It’s remarkable to see that companies still don’t get the power of the individual on the web. It can really make you or break you. The silo mentality that drives many organizations just does not work in our interconnected world.

There are two things every company must now remember for brand management: 1. the internet is an equalizer and 2. There are many people out there with a chip on their shoulder.

First – the internet is an equalizer. The internet now gives everyone connected to it a relatively equal voice. That’s to say that you and I have as much ability to promote our views or agendas as does any big organization. We no longer live in a top-down communication stream. Wherein the ‘old’ days when the only way to quickly express your views to a wide audience was either to be published or broadcasted. So unless the gatekeepers allowed you to get your message out there or you had the money to buy the ads – you as an individual living remained an unheard voice.

Second – there are many people out there with a chip on their shoulder. The world is populated with bitter people who for whatever reason gravitate towards telling everyone else what’s wrong with your brand or services. There are people that will make it there life mission to try to bring your organization down.

The danger for any company is when the bitter individuals out there link up en mass as to take on your organization. This is what happed with Rogers recently and it goes to show how in a relatively short period of time you can quickly lose control over your own message.

So what do you do about it? Be pro-active and be heard. You need to be out there monitoring what others are saying about you, be out there talking with your customers, challenge your critics about what they’re talking about. Your online communication strategy doesn’t need to be aggressive; it just needs to be out there. Nor do your discussions need to revolve around you and your products/services. It can be as simple as disseminating the facts or pointing out flaws in others arguments. This is what Social Marketing is all about. – Stephen Crooks