Reputation Using public relations to defend or improve your online reputation is what PR is all about. This differs from standard PR in that it focuses completely on establishing a positive reputation, rather than simply getting your name in the news.

For example, eliminating bad online posts about your business, reacting to online customer reviews, or employing influencer marketing to promote positive brand buzz are all examples of reputation management PR. Reputation PR, like corporate brand management, necessitates continual proactivity and communication.

Depending on the catalysts fueling your efforts, managing your internet reputation can take a variety of forms. For example, you might approach crisis management differently from a business attempting to gain consumer trust for the first time.

These reputation management tactics may be useful in directing your efforts:

1. Taking Back Control 

You do not influence what others think of you. You can, however, take command of the dialogue and gain an advantage over the circumstance.

This is exactly what KFC did when there was a chicken shortage in some of its restaurants. With no chicken to offer (unthinkable for a chicken-based restaurant), the company issued a full-page ad with a “fowl-mouthed” apology. The commercial featured a reconfigured version of the company’s signature striped bucket.

Customers were understandably irritated that the company didn’t have any chicken to offer. Chicken shortages were caused by COVID supply chain interruptions, which impacted the eatery and many others. The brand’s creative reputation PR plan, on the other hand, helped to smooth things over by issuing a humorous apology and accepting responsibility for the problem.

2. Behave in a Purposeful Manner

Authenticity is at the heart of effective reputation PR strategies. According to the Gustavson Brand Trust Survey, brand trust has been declining for years. And, in the aftermath of COVID, brand scores have recently plummeted to new lows.

According to Social Media Today, 90 per cent of consumers consider authenticity when deciding which brands to support. They want businesses to advertise with real people, engage in real dialogues with customers, and make a real difference in the world.

Using authenticity as one of your reputation management strategies entails displaying your brand’s true human side. It’s not about taking a stand or sharing a conviction for advertising. Rather, it should flow naturally from your company’s principles and obligations to its customers.

3. Use Internal Influencers to Your Advantage

Brands continue to benefit greatly from influencer marketing, but there is a new side to influencer marketing that has to be explored.

Internal influencers are gaining traction as a viable alternative to hired celebrities and paid social media actors. Influencers are essentially the sponsoring company’s customers. As a result, they may be perceived as phony, advocating just the brands they’re paid to promote rather than those they truly care about and support.

A better strategy is to hunt for brand ambassadors within your company. Employing staff as content developers allows customers to get a behind-the-scenes peek at the company. Your people know you better than anyone else. Internal influencers should be sought out at all levels of your company. Look for methods that may assist you in improving your communication and reputation both internally and externally.

4. Engage With Public Relations Reputation Manager

It may be as simple as delegating responsibility for reputation management to a professional. A corporate communications professional can assist with anything from designing reputation PR plans to putting those strategies into action and tracking the results, as well as everything in between.

A PR manager or a PR firm may use a variety of PR strategies to assist you to manage your reputation, but one of them will almost certainly be social and media monitoring.
read more:What is the concept of social media optimization?