Reputation management contains all activities of a person or organization to evoke a desired image in the public. These activities mainly try to generate positive associations and limit negative images. Reputation management is therefore extremely important, but how do you approach this? In this article we explain the six steps of reputation management.
Step 1: creating a strong identity
In order to realize this very first step, it is important to objectively identify the core values of your brand, product or organization. What do they mean and what do they stand for? Ask yourself what sets your brand or organization apart from others. What is important to the people who work there? In short, what is it essentially about?
This internal information helps you formulate your core mission, to know who the organization is and what it stands for. It is important to not only involve directors or founders, but to explore this organization-wide to get a more objective and complete picture.
Step 2: positioning and perspective
The second step of strong reputation management concerns the positioning of the organization in the market. What is the concept of the organization? What sets it apart from competitors? How is a brand, product or organization positioned in the market and how do third parties view it? How do they think and speak about it, online and offline? What are the expectations, wishes, opinions and arguments? And how are they assessed by the (potential) target group? Supporters, critics, opponents and competitors are also important in determining the positioning of an organization.
In addition, it is important to choose a suitable organizational structure and a unique organizational concept. This helps to strengthen and position your brand, making it easier for you to determine the goal you are moving towards as an organization. After all, an organization that wants to make a profit from labor does not choose a non-profit foundation that is run by volunteers.
Also read: what is a positioning strategy?
Step 3: the story of the organization
Your organization consists of people. People who all have ideas and opinions and share them in their environment. It is therefore important that everyone in the entire team is on the same page and that the message is clear internally for everyone.
This important third step of strong reputation management is to sharpen the 'sustainable corporate story'. What do you stand for as an organization, where do you come from and where are you going? What is the goal and what is the motivation, which (corporate) culture and structure are appropriate and what does that look like in practice?
The story of the organization is more than a fabrication of the PR & communications professionals who pass on the message of the management. It is the statement that connects everyone involved in the organization.
Step 4: branding
This next step is only logical in this process. Once you have taken stock of what the organizational identity is and what you want to radiate, it is time to put your words into action. This involves branding, where you use and utilize all media and resources to introduce your target group to your organization in a recognizable and reliable way.
Branding includes the feeling and image that your organization evokes, both in offline and online (social) media. Consider a (new) name, corporate identity and logo, a renewed or new website and the streamlining of all communication in terms of tone of voice, use of color and images.
Step 5: communication and performance
For successful reputation management, it is important to learn to manage its pillars. In the four previous steps you have designed and built the house, it remains to furnish and live in it efficiently to capitalize on your investment.
What are the pillars of reputation management?
- Emotional appeal (how attractive is your organization for your target group, but also for employees, for example).
- Products or services (which solutions does the organization offer for which problems).
- Vision & leadership (where is the organization heading and how are the leaders performing).
- Working environment and corporate culture (which values are important in collaboration on the work floor).
- Financial performance (does the organization also perform financially).
- Social responsibility (how does the organization score in the areas of Environment, Social and Governance).
Step 6: measure and manage, monitor and adjust
By monitoring the external (online and/or offline) media, following the trends and hypes and analyzing this external information and comparing it with the internal information, you can distill what the image of your brand, product or company is and whether it matches the identity.
If you give reputation management a structural role within your organization, keep your finger on the pulse by focusing on measuring and managing performance, communication and reputation of your organization.
Through monitoring you obtain objective data that allows you to make adjustments in building a positive reputation for your brand, product or organization.
Also read: legitimacy management and reputation
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