In early 19th century England, when the industrial revolution was just getting off the ground, a group of people vociferously opposed mechanisation on the grounds that it would lead to job loss. They even destroyed machines. These people were the Luddites. There are Luddites even now, but of a different kind. These modern day Luddites are using the Internet to destroy reputations and brands online.

Such attacks can originate from many sources. The attackers are usually disgruntled employees, dissatisfied investors, unhappy customers, competitors and extortionists who are upset with a company and want to harm it. The attacks can take many forms. Some of them are :

• Posting defamatory comments on gripe websites like Ripoff Report.
• Posting malicious and false comments on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook.
• Sending anonymous defamatory mails to customers and clients, to get them to change their perception of a company or a brand.
• Putting up false Yelp! reviews, changing Wikipedia entries to reflect false or defamatory content about company executives or brands, seeking to cause embarrassment.
• Creating blogs and websites and posting defamatory or disparaging content about someone’s reputation or brand on them.

In their book, “Digital Assassination: Protecting your Reputation, Brand or Business Against Online Attacks”, authors Mark Davis and Richard Torrenzano talk about Seven Swords that can be used to harm brands and reputations online. We will discuss one of them, which the authors call ‘evil clones’.

These evil clones don the attire of company spokespersons and then hijack identities on social networks and websites, manipulate search results on Google and mock companies that they do not like. In 2008, someone created a Twitter handle called @ExxonMobilCorp and started posting pretending to be a company spokesperson. The account was later revealed as bogus. It is called brandjacking. Some of these brandjackers have personal reasons for doing so; money or politics is the motivation for other people. Whatever the motivation, the end result is the same – companies, individuals and brands have to fight to restore or save their online reputation.

Responding to online attacks

The authors also talk about how individuals, brands and organisations can protect their online reputations – from calmly seeking ceasefires, pursuing technical solutions and even legal threats. They sign off with an insightful reminder; the only solution that will work in the long term is through the creation of a goodwill cushion by telling your side of the story early and regularly.

Some of those who post such content online have no intention of harming you, but they do not know that what is fun to them is very damaging to your business. It is certainly a cause of concern and you have to take immediate steps to manage these issues.

Be proactive in taking action to prevent such threats in the future and counter the existing ones. Begin by running an online diagnostic scan, see what is out there and quickly implement a preventive as well as corrective plan. Here are a few tips on how you can respond to online attacks on your brand and reputation.

Google yourself

If you have not done it already, Google your name, brand name or organisation’s name and note down the listings that occur on the first few pages. Take special note of inaccurate and negative listings. In case of inaccurate information, contact the site owner and request him/her to correct it.

Purchase domain names relevant to your brand or business

Go to GoDaddy.com or any other website registrar and buy domain names connected to your brand or company. Securing those addresses will prevent mischief-makers and squatters from hijacking your identity.

Start writing a blog 

Few people know this, but one of the best methods to safeguard your biography online is to collect content related to you or your brand. Make the content comprehensive and encourage people to link to it and share it.

Respond to complaints quickly

Many companies and brands actively solicit feedback on their products and services. If you see any complaints about you or your brand online, attend to them immediately. Try to resolve the matter. If you cannot do it then ask for time to collect information and tell the customer that you will get back to him/her shortly.

Use Google AdWords

If you are experiencing problems with website, blog or profile squatters and imposters, you can circumvent the issue to a large degree through PPC AdWords for the search terms that are causing you trouble. Link these search words to your own content. It is called reverse squatting and it can change your search results. Another tip is to build your social media profile and engage with your clients and customers on it regularly.

On an ending note

The 19th century Luddites could not prevent the industrial revolution. These modern day Luddites also cannot do anything to stop the digital revolution. Adapting to their onslaught is the best way to respond to them. Just like a business secures its physical perimeter, you too can secure your online presence with these tips.

Featured image credit: tashatuvango / BigStock