Reputation Management

November 13, 2019 - Along with your employees, your good reputation is your most important asset. What are you doing to protect it and maintain its value? If you're not doing enough, you could be in danger of losing or having a tarnished reputation from which you may never recover. Look at this week's articles for some things you could be doing right now to maintain or improve your reputation.

(#1)  There's one question, the answer to which can affect your longevity more than nearly anything else: How's your reputation? 

(#2)  We've compiled 72 of the most eye-opening reputation management stats for 2019.

(#3)  If you take the right steps, you can protect your reputation and maintain a strong brand.

(#4)  Here are five ways that you can protect your company's reputation on social media.

(#5)  However, one defines reputation, everyone agrees it's a precious enterprise asset and recognizes a reputation that has been damaged beyond repair.

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Crisis Communication

May 29, 2019 - It's a crisis and your response has to help prevent the situation from going from crisis to chaos or worse. Your communication plan could help with this, but have you developed it enough to be useful in the current situation? Do you know what to do first and second? Or might there be another alternative to your current plan? (see Item #3) All of this week's articles talk about what to do and how to do it if a crisis occurs.

Communications must be at the heart of crisis operations from the very outset. (Item #1)   Take some time to be sure that your communication and disaster response plan is up to date and ready. (Item #2)   Anything you utter orally or digitally can and will be used against you. It's time to take a tough look at the PR crisis communications rulebook and write a new one. (Item #3)

This article addresses the crisis communication necessary for a business' employees and specific external stakeholders in relation to a business continuity plan. (Item #4)   Failure to address the many communications issues related to crisis or disaster response can result in greater damage to the organization. (Item #5)   In this article, seven communications executives from Forbes Communications Council offer tips for crafting more effective apologies from leadership, from swiftly addressing the issue to being sincere and empathic. (Item #6)


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Social Media

April 3, 2019 - Nearly all businesses use social media in one form or another, whether it's for marketing, customer/client communication, or other applications. We're not sure, however, if any businesses have made plans to respond to and manage a social media crisis. If you don't have a plan, these articles should convince you that you need one and also help you create one. Don't wait until it's too late to get started.

Use the tips in this article as a guide to help curb the spread of misinformation and improve your social media response to any crisis. (Item #1)   What can you do about Twitter? (Item #2)   Here's what to do if you end up with a full-blown social media crisis management situation on your hands. (Item #3)

Every company should have a social media crisis management plan in place; equipped with your crisis survival guide, you'll be prepared for even the worst situations. (Item #4)   The worst time to start planning for a crisis is when you're in the middle of one. (Item #5)   Like any other emergency strategy, a social media crisis plan is designed to offer a quick and appropriate response and funnel correct information to anyone looking to access it, including customers, employees, and the media. (Item #6)


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Online Reputation Management

February 6, 2019 - Finding negative information or reviews of your company online is definitely troubling, but what are you doing to prevent such information from finding its way to Google searches or social media sites in the first place? It's a fact of life today that online reviews and information are the chief way people are getting information about your company and statistics show that those reviews are considered accurate by the majority of people reading them. Are you actively seeking ways to minimize the impact any negatives on your reputation? This week's articles may give you some insight in how to strengthen your online reputation.

Every touchpoint that a customer has with your business online is a contributor to its online reputation. (Item #1)   You have significant control over your reputation as long as you are monitoring your Reputation Score and using the data to improve your customers' experiences. (Item #2)   Whether you're just starting to take charge of your online reputation, you want to stay ahead of the pack, or you're a marketing agency offering valuable reputation management to clients, take a look at these trends in online reputation management in 2019. (Item #3)

In this day and age, small business owners can no longer afford to ignore their online reputation. (Item #4)   With a careful marketing strategy and ORM best practices in place, it is possible to shape an online identity that conveys integrity, leadership, and trustworthiness. (Item #5)   Online reputation management can take a considerable amount of effort. Luckily, there is a range of paid and free tools that can make your efforts easier. (Item #6)


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Communication and Business Continuity

January 23, 2019 - Communication -- internal, external, crisis, and just plain every day -- is a key component of every successful organization. We all have stakeholders with whom we need to communicate on a regular (even daily) basis but we often don't have plans that enable us to implement effective communication when we need it. This week we look at some of the components of effective communication and the impact communication has on the continuity of operations.

