Maintaining your brand\u2019s rep is also important for retention, as well. A full one-third of consumers<\/a> say they would stop doing business with a brand if they felt they could no longer trust them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (This isn\u2019t just hypothetical, either: That same report shows that one-third of consumers already have<\/em> stopped buying from once-favorite brands due to a decrease in overall trust.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking inward, your brand\u2019s reputation is also crucial to employee recruitment and retention. In terms of recruitment, 55% of job seekers<\/a> say they won\u2019t apply to companies after seeing poor reviews from current or former employees. What\u2019s more, nine out of ten employees say they would leave their current job for a company with a better workplace reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, your brand\u2019s reputation has a direct impact on your business\u2019 bottom line. As a 2017 report from Circle Research (now Savanta<\/a>) discovered, 77% of B2B marketers believe a positive reputation is vital to business growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve recently discussed, there are many ways to manage and enhance your brand\u2019s reputation<\/a> in the eyes of your customers. Today, our focus will be on using digital knowledge management practices to make this happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start by making clear what digital knowledge management entails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital knowledge management is the process of identifying, collecting, documenting, organizing, and centralizing company information and organizational knowledge, specifically in digital form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The term \u201corganizational knowledge\u201d covers a wide spectrum of both customer-facing and internal information. As we\u2019ll discuss throughout this article, proper management of both<\/em> types of knowledge is vital to the success of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By today\u2019s standards, the consumer all but assumes they\u2019ll be able to dive deep into all there is to know about the brands they do business with. Thus, the customer-facing definition of organizational knowledge<\/em> is basically \u201cany information your customers will want to know about your brand\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n From just a bird\u2019s-eye view, it\u2019s pretty clear how important it is to keep a tight leash on all this information. Being even slightly disorganized in delivering information to your audience can end up damaging your brand\u2019s reputation in the eyes of your target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Of course, there\u2019s much<\/em> more to it than that. We\u2019ll get to all this in a bit.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your team\u2019s internal<\/em> knowledge is that which enables and empowers your organization to function as it does. It\u2019s what makes your organization unique, and what sets your company apart from the \u201caverage\u201d company in your industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, we\u2019re talking about information such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n But:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not just the existence<\/em> of this knowledge that allows your company to thrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather, it\u2019s the strategic management <\/em>of this knowledge<\/a> that enables your brand to truly live up to its reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, again:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital<\/em> knowledge management (DKM) is the process of digitally<\/em> identifying, collecting, documenting, organizing, and centralizing organizational knowledge for customer-facing and\/or internal use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DKM is all about building the processes and digital structures necessary to make sure organizational knowledge is accessible whenever and wherever it\u2019s needed. Moreover, DKM optimizes organizational knowledge for comprehensiveness and digestibility \u2014 making it as easy as possible for the end-user to put it to good use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve danced around the topic, but now let\u2019s make it clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital knowledge management is essential<\/em> in order to keep your brand\u2019s reputation in good standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be sure, \u201ckeeping your brand in good standing\u201d requires both proactive<\/em> and responsive<\/em> efforts at different moments in time. Here, we\u2019ll take a closer look at how DKM plays into your brand reputation management efforts in both regards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting to a point where your brand\u2019s positive reputation precedes itself is every business owner\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, this doesn\u2019t happen overnight \u2014 and it requires a ton<\/em> of proactive effort on the part of your team, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, this is actually a good thing: It means your team can actively<\/em> work to improve your brand\u2019s reputation at pretty much any given moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On that note, let\u2019s take a closer look at the key ways digital knowledge management can enhance your proactive reputation management efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your brand can\u2019t improve its reputation if it\u2019s not getting seen, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A key part of knowledge management in the digital age is ensuring that your team knows which channels to become active on in order to effectively engage with your target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key word, there? \u201cEffectively\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than just knowing which digital channels your audience \u201changs out\u201d on, you need to know which of these channels they want to engage with your<\/em> brand on. A huge part of DKM is analyzing customer behavior and industry data to determine where your teams should be focusing their energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another key part of DKM is understanding how<\/em> to best use these channels to increase visibility and enhance your brand\u2019s reputation. Here, it\u2019s again about ensuring the right information is delivered in an optimal manner \u2014 and is readily available whenever your customers need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the routine creation of press releases<\/a> can help you consistently deliver new and engaging information to your audience regarding your brand. This helps keep your brand top-of-mind for your audience \u2014 even when they don\u2019t necessarily need<\/em> anything from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, proper digital knowledge management optimizes the chances of your target audience being exposed<\/em> to your brand \u2014 and also ensures this initial exposure leads to a positive experience for your potential customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For modern companies, transparency is becoming increasingly important<\/a> across the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we mentioned earlier, the modern consumer typically expects to be able to dive deep into what your brand is \u201call about\u201d. On the surface, they\u2019ll be looking for info on your products, price range, and logistical practices. On a deeper level, many of your customers will be looking for information regarding your team\u2019s mission as a business, and as an organization operating within a global community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowledge management is necessary to provide this transparency in the digital age, as it enables your team to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In proactively answering your customers\u2019 questions before they even ask them \u2014 and giving them even more<\/em> information than they initially needed \u2014 you make clear that yours is a brand that can be trusted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From there, it\u2019s a matter of following through with your promises to solidify your reputation in their eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital knowledge management also aims to ensure every customer engagement goes exactly as the customer had hoped (or better).