The Art Of Gaining Business Intelligence For Brand Management
Many are of the view that WHOIS records could only be used in network security and for identifying hackers. While it is indeed true that WHOIS records are extensively used in order to track and apprehend cybercriminals, the use of WHOIS data is by no means limited to the sphere of cybersecurity.
In fact, in today’s rather disruptive business landscape, organizations are finding that WHOIS data can be of immense help in multiple business functions. From marketing to law enforcement, various objectives can be fulfilled by using WHOIS data as a fundamental basis of operations.
One of the many uses of WHOIS data that has come to the forefront of business application is its utility in the field of Brand Management. Branding professionals are of the opinion that WHOIS data is of prime importance in maintaining brand integrity and visibility of any business. But how exactly can WHOIS data help with brand management? What are its uses, and how do they work together to protect the online (as well as offline) identity of an organization? We are going to delve into all these questions in this article.
Let’s start at the beginning and first take a brief look at what brand management actually is.
What Is Brand Management?
Brand management is essentially a marketing function that seeks to enhance and maintain the value of a brand in the market. Through the use of effective brand management techniques, professionals aim to improve the value of a product line or business function and thus build a loyal customer base. As a result of its representational character, brand management relies on a positive brand image to improve brand awareness.
How Brand Equity Can Be Hurt
Brands are not merely a name and a logo: they represent an experience that both the company and its customers can take pride in. The very basis of a successful brand lies in the fact that the users of a brand associate a positive image with it.
However, this positive association of the brand name can often be compromised due to multiple violations. This can include copyright infringement, intellectual property theft, brand defacement, and even domain registration issues. Any negative impact can severely harm the positive equity of a brand, and consequently, drive sales down and drive customers away.
Thankfully, brand management professionals can effectively work with WHOIS data to safeguard their brand image.
How WHOIS Helps In Brand Management
WHOIS data, available from Whoisology, has the potential to play a vital role in the successful management of brands. The following are just some of the many uses that WHOIS data can be put to in order to manage brands better:
Domain Infringement
This is perhaps the most common use of WHOIS data for brand management. Among the thousands of domains that are registered every day, many are done so with the purpose of infringing upon the domain authority of established brands. Domains with similar names and confusing URLs can significantly harm the credibility of a brand. In such cases, prompt identification of the offending party is essential to maintaining the integrity of the brand.
WHOIS data can help in this regard by providing accurate information about who has been working against your brand by using spurious domain names. Accurate WHOIS data can provide your business with all the information needed to put a stop to any kind of domain delinquency and regain the authority of your brand.
Brand Abuse Detection
Brand abuse, or the unlawful use of copyrighted material without the consent of the owner, is one of the major causes of brand devaluation. Brand abuse can also open the doors to various other nefarious acts such as trademark violations, intellectual property theft and even loss of sales. WHOIS data can aid with the quick tracking and apprehension of the offending parties and put an end to such heinous practices.
Better Business Networking
WHOIS data can be extremely helpful in examining the identities of online entities and verifying their authenticity before doing business with them. This could largely prevent sales fraud and avoid companies from facing huge losses.
Also, before collaborating or getting into partnerships with other organizations, checking their online presence and connections can help businesses to ensure they are not associated with any nefarious actors, which could smear their brand image.
Bad Link Removal
The presence of unwanted backlinks to your site can easily tarnish the reputation your brand has worked so hard to build. By using WHOIS, brand managers can track and connect with domain owners and remove these links from unwanted sources, thereby improving SERP ranking and the overall reputation of the brand.
Social Media Defacement
Social media have emerged as some of the most powerful platforms in the 21st century, and brands have been quick to leverage their immense reach. However, many brands have faced negative effects from social media in the form of fake brand pages being created. With the help of Reverse Whois, the email address or name of the person linked to the account can be traced back and the necessary further action can be taken against them.
Conclusion
It has been rightly said that brands are the solutions of the future. Appropriate WHOIS data can help to protect brands from unnecessary vilification. Through the diligent use of WHOIS data, brands can boost their efforts to quickly address any violations of their brand assets, as this may well help to maintain brand equity and retain customers.
Further, by augmenting their brand management efforts using WHOIS, brands can work towards fostering trust among its loyalists, today and tomorrow. Thus, by protecting the identity of brands, WHOIS can work effectively to safeguard the road to the future.