Four reputation management strategies to boost your image

A strong reputation helps retain customers and employees, wins new partnerships, secures funding and investments, and attracts the best talents in the market. It is an invaluable asset that impacts the whole organization and tied with the market value of a company or a brand.

In the Middle East, corporate executives attribute their company’s market value to the overall reputation. A strong reputation also helps expand the market of products and services, as well as improves and raises media profile, hence creating a lifetime value for brands. With these significant rewards and benefits of a good reputation management, it is no surprise that more and more businesses in the region seek the services of PR professionals, particularly in Dubai as it serves as a major hub of PR agencies in the UAE and the Middle East.

A reputation management is shaping and influencing the perceptions of stakeholders about a company, organization and a brand. It often includes monitoring public perceptions, responding to reputation threats and taking every opportunity to boost positive reputation. Having been in the industry for years, Orient Planet Group highlights some of the key proactive reputation management strategies being practiced by PR agencies in the Middle East and across the GCC.

Regular tracking of brand mention
PR professionals monitor public perception of the brand regardless of the how it is mentioned. Good, bad, and the ugly: they all matter because reputation management is an active and ongoing process. This can be done by leveraging social media tools such as setting real-time notifications on brand tags, mentions, hashtags, and branded keywords. This gives the team an opportunity to address queries and complaints proactively.

An effective reputation management entails a positive and proactive response; simple how that may sound, it goes a long way in the brand’s reputation.

Media Monitoring
It is important to listen to what is being said about the brand, by whom, where and why. PR specialists do not find value in responding negatively to a comment from reporters, customers or employees. Instead, appropriate response is needed. An appropriate response under these circumstances means respectful, helpful and considerate. The goal of reputation management is not to manipulate, rather, understand the stakeholders’ concerns.

Nothing beats transparency
Reputation relies on how transparent an organization as being honest and open helps build trust. When customers, investors, employees, and the media can access information about the company, it often sends a message that there is nothing to hide. In addition, being open about mistakes with honest attempts to fix the necessary is more beneficial rather than hiding and sugarcoating.

Combat negativity in a positive way
Oftentimes, it is challenging to manage something that is already out in the public, but balancing it with positive messages mitigates the reputation risk. For instance, do not shy away from writing and posting positive communication messages to highlight an organization’s constructive and beneficial initiatives. The best approach to combat negative reviews and comments is to encourage and promote positive works and efforts of an organization.

Reputation management matters because a brand’s reputation can either break or make a company. Rather than thinking that reputation or public’s perception is something beyond control, taking proactive steps to boost and manage reputation is the right approach.

For more details you can contact us at:
Ph. No.: +971 4 4562888
Email: business@orientplanet.com