to understand the evolving relationship between buyers and brands. Examining the natural intersection of both studies reveals an important opportunity for businesses to build trust by improving engagement and integrity. But what is trust? Wincko defines trust by the equation “Trust = Reliability + Delight/Self-Interest” as a reminder of the principle’s core components, which are strongly aligned to the findings of the 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer...
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Useful look at how brands can build trust and stimulate advocacy from supporters.
Alexa Purves's comment,
March 27, 2015 2:45 PM
This article is stating that when customers have trust in a brand they will become advocates for the company, resulting in increased sales. The author points out that people have no problem spreading negative comments about a product but they will also support businesses that do as they say.
When people are purchasing a product they are also purchasing what the company stands for. The customer trusts that the company is trustworthy and behaving in an ethical manner. The author has conducted research and has found many ways a company can build trust with the customer. He also says that a company doing good for society has become more important to consumers over the years. Consumers believe that companies can be socially responsible without hurting their bottom line. The author says that when a company is defining their social objective, the company has to think about what they stand for. Then they will look at why the consumer will purchase their product, and what is it about our product that has made the company accepted in the marketplace. The article continues with three needs that must be met in order for customers to feel a sense of loyalty to a product. If a business can satisfy these needs of the customer it is likely that the customer will be loyal to the brand and advocate for the brand. My take away from this article is that once a company has decided their CSR approach all the actions that they take must follow this philosophy. Customers are aware and pay attention to whether a company is living up to their claims. When customers are happy with a company they will promote it and even defend it. To me that mean the customer becomes another form of advertising through word of mouth. This can only increase the company’s bottom line. It is important that a company is aware of how to build trust with their customers and a company needs to take a proactive approach to develop this trust. Once trust is developed, a company wants to be sure to maintain this trust by always staying true to what they claim. I feel this is important because I know personally that I prefer to buy from a company that is socially responsible. I trust that the company is truthful in their claims. 
Ashley Bogar's curator insight,
April 1, 2015 5:10 PM
This article discuss how trust is a priority between brands and their stakeholders and how consumers will show no remorse when it comes to holding a company responsible for unethical behaviours but will also defend and advocate for the brands that are doing their jobs well. The article references the 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer whose studies revealed important opportunities for businesses to build trust by improving engagement and integrity. This study showed that 84% of respondents believe that business can pursue its self-interest while doing good work for the society but if executed poorly, corporate giving can be seen as a distraction from their unethical business practices. Here are the three ways the articles suggests a company can turn trust into brand advocacy: Rational Needs – addressed in the form of responding quickly to concerns and complaints Emotional Needs – fulfilled through transparency about the brand and product development process Societal Needs – satisfied by confidence that a brand cares about things other than itself, is committed to its community, and belief in a brands core purpose and mission. I believe that these will all work hand in hand if properly executed and they all need to be part of business procedures in order to turn trust into advocacy. It is very rare to see consumers advocate for brands in most cases they move on to a new one. I believe that if consumers feel that they are part of the brand in some way through the rational, emotional, and societal needs they will feel connected and represented by it.
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No, we're not talking about Apple or Amazon or Big Data or the Marketing Cloud or Programmatic Buying. Chevy’s Rikk Wilde “looked down at his notes often, spoke haltingly and explained to the pitcher that he'd like the Colorado” —Marketing Daily’s Karl Greenberg has the skinny today on its new “inner truck guy” conventional campaign — “because it has ‘class-winning and leading, you know, technology and stuff,’” James R. Healey reports in USA Today. “The nervous Wilde was assured this morning he still has a job,” Greg Gardner and Alisa Priddle reported in the Detroit Free Press last evening. “And in fact he appears to have garnered millions in free publicity for the Chevrolet brand, which has received at least $2.4 million in media exposure from the unconventional presentation, according to Front Row Analytics. Bloomberg reports that is six times more than the $392,000 it would have brought in with a more polished performance. ”It did not take long for #technologyandstuff to pop up on Twitter with GM president North America Mark Reuss (@GMdudeinNA posting, “It's what I've been saying for years.....#technologyandstuff,” Gardner and Priddle report....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
In the world of viral and content marketing, this was a classic. Local Chevy manager makes big stage mistake. Empathy and sharing ensue. Mistake goes viral on the net. GM seizes opportunity. Picks up up the bat and hits a grand slam content marketing home run. You gotta love the internet for stories like these. And for once you've got to admire the big faceless corporation, in this case GM, seeing a good thing in a little guy's mistake. Love the story. Somebody buy Rikk Wilde a Duff's beer or two. Recommended reading. 9/10
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... We found that the better a company's reputation was, the more likely that company was to be successful. For example, of the respondents who said they had a "better-than-average" reputation, 52% had a success score between six and nine and 25% had a success score above nine (the highest score of any respondent was 14). Only 2% of companies with a better-than-average reputation had a success score below three. If you've been trying to gain the resources and approval to improve your company's reputation, you can use this chart as part of your justification for increasing your budget and bettering your customer service. Not sure what you can do to improve your ecommerce site's reputation? Here are five ideas to get you started....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Reputation matters big time when you're talking about e-commerce.
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The proportion of corporate directors who say their companies are monitoring social media for “adverse publicity” (a gentle euphemism) has increased from 32% in 2012 to 41% today, according to the latest Corporate Directors Survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers. However, as these figures indicate more than half of corporate directors still believe their companies aren’t doing a good enough job of keeping an eye out for adverse publicity: 55% of the PwC survey respondents said their companies either aren’t monitoring social media efficiently, or aren’t doing it at all. That’s down moderately from 61% in 2012. PwC found a similar story in regards to social media strategies for applications like marketing, research, and internal communications. Thus 40% of respondents said their companies are leveraging social media for strategic goals, while 54% said their companies’ efforts to leverage social media are insufficient or nonexistent; both figures are unchanged from two years ago....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
55% of corporate directors believe their companies are not monitoring or not monitoring effectively for potential PR problems. More interesting data in this research report for PR, crisis and reputation managers. Valuable reading 9/10
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Edelman is usually tapped with helping brands avoid or disentangle themselves from public backlash, but the global PR firm instead found itself in the hot seat this week. At issue was a blog post from media relations strategy evp Lisa Kovitz, who said the suicide of comedian Robin Williams created a PR opportunity for groups advocating for better treatment of mental illness. "As we mourn the loss of Robin Williams to depression, we must recognize it as an opportunity to engage in a national conversation," she wrote. "His death yesterday created a carpe diem moment for mental health professionals and those people who have suffered with depression and want to make a point about the condition and the system that treats it." While she certainly has a point about such a high-profile tragedy bringing mental health and depression into the spotlight, quite a few readers found the post to be in poor taste....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
How a careless comment can create bad PR, even for one of the world's biggest PR firms. Not very sensitive.
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Nothing like authenticity to distinguish yourself from your competitors.