Damage Control: Domino's & Brand Reputation Management Tips on the Web

Domino's Pizza and Brand Reputation Management Tips on the Web

Recently, an unfortunate scandal occurred concerning two Domino's Pizza Employees who video taped each other doing unhygienic acts to a pair of Italian Subs.

They unwittingly put it up on YouTube only to be fired within 7 hours of its launch.  Domino's responded strongly to the media brushfire by preempting the media asking them questions, instead they launched their own YouTube video and began a series of Reputation Management techniques to control the brushfire.

Domino's Reputation Management

Since Domino's was in a very tight position, they really did an amazing job of responding to social networks as quickly as possible with a YouTube video and Tweetbacks.  Within the first seven hours of the video hitting the web, they had their own video out and a press release.

Quick to let the public know that such treatment would not stand, there is an arrest warrant for the two individuals (food tampering in North Carolina is a felony), and Domino's has released a statement that they are unsure at this time whether they will bring a lawsuit against the two employees.

As an example of reputation management, it is quite a thorough example in terms of necessity and response.

Reputation Management Online Tips

In an extremely technology-centric world, it's important to keep up appearances online.  Here are some quick tips to help you better manage your reputation online:

— Own your identity. If you have a trademark or registered copyright on your name, that's great, but on the web it is very easy for another individual to sign up on YouTube with a copy of your registered name. Don't let them do that. You don't want to have to bring lawsuits against someone every single time this happens, so why don't we just go ahead and make sure you have your brand name registered at the important sites.

— Be active consistently. This one may sound like a lot of work, but it really isn't so bad. You have to keep up appearances online. You don't just get to create a profile and then leave it as a placeholder of your name.  What's worse is if you do consider it a placeholder for your name, people will end up thinking less of you. Sign up for key websites that suit your niche target market, and stay active.

— Communicate with your customers. Lots of times larger companies are the only companies that have the money to do this, and even so it is difficult because they have a larger number of customers to deal with. Smaller companies can actually gain an advantage here if they communicate with their customers and treat them like people.

— Respond to Statements Made About your Company QUICKLY. Good or bad, you'll go far if you focus on staying in the midst of these social networks, and there are a number of tools to help you do so.  Google Alerts is one of the main ways to track when your business name pops up across the web.

— Learn to love the Social Network.  The best part about these networks is that you get to reap major rewards when you have become established.  Work hard to learn social media etiquette, and don't use Social Networking as an advertisement tool, because it isn't. It's a social tool, and in the world of Internet Marketing, these are both very different.  At times when you have a sale, let those who have been supporters, followers on your twitter account, know first. This will allow you to reach customers on a personal level, rather than treating them like sheep.

More on Reputation Management to come in the future, but if you really have some questions, feel free to shoot us an email at the studio concerning Reputation Management Services.

For now look forward to the next blog post and we'll see you soon.

Jordan Ryan is the Search Engine Optimization & Internet Marketing Specialist at Dogs of Design Studios. Follow him on Twitter @jordan_ryan.