Over the last few months more companies have started to experiment with a whole host of new media channels, including social networking sites and microblogs.
When planned adequately, social media can provide an effective means of reaching new customer segments, forming closer relationships, and building online reputation.
However, it was clear from E-consultancy's Social Media: Measurement, Managing Reputation and Monetisation event last week that marketers face a range of different challenges as the social media landscape continues to evolve and grow.
When talking about reputation management, many companies will explain the importance of utilising SEO to ensure that negative comments do not rank highly for searches against a brand.
But when dealing with negative PR, it's important to consider multimedia & paid search as well.
The boss of Whole Foods Market, the organic food retailer that launched a huge store in London last month, has been caught using Yahoo!’s stock market forum to criticise a competitor, which he then proceeded to buy.
John Mackey, chief executive of Whole Foods, used the moniker 'Rahodeb' to make postings about rival Wild Oats over several years, according to a filing from the Federal Trade Commission.