<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s all about making sure the right information is available to the right person, at just<\/em> the right time to keep them active, engaged, and heading toward conversion. Strategic DKM helps teams identify critical moments along the buyer\u2019s journey, and to create the content needed at these crucial moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your customers have to look for \u2014 or, worse, ask<\/em> for \u2014 this information, they just aren\u2019t going to be able to experience your brand\u2019s products or services as they were meant to be experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If their experience suffers, your brand\u2019s reputation is going to suffer in turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By making the information your customers need readily available, you make it as easy as possible for your customers to take the next steps with your brand. In turn, you proactively build a reputation for your brand as the customer-centric organization you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managing your brand\u2019s reputation<\/a> also requires that you be responsive to changes in your industry \u2014 in whatever form they may take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the digital age, knowledge management is a critical aspect of this responsiveness, in three key ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Success in business is often about striking when the iron\u2019s hot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To do so, your team needs to stay up to date with the goings-on in your industry. You need to continuously be collecting and analyzing industry data \u2014 and taking swift and immediate action based on what this data tells you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At any given moment, your team needs to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital knowledge management systematizes these data-related processes, allowing your various teams to become more and more data-driven over time. In other words, you'll be better able to capitalize on events and circumstances, showcasing your brand in a way that increases its reputation in the eyes of your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (And delivering top-notch value to them while doing so, of course.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, there may also come times when your brand\u2019s reputation takes a hit for one reason or another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A less-than-stellar product review, social media post, or mention in the news can be pretty damaging to your reputation. That goes without saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the only thing that can make things worse is not responding to the bad publicity at all<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (In close second: Taking too long to respond when things go south.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strategic digital knowledge management all but ensures your team always knows what\u2019s being said about your brand throughout your industry. Additionally, it ensures you always have a plan in place for any contingency your team may encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This allows you to quickly identify and respond to negative mentions in a way that minimizes any damage to your reputation<\/a> that may have already been done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maintaining a newsroom with relevant press releases can help your team take better control of your brand\u2019s visibility and reputation \u2014 even when things aren\u2019t exactly going well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve addressed the situation at hand, you can then use the moment as an opportunity to provide even further value to your audience. In turn, your brand\u2019s reputation may actually improve<\/em> after the dust has settled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than just allowing for responsiveness in the moment, digital knowledge management focuses your team\u2019s attention on the overall implications these moments have on your brand\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With proper DKM processes in place, it becomes easier to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Really, it doesn\u2019t just become easier<\/em> to do all this. Rather, DKM makes improving your customer experience the natural course of your operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This, again, will go a long way toward earning your brand a reputation as a progressive pillar of your industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As is probably pretty clear by now, digital knowledge management is an involved process (not to mention an ongoing one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, as we just discussed in detail, it\u2019s a necessary investment in order to keep your brand\u2019s reputation on the up and up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, let\u2019s take a look at what needs to be done to develop an effective DKM strategy within your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is pretty simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t know what information your customers need from your brand at different points along their journey, you aren\u2019t going to be able to give it to them. If you aren\u2019t able to deliver this need-to-know information, your potential customers aren\u2019t even going to give your brand a second look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, though:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s considered \u201cneed-to-know\u201d info varies from consumer to consumer, and from engagement to engagement. In some cases, a customer may be looking for store hours, contact information, or returns policies; in others, the customer might be seeking out content to help them supercharge their efforts with your product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a number of ways to identify what this need-to-know information is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, look to any feedback you\u2019ve collected from your customers, and to your past customer service and support engagements. Here, you\u2019ll likely be able to unearth frequently asked questions, oft-cited issues, and other common areas of interest your customers tend to focus on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media \u2014 your own hubs, as well as the overall landscape \u2014 is also a key resource for uncovering your customers\u2019 frequently asked questions and the like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (As we\u2019ll get to, it\u2019s also a great place to answer<\/em> these questions, as well.