Add the fact that social platforms can change the conversation at a moment’s notice, marketers need to respond to this new era of communications risks and opportunities.
Success in this new era requires good brand reputation management. But what is brand reputation management, and how can you refine
your company’s public perception? Here’s how to create a brand reputation management strategy in four simple steps.
What is brand reputation management?
Before creating a brand reputation management strategy, you need to know what brand reputation management is. Essentially, it’s the process of monitoring and refining public perception of your brand. A great reputation truly takes you years to build, and only minutes to lose. Good brand reputation management gives communications professionals the information they need to retain control of their brand’s narrative.
Companies of all sizes need a brand reputation management strategy. Smaller companies didn’t have to concern themselves as much with brand reputation. Now, word of mouth travels fast, and unforeseen circumstances can put even small businesses in the center of viral conversations. Your brand—no matter how big or small—needs a brand reputation management strategy to address issues and influence public perception in a positive way.
How to create a brand reputation management strategy
Understanding what brand reputation management is is one thing but creating a comprehensive plan to manage it is another. Your brand reputation management strategy must support proactive responses to risks and opportunities—here’s how to do it:
1. Understand your current brand reputation:
Dig into your audience data through social listening so you can assess your
brand’s strengths and weaknesses. Review customer feedback and inbound social messages to create a list of brand reputation risks and opportunities, so you know how to tailor your goals in the future.
2. Create a monitoring routine: A brand’s reputation can change in a flash, which means you need to routinely monitor customer conversations to keep up with consumer sentiment. Set aside some time each week—or even each day—to review brand reputation KPIs.
3. Develop a crisis response plan: Unforeseen events can instantly change a brand’s reputation. While it’s impossible to completely be prepared for anything, knowing what to do when things go wrong reduces the risk of long-term reputation damage. From product issues to customer criticism, global tragedies to platform outages, review your risks, develop an escalation management strategy and let key players in your businesses know what to do when a crisis occurs.
4. Use your strengths to your advantage:
The best marketers always look for opportunities for improvement. Brand reputation management isn’t just risk management—it’s about playing up to your strengths. Use your audience’s response to create new content and campaigns. For example, use rave reviews in user-generated content, or find creative ways to join the conversation if cultural moments are taking off with your audience.
Brands big and small need a brand reputation management strategy. Great reputations shorten sales cycles, keep customers coming back and encourages them to spread the word, but brand reputation is really an organization-wide responsibility. Need help
developing a strategy that works for you? Say “Hello,” to Spin Creative. We’ll help you grow your brand and ensure you’re hitting the right note with your audience, every time.
About Us
Spin Creative is a video production company and creative agency helping marketers create winning video and creative strategies that engage, inspire and activate targeted audiences. Spin is headquartered in Seattle with offices in San Francisco and London, serving brands around the globe.
