The Age of Reputation Management Part 3

There are a number of online voices that each bring something to the reputation management table. But, from these reputation prophets and management bulldogs we can distill some items that can serve as a checklist to see if your organization is in need of reputation management. While it is obvious that a reputation is unique to an organization, some indicators of good or bad reputation are 1) high or low employee turnover, 2) reduction or increase in market share, 3) waning or increasing shareholders confidence, 4) high or low product quality, 5) high or low customer retention, 6) good or bad media report 7) high or low third party rating, 8) flattering or unflattering competitor perception, and 9) host community perception.

This is not to say that these are the only reflectors of reputation, but they are enough to get you thinking about your own reputation. Certainly there are pros that can massage your reputation from a low standing and propel you into a better light, and if you see your organization as suffering, you should take the appropriate steps correct this slide. But what if you are already doing well, have a strong reputation, does this mean you need reputation management? Absolutely.

Because you have a successful reputation, others will try to emulate your recipe, or maybe even sabotage your presence in order to create their own niche. For instance, if your name or brand is associated with fraudulent activity on the web, at no fault of your own, you will still pay the price by taking a hit to your reputation, and until that reputation is healed, your bottom line may suffer. All you need is one ombudsman or documentary film maker to get it into their head that your organization is a pack of “wrong-doers”, and the damage to your reputation can be monumental. Think of the massive hits to the American automakers over the last few years by independent film makers, starting with Michael Moore’s Roger and Me. Do you know anybody who wants to do their part for the environment? How many of those people have seen Who Killed The Electric Car? and how many of them are walking by a GM showroom without thinking of all the cute little EV-1s crushed in a junkyard. GM is producing great hybrid cars these days, but the EV-1 legacy is still battering their reputation every chance it gets – and this is ten years after the fact. 

By retaining the services of reputation management providers you should be looking for an organization that can be your web eyes and ears, to keep you abreast of the buzz around your reputation – what’s being said, how you look on uTube, which bloggers are taking shots and which are defending. You need somebody who’s got your back. In some ways, the web can be like the wild, wild west and your reputation is a deaf, dumb, and blind kid carrying the crown jewels into a saloon fight – you need a Clint Eastwood at your side to make sure you and your trinkets get on the stagecoach in the morning.

For an excellent artyicle on reputation management, visit the Washington Post.