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also dig into Reddit, Quora, and other such forums to see what people within your industry are talking about. This will help out later when the time comes to create more in-depth digital content for your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea at this preliminary stage is to understand what you\u2019re building toward: A reputation as the<\/em> go-to resource in your industry for information, knowledge, and value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By staying focused on what your<\/em> customers<\/em> need to know about your brand before engaging further with it, you\u2019ll be able to cater to their needs at any moment along their path to purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is perhaps just as simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your brand isn\u2019t active on the channels your target audience is, your reputation isn\u2019t going to grow much at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You also<\/em> need to understand how<\/em> to become active on these channels in order to best engage with your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, you\u2019ll be thinking about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since every channel is different, it\u2019s vital to dig into the \u201cins and outs\u201d of each to determine the best way to optimize your digital presence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, the idea is to proactively deliver information when you can, and be otherwise equipped to respond to any extenuating circumstances that may arise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, if your brand is active on a given platform, you need to be sure that either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s simply a matter of setting your customers\u2019 expectations (by being active on a given channel) and meeting these expectations (by delivering on the unspoken promises you make by becoming active on these channels).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making this happen is absolutely key to keeping your brand\u2019s reputation in good standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The easiest way to make it happen? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Competitive research.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some key areas to focus on include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By digging into the digital presence of your competitors, you\u2019ll get a clear idea of where they\u2019re best able to engage with their audience \u2014 and how they do so. What\u2019s more, you also may uncover channels, or opportunities within <\/em>channels, that your competition has so far overlooked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In turn, your<\/em> team will be better equipped to begin optimizing your<\/em> digital presence, and your<\/em> ability to serve your digital customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of that...<\/p>\n\n\n\n The focus of the previous two steps was on understanding what your team needs to do in the future to develop your brand\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, chances are, you\u2019re probably already<\/em> putting in some<\/em> kind of effort in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, the next step is to audit your current<\/em> digital presence<\/a> and determine what needs to be done to improve it in the eyes of your customers. Note that you won\u2019t be making<\/em> these improvements just yet, but rather setting the stage for your future knowledge management initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The three overarching things you\u2019ll be checking for are comprehensiveness<\/em>, accuracy<\/em>, and consistency<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding comprehensiveness, look to ensure you\u2019ve fleshed out your brand\u2019s profile as best as possible on each channel you operate on. Remember: You want to use every<\/em> opportunity the platform gives you to deliver more information and value to your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You also need to make sure the information you provide on each channel is accurate and in-sync. Sending mixed messages to your customers \u2014 whether about your store hours, product pricing, or otherwise \u2014 is an easy way to kill your brand\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you spot the discrepancy? (Hint: Look at the phone numbers.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This goes for the more dynamic content you publish on these channels, as well: With regard to both the information delivered, and the branded way in which it\u2019s delivered, consistency is key. If your customer\u2019s digital experience varies too wildly from channel to channel, it\u2019s going to reflect poorly on your brand. Though ASOS uses Facebook and Instagram to deliver different content and info, the overall branded \u201cfeel\u201d is consistent on both channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this stage, your goal is to get a clear understanding of where your brand currently stands in terms of its digital presence and reputation. From here, you\u2019ll know exactly what needs to be done as you get your digital knowledge management initiatives off the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key to keeping your organization\u2019s information and knowledge consistent and up-to-date is a strong, centralized knowledge management system (KMS) that\u2019s powered by a robust knowledge base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowledge base software can improve<\/a> a number of internal DKM processes, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All this, in turn, strengthens your ability to deliver the comprehensive, consistent brand experience your customers are looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all<\/em> knowledge base tools are created equal, though \u2014 and the \u201cbest available\u201d tool might not be the best one for your<\/em> team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, your knowledge base software of choice<\/a> should offer some variation of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be blunt:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s just no<\/em> way<\/em> for your team to effectively manage your digital presence without the help of knowledge management technology. With the DKM platforms, though, much of the \u201clegwork\u201d becomes automated or otherwise streamlined \u2014 allowing your team to focus on the processes that do<\/em> require a more hands-on approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, you\u2019ll need to do more than just adopt knowledge management software into your tech stack to supercharge your DKM initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is Digital Knowledge Management?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How Can Digital Knowledge Management Help PR Teams Manage, Maintain, and Improve Brand Reputation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Digital Knowledge Management and <\/strong>Proactive<\/em><\/strong> Brand Reputation Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Increasing and Optimizing Brand Visibility<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Providing Transparency to New and Existing Customers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Streamlining the Customer\u2019s Path to Purchase (and Other Branded Experiences)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Digital Knowledge Management and <\/strong>Responsive<\/em><\/strong> Brand Reputation Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Taking Advantage of Opportunities<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Implementing Damage Control When Necessary<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Making Improvements Moving Forward<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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How to Implement Digital Knowledge Management Into Your Processes to Enhance Your Brand\u2019s Reputation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Identify \u201cNeed-to-Know\u201d Information<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Identify the Channels to Be Active On<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Audit Your Current Digital Presence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Invest in Knowledge Management Software<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Develop Workflows and Standardize Them for Knowledge Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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