Communication planning is an intricate part of preparedness and any continuity process. (Item #1)   Given its important role, crisis communication must be part of an effective business continuity plan, and not come as an improvised afterthought. (Item #2)   At the center of a business continuity plan for instances such as last year's Strand gas leak is the challenge of communication. (Item #3)

Communicating during a crisis is one of the most important elements of a workplace disaster. (Item #4)   Effective customer communication during a crisis really comes down to organization and collaboration.  (Item #5)   Despite having more channels, more ways to reach out to each other and more content, communication is breaking down in organizations. (Item #6)


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Crisis Communication

October 17, 2018 - As you read through this week's articles, you will see several themes... respond quickly, tell the truth and apologize. There's lots more good information as well. Companies have to act like people in a crisis situation, and the way they communicate can enable that perception in their stakeholders. We hope you don't have to put this information to use, but, let's face it, stuff happens, and we all need whatever help we can get just in case.

Starbucks raised the bar on how to do what's right when something goes wrong. (Item #1)  Here are five crisis communications takeaways from the characters of "Stranger Things." (Item #2)  Unsure of where to begin preparing to communicate in a crisis? Here are seven tips your organization should master. (Item #3)

In this digital age, there are several questions crisis communication plans should address. (Item #4)  Here's a look at five examples of crisis communication fails and what we can learn from them about what not to do in a business crisis. (Item #5)  While this expert says that "crisis is inevitable," she believes that when handled properly a crisis can actually give a boost to an organization. (Item #6)


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Business Identity Theft

June 6, 2018 - We hope you don't think that your business won't become the victim of identity theft. Because, according to all the experts, business ID theft is becoming more and more common as hackers try to outdo each other. While you can never be completely prepared for an identity theft attack, there are many things you can do to protect your business. Check out these articles for some things to consider.
 
Thanks to business identity theft, there are new unexpected risks to you and your business - risks they don't teach you about in business school. (Item #1)   Just as with individual income tax returns, certain business, partnership, and trust and estate return filers should be aware of these signs that their identity has been stolen. (Item #2)   Here's how to secure your sensitive information --- online and offline. (Item #3)

This article has tips for organizations under FTC jurisdiction to determine whether they need to design an identity theft prevention program. (Item #4)   While social media has created no-cost marketing opportunities, it also has created risks, including identity theft and data breach. Are you paying enough attention to the risks and costs?  (Item #5)   Employees are becoming increasingly more vulnerable to cyber threats, just as your company is as a whole. (Item #6)


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Reputation Management

March 7, 2018 - How do you monitor your online reputation? How important is it to you? Maintaining a good reputation is critical to your business, as a bad reputation can adversely impact your bottom line. This week, we've gathered some articles to help you monitor, manage and protect your corporate reputation.

In this article, the author explores 10 essential keys for senior executives and directors to consider in managing reputation risk. (Item #1)  Here are five ways that you can protect your company's reputation on social media. (Item #2)  Understanding reputation management will give you insight on how it can affect your placement in Google rankings. (Item #3)

The author has come up with a no-bullsh*t guide of best practices for reputation management. Follow these tips and chances are you can mitigate some of the damages. (Item #4)  It is much more effective to proactively build and maintain a company's online reputation as opposed to going into recovery mode when bad press hits the Web. (Item #5)  This book is a research-based toolbox to be used for effective corporate communications and creating a positive reputation. (Item #6)


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Recovering from a Data Breach or other Cyber Attack

September 13, 2017 - If your company has never had a data breach, consider yourself lucky. These days, such breaches are nearly inevitable and can cause considerable damage to your bottom line (at a cost of about $214 per compromised record and customer turnover) and your reputation. In order to survive such a breach, it's critical that you know what to do afterward. You can recover, but your best bet is to have a recovery plan and to follow it. These articles can help you determine what you should -- and shouldn't do -- after a breach.

Legal and technology experts shared their insights on how owners can best recover from a small business data breach. (Item #1)   Data breaches happen. Though not ideal, you can recover. Here's how to deal. (Item #2)   With a cyber-attack, an inevitable part of running any business, companies that do not have a policy in place for a post-attack recovery could face serious consequences. (Item #3) 

Being prepared and acting quickly are vital to helping your company recover from a cyber attack as effectively as possible. (Item #4)   This post focuses on the techniques to combat data breaches while containing the damage in extreme cases. (Item #5)   Here's what companies should avoid doing once they realize their systems have been breached. (Item #6)


For the full issue, click here.

Employee Issues & Outcomes

August 30, 2017 - We all have seen how issues with some employees have resulted in shootings and other disruptions in the workplace. There have been eight workplace killings so far in 2017. Every employer should be invested in preventing such incidents and also in preventing issues that can land them in court for harassment and other problems. Hiring and firing have their own issues and can lead to problems down the road. Also, tracking employees online might cause issues. This week's articles provide some hints on how to deal with these issues and, hopefully, to avoid trouble.

