Find out what your customers really think about you, if you dare.

Find out what your customers really think about you, if you dare.

It’s well recognised that social networking tools such as blogs, Facebook and YouTube can be a cheap and effective way for companies to build their brand and sales.

What is sometimes forgotten is that the information superhighway is a two-way street. The effect of one happy or disgruntled customer is magnified many times as they hit the forums and start commenting. Reputations can be built up or torn to shreds in the blink of an eye.

Keeping track of your online reputation is challenging: three per cent of online consumers in the UK write blogs at least once a month, according to analyst firm Forrester, which adds up to a lot of content.

Online market intelligence firms, such as new European player Attentio, monitor social media such as blogs so businesses know when a response might be required. This ‘defensive social networking’ means it is now not uncommon to see senior executives replying to third-party blog posts about their company, while growing businesses can easily adopt insights gained into product development.

CEO of Attentio Simon McDermott believes a company’s approach to the blogosphere should feature prominently in their internet marketing strategy, because ‘if you search about an issue, a product, or company it is likely a blog will figure highly in the results’.

He recommends businesses start by searching on Technorati or Google blog to see what, if anything, people are saying about them.

Such unfiltered feedback, free of the artificiality of a focus group, can prove invaluable.