Like my hat?  Silly isn’t it.  That’s OK.  I can be kind of silly at times (just ask Sarah about that one).  Part of doing what I do for a living is rooted in being transparent, even if on occasion I end up looking dumb. Good with the bad.  Personal and professional. Silly and serious. Opinions and ideas. It’s all out there for everyone to digest, contest and share.  Being transparent is a good idea, unless you are hiding something.

Who are you? Really.  What does your company stand for? Really.  Those can both be very tough questions to answer, but both are very important to consider.

I’m reading Tactical Transparency right now.  This is a game-changing book, where Shel Holtz and John C. Havens spell out the importance of corporate transparency in today’s digital marketplace. It’s worth the read.

This particular excerpt has been double underlined in my copy:

“The conversation rules your brand, so make sure your interactions with customers focus on dialog versus dismissal.  If you’re worried that someone may be looking, turn around.  They are, or soon will be, and hiding is impossible.  Begin the process of opening communication channels between your employees and customers, and see how promoting trust will always be more profitable than spinning lies”

Brand Managers Must Hate Social Media
By nature the social web makes a traditional brand manager’s job a potential nightmare. They are tasked with  being controllers. User generated content challenges what brand managers have worked so hard to preserve.  Brand standards, internal communication policies and lists of things to say and not to say help them create and control a clean, unified brand message that positions their company in the desired marketplace sweet spot.

Enter people and technology.  The social web throws brand managers a loop when things happen organically that are out of their control.  Domino’s and Amazon recently experienced this.  So did Motrin.  Both failed in their response.

Trade Control for Influence
The lesson here is that control is really only an illusion.  By nature, control is reactionary.  If we need to control something, it’s typical that at least one instance of ‘something’ has already occurred. Like it or not, chasing after control creates a perception that you or your brand may have something on your conscious that needs to be hidden.  Perception is everything.

On the flip side, influence is proactive.  If we are trying to influence someones decision, often that decision has not yet been made. Being influencers puts us ahead of the curve and into an open and transparent conversation with those around us.  The new web is about people and conversations.

Transparency results in greater trust and credibility for the brand you represent.  Gaining trust and credibility breeds a greater level of influence.  If you take yourself or your brand too seriously, you are locked into a mindset of control.  If you make mistakes and then try to control the perception the mistake creates, you will loose big-time, and so will your brand.

So what will it be for you?  Will you choose to be reactionary or proactive?  Will you choose to be transparent, admit mistakes and apologize when necessary or will you join the open conversation?

Does your brand have something to hide?

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