Every organization has problem employees; how do you deal with yours? (Item #1)   What's your policy for documenting employee issues? (Item #2)  These are the most common employee issues and a few tips on how to manage them. (Item #3)

Here are some tips on avoiding employment land mines. (Item #4)   Are you prepared to deal with threats of violence in the workplace right now? (Item #5)   Here are some issues with tracking employees' online activities. (Item #6)


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Online Reputation Management

August 16, 2017 - Per the quote in this issue, while most people will look you up online, they won't go further than page one of the results. So if you have negative results on page one, you probably need to do something about them because all that other positive stuff on pages two and following won't matter. You might be able to do some reputation repair yourself or you might need the services of a specialist. But make no mistake about it -- something has to be done. This week, we offer articles that talk about how to DIY as well as what online reputation services can do for you.

Don't wait until your online reputation is a mess to do something about it. (Item #1)   Even if you have never had a strong online position, the people you are doing business with -- now or in the future -- are almost certainly checking up on you online with a fine-toothed comb. (Item #2)   The single critical -- even erroneous -- article is now a greater threat than ever and will glean even greater traction than before in an otherwise positive profile. (Item #3)

It's important to manage your online reputation properly. (Item #4)   If you need help with your online reputation, here are 50 companies that might be able to assist you. (Item #5)   There is a lot that online reputation management can do for a business, but here are three top misconceptions. (Item #6)


For the full issue, click here.

Communication in the Digital Post-Truth Era

April 5, 2017 - The Oxford Dictionaries recently named "post-truth" as their international word of the year. What does this mean for communication, crisis communication and reputation in this post-truth era? How has crisis communication changed and, interestingly, how has it not? While there are challenges, most experts agree that the basic principles of communicating in a crisis are still important. Read on and see what you think... have you changed the way you're handling crisis communication today?

The real challenge for communicators are the longer-term, structural trends around the democratization of publishing and real-time hyper-connectivity. (Item #1)   The term "fake news" has been made popular in the past six months, but it's always been around; how do you protect yourself? (Item #2)   When it comes to communicating in a crisis, hope is not a strategy. (Item #3)

It is tempting in a communications crisis for a firm to shut up shop and proffer little or no comment, or worse still, to attempt to misinform the public in order to save face. (Item #4)   Crisis communication is changing, but its principles remain the same. (Item #5)   What's different about navigating crisis communications in today's environment. (Item #6)


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Reputation Management

March 8, 2017 - It would be most unusual if no one has yet posted anything bad about your company or organization online. In today's social media climate, everybody has the ability and the platform to tell the world what they don't like about you. And make no mistake... they will do so. Your reputation is at stake and you need to be prepared to deal with the negative that's bound to show its ugly head sooner or later. This issue sheds some light on how to develop and carry out a reputation management strategy.

No matter the size of your business, they (prospects, customers, clients... anyone and, potentially, everyone) are talking about you. (Item #1)   how can companies guard their online reputation as effectively and efficiently as possible? (Item #2)   Online reputation management involves placing new content online that pushes old or unwanted content lower in search results. (Item #3)

Everyone has an online footprint and it can make or break your success. (Item #4)   Right or wrong, what is being said online can have a major influence on what others think about you. (Item #5)   Check out some of the best reputation management tools around. (Item #6)


For the full issue, click here.

Online Reputation Management

Think BP, Toyota, Tylenol, Red Cross -- all brands that suffered serious damage to their brands and reputation yet have survived. While your business or organization may not be on that scale, you could suffer reputation damage from which it could take years to recover. What’s your online reputation management plan? The articles below offer some tips on how to manage your reputation online and how to assess reputation risks.

This article describes a process that will help managers do a better job of assessing existing and potential threats to their companies’ reputations and deciding whether to accept a given risk or to take actions to avoid or mitigate it. (Item #1)   Online reputation can have much broader impact than your reviews in Yelp and Google. (Item #2)   When UCDavis hired two ORM firms, the results were unexpected. (Item #3)

Here’s what a small business needs to know about how to assess, build, track and monitor its online reputation. (Item #4)   Which reputation management tool(s) do you need? (Item #5)   Patrick Ambron of BrandYourself.com shares his thoughts on how the reputation management industry is changing and what you need to know about the changes. (Item #6)


For the full issue, click here.