This morning I was reading a great article at PCWorld that detailed the growing use of social media management tools in large corporations in order to monitor their brands and their customers. While many of you reading this are probably saying to yourself, “it’s about time!” still others may be questioning it’s relevance in an overall marketing strategy.

Ignoring social media can present far greater costs than learning to use it wisely.

Many small businesses simply shrug this off as being too much of a hassle, or too expensive to implement. The truth is, they’re wrong on both counts. While there are a number of third-party solutions that cost some serious coin, there are a handful of free and low-cost alternatives that are available. You just need to know where to look.

Spredfast – (From their website) Spredfast offers secure and scalable social media solution that streamlines the social media listening, communicating, and measuring processes. Their free plan offers analytics, up to 5 social streams, as well as charts and reporting.

HowSociable – is a search tool that enables users to track brand mentions across the social web.

BackType – enables you to track your monthly engagement for free. Offers graphs of the summary, audience, and a list of the conversations/retweets. You can also get a Twitter Reach Report for a one-time fee of $20.

BlogPulse – searches the blogosphere for mentions of your URL , keyword or topic. An excellent tool for use in tracking competition, niche news, etc.

TweetBeep – Works like Google Alerts and enables you to keep track of conversations that mention you, your products, your company, anything, with hourly updates. Offers a premium version for $20/month.

Sendible – enables you to engage with your audience across multiple formats with ease. Analytic tools track the success of email and marketing campaigns, and they also offer a tool to track brand mentions. They offer an ad-supported version, as well as several affordable monthly and pay-as-you-go plans.

Twitalyzer 2.0 – one of the web’s most popular tools for tracking Twitter influence and reach. There is a free version, as well as several paid options.

TweetStats – tracks your tweets per hour, tweets per month, and replies. Free to use.

This is just a small sampling of what is available — there are many excellent SaaS options for those who are interested in more extensive reporting tools.

Why Should You Be Interested in Reputation Management?

The short answer is you can’t afford not to be. Social media allows consumers to provide immediate feedback on brands and products, as well as customer service issues and complaints. You have precious little time to get out in front of any negative mentions, and respond. I’ve previously mentioned that Comcast® is a model that others could do well to follow — their Senior Director of National Customer Service Frank Eliason (@comcastcares on Twitter) is perhaps the most well-known customer service representative in the country.

A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Social media can also be used as a valuable market research tool — and can prevent unnecessary missteps.

In November of 2008, the makers of Motrin pain reliever were given a bitter pill to swallow after launching what they thought would be a very successful online ad campaign.

The ad, which initially began its run over a weekend in September, stated that while toting a baby around in a sling can cause back and neck pain, it “seems to be in fashion” and “totally makes [me] look like an official mom.” Outraged mothers took to the Twitterverse to share their comments, popularly noted with the use of the #MotrinMoms hashtag. By the following Monday morning, the ad was gone, and an official apology was issued by  McNeil Consumer Healthcare.

Had McNeil conducted an online market research study to test that campaign among their target audience (in this case, mothers), they could have leveraged the immediate feedback afforded by social media, and avoided a very pricey and embarrassing mistake. It’s one you can bet they won’t make again.

Social media should be a vital part of any marketing strategy — be it on or offline. When employed properly, the results can be significant — and that’s a fact you can take to the bank.

Tiger Woods appears to have picked up tips on how to swing — both on and off the course — from his father.

The very public details of the golf icon’s infidelity have been a topic of discussion on this blog before; and, while I hadn’t planned to address it again, the new Nike commercial that aired on April 8th prompted me to rethink that decision.

The controversial ad was created by the Wieden + Kennedy agency, and features a black and white image of Tiger (complete with contrite puppy dog eyes) and the voice of his late father, Earl Woods. If you are scratching your head at that last sentence, you aren’t alone. The audio has been excerpted from a 2004 interview of Earl for the documentary “Tiger: The Authorized DVD Collection.” In that narrative, Earl compares the “authoritative” nature of his wife, Kultida, to his own nature, which he described as “inquisitive.”

The camera zooms in on the somber-faced Tiger while we hear the elder Woods say, “I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are.” He continues, “And, did you learn anything?”

Insert your own snarky remark here. I know I did…

As this advertising abbhoration drew to a welcome close, my inner Don Draper was trying to pick his jaw up from the floor. Whatever Nike’s ad titans were smoking when they hatched this idea should prevent them from operating heavy machinery. Or ever writing ad copy again.

