How To Protect Your Brand Image and Reputation

Businesses sometimes take the brunt of negative PR on their reputation. A lot of bad publicity often happens, and the companies are often the victim of negative publicity.

A PR crisis is a nightmare for enterprises. Their reputation and brand image are at stake, and they usually don't have enough time to repair the damage. This is because information is hard to find, and time is not enough to manage the problem.

In fact, the 2019 survey indicated that 55 percent of firms weren't adequately prepared for a PR crisis. 

In this article, I will share some tips on how you can maintain and protect your business reputation with the help of social networking sites.

What is brand reputation?

Brands (or reputations) are associations that buyers make with a company. These associations can be between a brand name and a particular product or a type of product or services, or they might involve the brand name and a particular service. For example, customers may be loyal to a brand of mobile phone because the brand has delivered good products for many years. This leads the customer to trust that the brand can deliver a reliable service.

Brand image

Brand image is the way a brand is perceived. It is something that the brand owner and buyers have in mind when they think about the brand. Brand image is the way a brand is seen, heard, tasted, touched, smelled, and interpreted.

Company brand reputation must-haves 

Brand reputation is different from marketing or advertising campaigns. It is a reputation that is created through interaction with customers, both positive and negative.

Here are the 3 key elements that create a good brand reputation:

1. An effective PR team is integral to your business
   A PR team can be of great help when it comes to managing your company's brand reputation. A dedicated PR team will be able to communicate with customers and respond to their concerns in real-time, thus acting promptly to deal with issues that may arise. In addition, a dedicated team will be able to monitor online conversations and respond accordingly.
2. Invest in PR tools
   One of the best ways to build a strong brand is to have a well-defined and effective PR strategy. A well-thought-out PR strategy will help you manage your brand reputation and build a strong public image. A PR strategy should be developed through research and planning, a detailed plan that includes the key points and objectives that you wish to achieve.
3. Managing your reputation proactively
   Take the responsibility of managing your brand image and reputation seriously. Even if you have a stellar reputation in the industry, it's possible for negative publicity to negatively impact your brand. It's easy to get overwhelmed by negative publicity and to lose your composure. Your job is to stay composed and respond with the right message at all times.  There are also third-party tools that can help you monitor and manage reputation.

In an age of competition, enterprises need to work hard at improving their customer experiences and building brand image. But if they don't do that, they still risk a PR crisis. As a result, they must take a proactive approach to manage such situations.