Reputation Management

“Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know. One often obtains a clue to a person’s nature by discovering the reason for his or her imperviousness to certain impressions.” –Eric Hoffer

The reputation you have with your stakeholders is vital to the existence of your organization: “Your reputation is the sum total of your relationships with all your publics. It is what people think of when they hear your brand mentioned; it determines the likelihood that they purchase or recommend your products, invest in your company, or apply for a job” (Measure What Matters). If you have a negative reputation, trust between your organization and your publics will be the only way to rebuild the foundation. Society gives your organization the permission to exist based largely on your reputation.

We talk about the importance of relationships and how building positive relationships is not something you can accomplish overnight. Relationships take time to build trust, commitment and satisfaction. Unfortunately, crises can threaten the reputation of your organization: “The key to measuring threats to your reputation is measuring the trust between you and your publics, and the effectiveness with which your organization handles crises” (Measure What Matters). Good crisis communication is more of a proactive approach than a reactive approach.

The best way to avoid a crisis is to listen to your audience carefully and respond immediately to any threats before they get out of hand. Daily monitoring can prevent a crisis from getting out of hand and allows your organization to determine what is being said about you and what kind of issues are surfacing. Listening cannot always prevent unavoidable crises, but being prepared for these potential situations will help your organization come out on top.