CGM Metering

An interactive agency plays the part of a catalyst in controlling the negative effects that CGM (Consumer Generated Media) may have on the Internet. The first action is metering the negative opinions, which should be done as realistic as possible. These opinions can never be fully controlled because the mini media itself fights against control. If this is understood, an interactive agency must always be aware of the Social Media and react rapidly to appease any incidents and negative “opinions”.

By courtesy of the development of technology, the CGM has revolutionized the world of Public Relations and has determined the interactive agencies to search for new methods to counteract the negative opinions about a brand. More and more people use the Internet to express their opinions to whoever wants to pay attention. This phenomenon has messed up the classical communication campaigns that have a unilateral approach. An interactive agency must address to an ever changing environment and adjust the tone of the communication. It's indeed difficult to control what tens or, maybe hundreds or thousands of people say about a brand, but the experts in communication know that it's not impossible to change peoples’ opinions about a product or a service.

When it comes to CGM's metering, there are a number of methods, from a simple search of a brand in the search engines to purchasing specialized software, to monitor online discussions that refer to the respective company, the products or services, but also to staff and competitors.

To succeed in today's interconnected world, an interactive agency that promotes a website identifies, predicts and reacts to client's behavior. It's essential to listen to what the buyers, the competitors, the critics and the supporters of a brand have to say and then to communicate actively. That's the only way you will get the best results from the Social Media campaigns. The instruments provided for CGM metering offer us multiple possibilities to analyze, measure, display and create reports about the efforts to readdress the speech so the brand image isn’t affected in the long term. There are more complicated tools, extremely personalized, which allow you to handle multiple Social Media accounts, with just one click, and simple tools that offer you just the functionality you need. But, generally, it's enough to navigate the first 30 pages in the search engines to form a clear idea about a brand's image. These pages will also be accessed by the potential clients who search this kind of information, so it's important to get there before them and to mitigate the effects of negative opinions.

When an interactive agency meters the CGM, it has to keep in mind the further aspects:

To facilitate the relationship with the CGM, companies must be willing to pay attention to online conversations and to correct the negative messages. This is the reason why they need an interactive agency, which will not only monitor and adjust the tone of the discussion, but it will also build communities that consumers join in a positive way.