Reputation Management Definition

Reputation Management Definition

Historically, the concept of reputation management has been considered by the general public as well as search engines as an unethical means of manipulating and clouding the perception of reality.  With the rise of corporate and personal transparency in social media, content marketing, and public relations, the slant on a reputation management definition requires a bit of course correction.  For those who answer the question of what is reputation management with results of traditional disapproval, it is time to consider this practice as a right of communication.  Businesses and individuals who invest the time and resources into communication, public question and answer via social channels and review sites, and don’t simply try to lay low or hide deserve a chance to be heard and earn our respect.

“Reputation management is the strategy of infusing positive influence into search engine results as well as responding to criticism and buffering negativity that is associated with a specific business or individual on the Internet or in other marketing mediums.” –  Andrew Bart, Founder & EVP of Digital Strategy at Pop Results
Reputation Management Definition | Pop Results

Reputation Management Means Transparency In Communication

There are certainly those who invest in reputation management services in advance of a crisis.  However, truth be told, for most, reputation management services are not in their line of thinking until an issue has surfaced that warrants its consideration.  When a crisis hits and the market is flooded with negative or slanderous content, then, the business or individual is forced to invest in a reparation strategy.  Any solid advance or post traumatic strategy should revolve around transparency in communication.

As mentioned, between social media, content marketing, and digital pr, the speed of the spread of information both good and bad is nothing short of remarkable.  If you don’t have a reputation management strategy in place prior to a public relations nightmare occurring, you and/or your business probably are not prepared to handle a substantial onslaught of negative press and social response.  For example, absorb the Amy’s Baking Company social media nightmare.   After what was indisputably a disastrous television experience,  Amy’s Baking Company turned the fiasco into an extended nightmare that exacerbated itself over and over and over again with each wild response on Facebook by Amy and her husband Samy.  As customer’s voiced their heated opinions, instead of rational calculated communication, Amy and Samy fueled the firestorm by charging the mob head-on in a no win situation.  Humbly acknowledge the error of your ways and put an end to the misery.  Put the past in the past and move on.

Reputation Management Stick To Your Message

One foundational principle of any dynamic reputation management campaign is to create a strategy and stick to it.  Nothing says falsity like a wavering flip-flop message from the affected company or individual.  Usually, the best decision is to remember what made you or your company successful in the first place and reaffirm and support your vision and mission statements.  More often than not, if you had the foresight to communicate and establish the positive points of your reputation effectively in the various marketing channels ahead of the curve, you can even refer back to your previous statements.  If you stick to expressing your roots and who you were before the crisis (the good) and humbly accept any mistakes that might have been made, you will recapture the respect of some and you can begin the process of re-earning the respect of those that you lost.

Reputation Management Defined Any Way Means Work

Building or repairing a reputation is hard work.  It takes time, energy, and buy-in from the general public, the media, and the search engines.  Content marketing, inbound marketing, social media marketing, video marketing, and digital pr are all part of the mix.  If you spread a consistent message of what you represent, be transparent about your mistakes, and respond to questions from the general public with clear and rational responses, you earn trust and respect.  If you have nothing to hide, reputation management is as simple as working hard and opening up to those asking the questions or challenging your reputation.

 

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