Breaking down the essential parts of reputation management: search, social, news + internal communications
The various parts of the human body work in harmony to sustain the whole. The circulatory system carries oxygen and nutrients to cells. Wastes from the cells are eliminated by the respiratory and excretory systems. The digestive system breaks down nutrients so they can be absorbed. The nervous system controls these activities with electrical impulses. And the skeletal system gives form and structure to the body. Without one system working properly and in conjunction with the others, the body breaks down.
The same is true for organizations and their brand reputations. Just as the body has systems that must work in tandem, organizations have communications channels that must work together to build, manage and protect their reputations.
What is brand reputation management?
Brand reputation management is the practice of monitoring the opinions of your brand by key audiences and strategically influencing the narrative on public platforms to align it with your desired brand perception. A proactive and coordinated communications effort to populate these channels with on-brand content is vital to achieving long-term organizational stability and success through a positive brand reputation.
4 essential parts of managing your brand’s reputation
At Guardian, we believe there are four key areas of brand reputation management: search, social, news and internal communications. Owning the narrative means aligning all four areas with your ideal brand position. If one area is overlooked or neglected, the organization’s reputation is at risk. Here are four ways your organization can strengthen its brand reputation today:
- Search: In today’s world, your organization’s reputation lives almost entirely online. It’s imperative to track what is being said about you online and control the narrative as much as possible. What do your search results reveal today? Where does your organization rank? Do searches around your organization reveal positive or negative news stories, links and social media posts? Ultimately, if you want to build awareness and an accurate brand reputation, you have to start with search—organic and paid.
- Social media: So much of our world lives and dies on social media, and some platforms are even beginning to unseat traditional search. Your organization’s social media presence plays a crucial role in providing that first impression. In order to strengthen and protect your brand’s reputation online, it’s imperative to develop a proactive social media strategy and establish an online monitoring protocol. Online monitoring—listening to all the conversations around your brand—can help you identify trends, powerful storytelling opportunities and even a potential crisis before the situation escalates.
- News media: Media relations is another fundamental way to build and manage your brand’s reputation. The materials and messaging you provide journalists help direct the narrative. Comments and quotes provided by your spokespeople help set the tone, voice and image of your organization, making spokesperson training and interview preparation vital. Additionally, it is important to leverage communications experts who have experience identifying newsworthy angles, working with news outlets, developing key messages, monitoring brand mentions and shaping stories.
- Internal communications: This encompasses any and all messages communicated within your organization. Done well, it has the power to inspire a group, increase productivity and ultimately strengthen your organization’s reputation from the inside out. Simply put, your employees are your organization's greatest brand ambassadors, representing your brand with customers, donors, partners and the general public. A thoughtful internal communications and employee advocacy strategy, alongside ambassador training, ensures each employee is empowered to act as a positive advocate for your brand and that grievances are appropriately addressed internally before they have a chance to go public. Warren Buffet once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.’’
