Lara McCulloch

Lara McCulloch

On Posted on by Lara McCulloch to News, Social Media Marketing, social media risks

Age of exposure

wikileaks lessonsWikileaks has prompted a war of sorts. It has made many of us pick sides. Some Internet activists vehemently believe that Wikileaks stands for freedom of speech, while others believe (just as strongly) that too many lines have been crossed. Regardless of which side you stand on, one thing rings true: We are now living in the age of exposure.

Everyday people wield unprecedented power to expose companies’ dirty little secrets – all they need is a little bit of passion, an audience and access to the internet. Employees, former employees, disgruntled customers, competitors or anyone with a vested interest in your company can wage their own war with you smack dab in the center.

The infamous face of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, once warned that if a company wished to stay off of the pages of his site they should simply operate ethically and treat their employees well. The big lesson for businesses in this new era should be that what you say is not nearly as important as what you do.

  • Stand for something great, beyond simply products and services.
  • Set high standards and live up to them.
  • Make decisions you’d feel comfortable someone blogging about.
  • Recognize that every single person within your organization contributes to your brand, not just your marketing department.
  • Be curious enough to learn what people really think about you.
  • Be open enough to do good with what you learn.
Tags