I heard something very interesting on the radio today.
A local BP gas station owner had put together an ad which described the good work he did in his community. It also tried to shine some kind of positive light on the ‘parent company’ for his SMB (small and medium business) which is the now notorious British Petroleum. It seems like the area that I live in may be some kind of hotbed for BP ‘franchises’ which makes for an interesting quandary from a reputation perspective.
According to the radio ad I heard, this business owner has served his community and provided jobs to local residents. These are both good things which, in any other situation, would never be questioned. Now, one wonders whether we would have ever heard from this station owner had it not been for the BP fiasco. As a result, there will be those who are skeptical of the sincerity of the message even though my guess is that it was a genuine attempt to distance himself and his business from the BP mess (which he is completely helpless in) without sounding desperate.
Whether he is able to come through this storm with his business intact will be something for the next few months and years to hash out. The trouble is that with messages on Twitter and other places saying, “I can’t believe that people are still getting their gas at a BP station!” he may not be able to overcome it.
Here is the danger of this kind of closely-knit and intertwined reputation web that is being weaved online. We are likely to have wrong assumptions made regularly about just who is or is not responsible for company screw-ups.
I have experience with people who are gas station owners. I know more about them than the average person. As a result, I know that this poor guy who is trying to paint the correct picture of his business is working on thin margins and has profits squeezed by competitive factors all day long. Oh, and more importantly, he had NOTHING to do with the BP well issue in the Gulf.
Unfortunately, though, it could cost him his business because we have grown so quick to blame everyone rather than truly know the facts. The facts in this case will likely point to a small business guy who is a lot like you and me. He’s just trying to make a living but then is associated with something by default, which creates a ‘guilt by association’ scenario and the backlash associated with it.
Just like we didn’t have any first hand responsibility for the Gulf tragedy, neither did any independent franchise owners. They don’t deserve the wrath of the consumer. However, the ignorance of most people and their willingness to act on their ignorance is what we face now in this hyper-sensitive reputation cauldron of the Internet. It could actually be a good time to consider stepping back and taking a deep breath before we go around pointing our digital finger at everyone without knowing the facts.
All of this is to point to the idea there has never been a more critical time for companies both large and small to be listening to what is going on with online reputations. No matter the size of the business, there are factors happening online that can make or break a business whether it is deserved or not. If you are not aware of these things then you are to blame if they ultimately bite you.
Contact us today to learn how Trackur provides an easy to use, affordable, efficient and flexible way to monitor all of the online buzz happening around your business and industry. Who knows, the business you save could be your own.
