Recon Duty…It’s For Everyone

For two days I’ve been doing some digital reconnaissance work: online research of clients, competitors and verifiable stats that support my clients’ work. Now as PR practitioner, this a service that provide for my clients. But, anyone can—and should—do it.

How and where should one look? Well, of course you should set up Google alerts to follow your competition and keep your finger on the pulse of your industry’s key marketing words.

But your FIRST stop—and really, I mean this!—should be your own website.

Today, while on doing some digital recon, I found websites plagued with bad links, missing pages, absent graphics, etc. The pièce de résistance was the book author whose HOME PAGE was an error message! Yes, the home page!

What does this tell me, or worse, his customers?
He is not active.
He is not attentive.
He is not relevant.
He is NOT (likely) worthy of my time.

So, repeat after me: “My organization’s web presence WILL BE my first and PRIMARY stop on my daily digital recon mission! My organization’s web presence WILL BE my first stop…”