Discover why conventional SEO strategies fall short in contemporary reputation management and learn how to tackle brand perception and crisis communication challenges effectively.

Reputation Management: Strategic Insights and Best Practices

Crises are unpredictable, but they can often be anticipated.

It’s estimated that 83% of public companies will experience a crisis within the next five years that could significantly impact their share price, causing a 20-30% drop.

To navigate reputational crises effectively, brands and businesses must be prepared with the best incident response and crisis communication practices, including managing embarrassing social media posts.

Start by exploring “State of Crisis Communication: Evidence and the Bleeding Edge” by Dr. W. Timothy Coombs, University of Central Florida.

Dr. Coombs categorizes crises into two main types:

1. Operational Crises: These disrupt organizational operations, such as fires, explosions, or chemical releases. Historically, crisis management focused primarily on these types of crises.
2. Reputational Crises damage an organization’s public image, often due to irresponsible management or offensive corporate messaging. While they don’t typically impact public safety or welfare, they can severely affect stakeholder perception.

Key lessons from crisis communication research include:

• Timing: Being the first to report a crisis can minimize damage. This approach, known as “stealing thunder,” is often counterintuitive for managers who may hesitate to acknowledge a crisis. However, early disclosure, especially through social media, can mitigate reputational damage and positively influence consumer behavior.
• Victim-Centered Response: When crises result in real victims, responses should address their physical, financial, and psychological needs. Effective communication should highlight how the organization is assisting victims, as seen in the criticism faced by Carnival Cruise Lines during the Costa Concordia incident for their perceived inadequate support.
• Combating Misinformation: False information can spread quickly and be accepted as fact. Organizations must actively debunk rumors and provide accurate information with supporting evidence. Consistent and transparent communication through online channels helps ensure stakeholders receive accurate updates directly from the source.

Social media plays a role in crisis management. Addressing embarrassing posts involves assessing their potential threat and taking appropriate actions to manage the damage. Effective strategies include being prepared for online reputation management, addressing harmful content promptly, and replacing it with positive information.

By adopting these practices, organizations can better manage crises, protect their reputations, and recover more swiftly and robustly.

Crisis Communication and SEO

Many industry experts believe that Google’s Panda update in February 2011 and Penguin update in April 2012 transformed online reputation management, shifting the focus from spammy SEO tactics to high-quality content. Despite this, some unscrupulous SEOs think they can outsmart Google’s algorithms and spam removal efforts.

To combat these tactics, Google continuously evaluates and updates its systems to ensure the visibility of relevant content. In 2022 alone, Google conducted 894,660 search quality tests, performed 148,038 side-by-side experiments, and ran 13,280 live traffic experiments, resulting in 4,725 changes to its search algorithms—more than a dozen updates per day.

Since then, Google has introduced several updates, including the October 2023 spam update, the March 2024 spam update, and the June 2024 spam update.

Corporate executives, brand managers, and PR professionals must understand that manipulative SEO tactics cannot effectively push negative stories from credible sources down the search engine results page (SERP). To manage crises and safeguard an organization’s reputation, it’s crucial to adhere to best practices in crisis communication:

• Timely Reporting: Address crises promptly to control the narrative.
• Victim-Centered Responses: Focus on addressing the needs of those affected.
• Aggressive Misinformation Countering: Actively debunk false information and provide accurate updates.
• Strategic Use of Social Media: Leverage social media to communicate effectively and manage your reputation.

Being prepared and proactive can significantly diminish the impact of crises on an organization’s operations and reputation.

If you need to convince a skeptical CEO of these realities, suggest they search for “How has Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter/X affected its reputation?”

The Latest Strategic Advice on the Biggest Reputation Issues Impacting Brands

Here’s a summary of recent insights from credible sources on managing major reputation issues affecting brands:

1. “Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?” by Ryan Calsbeek, Ph.D. (Institute for Public Relations, April 15)
2. Utilizing MAHA’s Darwin Intelligence platform, this study analyzed data from 511 publicly traded companies across 16 global industries. It assessed public perception (news and social media mention) and corporate actions (disclosed actions impacting stakeholders) in seven reputation categories: environmental impact, governance, employee treatment, community impact, diversity commitment, customer satisfaction, and financial performance.
3. Key takeaway: “Corporations must embrace authenticity and action as core elements of reputation management.” Companies can no longer make commitments without follow-through in an era of abundant public information.
4. “Corporate Reputation in 2023” (IPR, April 28, 2023) by USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations and Olivia K. Fajardo
5. Four online surveys revealed:
   • PR professionals see “customer brand loyalty” as the top benefit of a strong company reputation.
   • 48% believe Gen Z will significantly influence a company’s reputation in the next five years.
   • 45% view ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) as crucial for building consumer trust.
   • 92% of investors find a company’s ESG helpful rating when making stock purchase decisions.
6. “Lessons Earned: Helping a High-Profile Brand Regain its Reputation” by Kirk Stewart (IPR, June 23, 2020)
7. As a former global vice president of corporate communications for Nike, Stewart shared strategies for rebuilding a brand’s reputation:
   • Understand Your Identity: Align with the company’s mission as a guiding principle.
   • Stay True to Your Values: Be clear about principles and beliefs.
   • Own Your Mistakes: Acknowledge errors and remain humble.
   • Prioritize Meaningful Actions: Implement improvements before communicating them.
   • Be Accountable: Set and share performance metrics publicly.
   • Be Transparent: Enhance credibility through openness.
   • Engage with All Stakeholders: Foster mutual learning and humanize your organization.
   • Define Yourself Proactively: Shape your narrative before others do.
   • Inspire Others: Motivate and inform your employees.
   • Stay Connected with Customers: Keep your brand relevant and focus on selling.
   • Let Others Advocate for You: Maintain a consistent message.
   • Prepare for the Unexpected: Anticipate unforeseen events and monitor your reputation.
8. Katie Delahaye Paine’s Insights
9. From analyzing various crises, Paine emphasizes that the CEO plays a crucial role in impacting a brand’s reputation. Their actions and responses during crises significantly affect how the brand is perceived.
10. Paine also noted: “When PR managed communications during the contaminated Chinese pet food crisis, the organization made money. However, with legal in charge during the Michael Vick dog fighting episode, PR couldn’t be quoted, and donations declined.”
11. For corporate executives, brand managers, and SEOs, making a case for having PR lead communication efforts can be a strategic move to manage reputation better.

By integrating these practices, you can effectively navigate reputation challenges and enhance your brand’s resilience in crises.

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