If you are looking for “ewwww-factor,” this spot has got it in spades. Between the irony of the Woods duo both being philanderers, or the posthumously parental dress-down — I can’t really say which bothers me more. What I can tell you is that it comes off as disengenuous on the part of both Tiger and Nike. Of course, Nike realizes that any press is good press — and they selected this controversial spot as the first introduction of their favorite golf pitchman back into the market.

The spot made its debut on ESPN, and was appropriately timed to coincide with Tiger’s return to the Master’s Tournament after a five-month long absence. Nike offered in a statement, “We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father.”

Perhaps if Earl had encouraged the young Woods to show as much commitment to his marriage as he did the game, we’d instead be analyzing the commercial marketing genius that was once Tiger’s brand.

For those who may think I’ve been a bit heavy-handed in my criticism of Tiger from a publicity standpoint, you aren’t alone. My younger brother is a huge fan of Woods, (and a heck of a golfer in his own right). Earlier today we spoke on the phone so I could get some perspective from a true fan. “It’s a shame that it happened, but I just really want him to get back to playing golf. His extra-curricular activities haven’t impacted my opinion of him as an athlete.”

Truth be told, there are probably far more who share his opinion than I’ll ever know. If recent headlines are any indicator, Tiger could well have plenty of celebrity company at sex rehab. While I agree that what happens between a couple should stay between them — when the characters are in the public eye, that becomes difficult at best. What concerns me more is the slippery slope that it places us on when we overlook these indiscretions simply because someone is a celebrity — and the message, both in advertising and otherwise — that it sends to young fans.

Unless you’ve been living in a sandtrap, you’ve no doubt heard of Tiger Woods’ recently publicity nightmare involving his alleged infidelity.

While I am no golfer, (unless we’re talking Putt Putt), I did see a marketing lesson among the headlines. Only time will tell if Tiger can regain his “golden boy” status — but in the meantime, here’s a few reputation management tips you can garner to improve your own game:

Take responsibility right away. I really think that Tiger dropped the ball (I couldn’t resist) by not coming clean right away. There were too many things about the much-publicized car crash that just didn’t add up. Among them was my personal favorite — that Elin smashed in the back window of the vehicle in order to get Tiger out. Call me skeptical, but a much more likely scenario is that while she may have gotten him out of the car, Elin took a “slice” out of Tiger in the process…back window be damned.

Tiger has enjoyed years of fame, and millions of dollars from his talents. Sponsorships account for more than a small portion of his income each year — and those sponsors count on the celebrity cache of Tiger’s brand to help sell their products. In addition, Tiger’s style and personality have won many new fans for the game — including throngs of young fans who look up to him as a role model. True, he’s only human; but for those whom society has placed on a pedestal — and are richly rewarded as a result — shouldn’t they be held accountable for their actions, just as anyone else would?

Give sincere, heartfelt apologies. In this instance, you can’t settle for par. Family should obviously come first. Then, reach out to your fan base, and extend them an apology for your behavior. Finally, look toward those sponsors whose brands may have suffered as a result of your actions. They may drop you, and that is certainly their prerogative. Be that as it may, they are no less deserving of an apology.

Rebuild your image. Just as a caddy would advise you on how best to make that perfect shot, you must surround yourself with people, products and services that can help restore your good name. Tiger must demonstrate that he is committed to his family, and intends to put an end to his philandering. The status of his marriage is still uncertain — however, he has children that will be directly impacted by his actions. Making his wife and children his first priority will earn him support among his fan base. They won’t immediately forgive him, but they will be willing to do so in time.

Many celebrity athletes have been disgraced at one time or another, (names like Michael Vick, Pete Rose, and Tanya Harding come to mind), and while not all of them have recovered, some of them have. Michael Vick’s highly publicized dog fighting ring sent shockwaves through the NFL, and incited both fans and non-fans alike. However, in a very controversial move, the NFL allowed Vick back in. He is currently the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

In golf, business and in life, the same rules apply. If you make a mistake, the best thing to do is get out in front of the situation and take responsibility. Apologize when you make a mistake, and make sure the apology is sincere. Finally, take steps to prevent any reocurence of the mistake, and work to win back trust and support.

Hopefully Tiger will emerge from this situation a better man. In the end, strength of character will trump athletic ability.