How to master the 3 pillars of brand reputation management

Your brand’s online reputation may speak for itself, but that doesn’t mean the narrative is out of your control. With the right data, you can continuously refine your company’s public perception. From social media to news networks; all big and small brand mentions drive brand reputation, which makes reputation management strategy an absolute must-have in a digital-driven world.

Whether it’s a botched NFT launch or a spokesperson who’s in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, there’s an increasing array of events that can impact your brand reputation at a moment’s notice. Combine that with social, which has the power to fan the flames or turn down the heat, and you get a new era of communications concerns and opportunities.

Navigating this new terrain requires an updated toolkit that takes social insights and puts them to work. Fuel your strategy with listening, competitor and review data to shape how your audience views your brand.

Here’s how to get it done.

What is brand reputation management?

Brand reputation management is the process of monitoring and influencing the public perception of your brand.

Reputation takes years to build and minutes to lose. Even small hiccups can impact how an audience feels about your brand for years to come. Brand reputation management gives communications professionals the information they need to stay in control of their brand’s narrative.

In the past, smaller companies didn’t usually have to concern themselves with creating a comprehensive brand reputation management strategy. Now, word of mouth can travel in the blink of an eye. Unforeseen events can put local businesses at the center of national conversations.

Because of this, companies of all sizes need brand reputation management strategies designed to address issues big and small.

The 3 pillars of brand reputation management

Social revolutionized the importance of brand reputation. Thankfully, it also revolutionized the art of brand reputation management. There are three sources of social insights that can act as the pillars of your strategy: listening, competitor and review data. These pillars support your strategy with real-time insights, so you can quickly identify what’s working and what’s not.

Listening data

Social media is the world’s largest focus group. With social listening, marketers can tap into the social conversations that surround their brands, industries and audience.

Think of it this way: Your mentions are only a small slice of the feedback, concerns and praise that your audience shares across social. With social listening, you get the full pie. These insights can support your brand reputation management strategy in a few ways. First, they can illuminate opportunities. For example, your social listening insights could help you identify and act on long-standing requests from your customers.

thank u for giving the world what we need

— Kaleigh Boone (@kaleighb09) January 25, 2021