It is interesting to see how people and big name corporations portray themselves online.  However, there needs to be a balance of what people present online – it all comes down to managing your reputation effectively and proactively online.

Recently, Mashable came out with a great post about how the corporations that are successful even in these tough economic times are doing well because they lead with generosity.  This does not mean that these brands are showering their customers with over-the-top gifts, but what they are doing is the simple little things that make a difference. Corporations have to make sure that they have focus on what their long-term strategy is, who are their target publics, and what are the best ways to communicate their corporate messages.  This is especially important if these corporations are doing this through social media.  From what I can see – it appears that most of the large corporations and individuals are on social media – but they do not fully understand how to use social media strategically and effectively in reaching their target publics or how to evaluate its effect on their reputation.

For example, showing the human side of the brand and allowing the customers to get to know you beyond the name brand logo is one of the strategies that has worked for these corporations.  In many ways – these simple jestures of generosity really impact people in the long term – and as a result they feel more positively towards the brand and their overall corporate reputation.

In summary, I believe that in order to survive this economic crisis, people are going to go back to having good manners, treating others how they would like to be treated, and going the extra distance to making a differerence in people’s lives.  For those that understand this, they will succeed and become the leaders in the new business industy.

Hope you all are having a great day. 🙂

Best Wishes,
Karen