Reputation management and communications consultancy


1 March 2009, Digital protection crucial with reputations on the line By Jonathan Hemus, Insignia director

Every morning my radio alarm goes off at 6.59am and a new tale of business woe is broadcast on the 7 o’clock news – the names are changed, but the story’s always the same. So with businesses seemingly disappearing at the blink of an eye like children’s bubbles bursting, prudent executives know that a robust approach to reputation protection on-line is essential.

Before we all start to panic at increased levels of vulnerability, let’s get one thing clear: crises do not have to destroy an organisation: research by Oxford Metrica shows that it is not the fact of suffering a crisis that damages a business (indeed they even demonstrate that some businesses appreciate in value following a crisis). What really counts is how the organisation meets the challenge thrown down by the crisis: take control quickly, show compassion and act to put things right and the organisation is likely to prosper. Dither, hide or give the impression of not caring, and tough – or even terminal – challenges may lie ahead. Avoiding this fate depends in part upon using the latest on-line tools and expertise.

A good starting place is an on-line monitoring service. We all know that a crisis prevented is cheaper and much less painful than a crisis handled, so organisations need tools to constantly review what’s being said about them on-line. This begins with the basics – Google alerts and subscriptions to websites like Newsnow – to identify news stories affecting them.A more thorough approach also involves keeping an eye on key blogs, message boards and chatrooms. And, of course, these nuggets of information need to be viewed in a timely, clear and actionable format so management can take control of the issue, rather than the issue taking control of them.

Even the big boys can find themselves apparently chasing their tails. Just last month, Sky announced a product recall of its Pace HD box – but not before many on-line forums had been chatting about it for days beforehand. So, developing monitoring packages to act as the eyes and ears of an organisation is crucial to avoid nasty surprises.

 

If monitoring provides early warning, how can we also ensure rapid response capability? The old rule in crisis management was that the first 24 hours were crucial in deciding the fate of an organisation. Nowadays, 24 hours is an eternity – it’s the first hour that counts. So, having an on-line infrastructure and capability in place to swiftly take control of a situation is essential.

A good starting place is developing “darksites” – pre-prepared website sections to be made live in the event of a crisis to quickly establish the organisation as the authoritative source of information. The darksite should contain statements, helpdesk information, frequently asked questions, contact points and other vital communication material to be made available in the event of a crisis. It’s an insurance policy organisations hope they never have to use, but which pays dividends if they do. Tesco proved the point a couple of years ago when they used a darksite very effectively to communicate information to concerned motorists affected by contaminated petrol.

Finally, digital tools can be used to fill the information vacuum and maintain the organisation’s position as the key information source. video and audio content can be produced and posted to the darksite and beyond (Mattel used this technique to great effect when they had to recall many toys in 2007). Social media can be used to get messages to customers and other audiences, but also to listen to views and perceptions from the outside world. And search engine optimisation (SEO) is never more important than in the heat of a crisis so that the organisation’s perspective is not swamped by the comments and speculation of third parties.

The internet has the power to create and spread a crisis: but used effectively, digital tools also provide a key to helping organisations prevent and manage them too.

A selection of recent reports, letters, releases and features from Insignia.    Archived Stories


308 Birmingham Road Sutton Coldfield West Midlands B72 1DP
T: + 44 (0)121 382 5304 M: + 44 (0)786 832 9102 E: jonathanhemus@insigniacomms.com Blog: www.insigniatalks.com