Negative media publications can become a threat to a company’s reputation, user base, customer trust and bottom line.
Brand reputation is about how it is perceived by others, and there are many elements involved (corporate culture, product value, customer service, and media presence, to name a few), so it’s not that easy. protect and enhance a brand’s reputation at all times. Fortunately, there are a few things that can help you manage brand reputation more effectively.
The first step to achieve this is to have a dedicated and trained public relations team, as well as a well-established operating procedure as a good start to address such situations in the best possible way. But beyond that, it is essential to put together a team to respond to the crisis, with an expert communicator or a public spokesperson, a media manager and a crisis consultant, who allow obtaining different and impartial perspectives on the situation, without compromising the legal matters.
When a crisis arises, it is very common that internal chaos can be generated between the different departments (legal, security, human resources), so it is crucial to motivate the different parties to collaborate, building a culture of open communication that privileges transparency. When the internal team works together, the message is consistent, allowing the organization to resolve issues quickly.
The second step is to invest in public relations tools, a critical part of dealing with any crisis proactively, such as listening software and monitoring services that can scour the web, including social media, in real time to identify potential crises. that involve your brand. These tools can also recognize and alert you to dissatisfied customers and even a key stakeholder who may have tweeted something inappropriate.
The third step is to proactively manage the image and reputation of the brand. According to an Ipsos survey, 97 percent of business owners agreed that brand reputation management is critical to business success. Image and reputation are a form of currency, which can be used to generate leads, improve customer loyalty and increase results.
The proliferation and immediacy of social platforms has turned them into a double-edged sword in crisis management. On the one hand, they can be used as a powerful tool to anticipate and effectively address a crisis, on the other, an inappropriate statement or a delay in public comment on the issue can add up in minutes.
Identifying issues and having a rapid response team that attends to issues in real time is crucial. Finally, make sure your communication is consistent across all channels and aligned with brand and social strategy.
In this digital age, online reputation is all about what Google thinks of you. Distributing press releases and having multiple media outlets publish them is a surefire way to make Google think your brand is trustworthy and respected.
However, creating a professional press release is only half the battle. It’s not enough to create a good piece of content, you have to understand how content spreads across the web.
If your PR team lacks the required experience, include a PR consulting firm that can work to get the best media coverage for you. That would be the fourth step.