I’ve been a fan of Gini Dietrich’s blog, “Spin Sucks” for a few years. So when I learned that she was writing a second book, Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age, after “Marketing in the Round” (another must-read by the way), I knew I just had to read it.
It definitely didn’t disappoint. First, if you have ever read one of Gini’s blog posts (and if you haven’t, get on that stat! You are missing out on an amazing resource and community), then you will probably enjoy the book. The casual, conversational tone of her blog carries over into the book. It’s a quick, mostly jargon-free read, but still packs a punch of best practices and B2C and B2B case studies.
This book isn’t just for PR pros. It’s a must-read for anyone in the communications space, including community managers, like myself. It centers around how to humanize your brand in the social media obsessed, digital age. In doing so, the first step is realizing that you no longer have control over your brand. Your customers do.
[quote] “You no longer have control of your brand””or perceived control. You can no longer worry just about your marketing messages. You have to be in tune with what the customers say your brand is and how they deï¬ne it to their friends, family, and social networks.”[/quote]
From how to craft compelling stories that your customers and/or potential customers want to read to SEO best practices, PR/media relations tips and reputation management, this book is packed with great, helpful information for small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations.
As a community manager, some of my favorite insights came when she talked about how to build trust with your customers as well as deal with negative commenters.
[quote]”The only way to build trust and slowly chip away at the bad feelings the general public has about organizations is to develop relationships and provide valuable educational information.” [/quote]
As a famous rapper once said, “you have one shot, one opportunity, one moment” to make it right with a negative customer. How do you do that? It’s simply by being human, listening and emphasizing with the person. The vast majority of the time a negative commenter just wants to be heard. You will be amazed by just how far genuine listening and acknowledgment can go in turning a negative naysayer into a brand advocate.
Want more insights into Gini’s book? Watch her book trailer below.
Happy Reading!
Full Disclosure: I’ve written guest posts for Gini’s blog, Spin Sucks. I also received a free, advanced copy of this book. Views expressed in this review are entirely my own though.
