Building and Protecting Your Reputation: Strategies that Work
Your reputation is one of the most valuable things you have. It doesn’t matter if you’re a business, celebrity, athlete or just an ordinary person – how others perceive you can open doors or slam them shut. A stellar reputation improvement strategies builds trust, gains respect and creates opportunities. A tarnished one? It can hold you back and make life much harder.
Unfortunately, in our social media-driven world, it’s incredibly easy for reputations to get dinged up. One insensitive tweet, unflattering video or scathing review can spread like wildfire and wreak havoc. The good news is that just like reputations can be damaged, they can also be repaired and protected through smart strategies.
Here are some effective ways to build, improve and safeguard your all-important reputation:
Monitor Your Online Presence
In the digital age, a big part of your reputation lies in what comes up when people Google you or your brand name. That’s why it’s crucial to consistently monitor all references and conversations about you across review sites, social media, forums, news outlets and more.
Set up Google alerts for your name, company and any other relevant keywords. Use social listening tools and apps to track online mentions in real-time. This way, you can quickly address any negativity or myths circulating before they go viral and spiral out of control.
Be Proactive, Not Reactive
The best way to fix a bad reputation? Don’t get one in the first place! Think ahead to prevent problems before they happen. If you’re a business, thoroughly train employees on providing consistently excellent customer service. Have clear policies and practices in place for handling complaints or negative reviews swiftly and gracefully.
As an individual, be mindful of your online activity and how you conduct yourself in public and professional settings. It’s much easier to maintain a positive reputation than to repair a damaged one after the fact.
Admit Mistakes
Nobody’s perfect – we all make mistakes or poor choices at times that can impact our reputations. When that happens, own up to it quickly and sincerely. Apologize, take responsibility, and explain what actions you’re taking to correct the issue and prevent it from happening again.
Trying to cover up, deny or make excuses for a misstep just makes the situation worse. People are usually willing to forgive an honest mistake if it’s handled transparently and appropriately. It’s the coverup that really tanks reputations.
Share Positive Stories
Counteract any negativity by actively promoting feel-good stories, wins and positive reviews about yourself or your brand. If you’re a business, encourage satisfied customers to post online testimonials and share their experiences on review platforms. Companies can publish compelling “heartwarming” stories showcasing their values, community impact and happy customers.
For individuals, make sure your online presence focuses on achievements, skills and activities that showcase you in a positive light. If old, unflattering posts or articles come up in a search, work on burying those with new, quality content that reflects who you are today.
Get Ahead of Issues
As soon as you become aware of a potential threat to your reputation, get out in front of it before it snowballs. If a false rumor is circulating, directly refute it with facts. If a customer has an issue, reach out to resolve it before they take to the internet and vent. If you made a legitimate mistake, admit it upfront and share your side of the story.
There are always multiple sides to every story, so don’t let others control the narrative about you or your brand. Being open, accountable and solutions-oriented can go a long way toward preventing minor issues from turning into full-blown PR crises.
Build a Positive Brand
Whether you’re a corporation or just an individual, you need to proactively work on creating and reinforcing a positive personal or company brand. What qualities, traits and values do you want to be known for? Be intentional about shaping public perception through your messaging, marketing, advertising, interactions and overall presentation.
In addition to building a robust online presence with high-quality content, look for opportunities to get quoted in media outlets and speak at conferences or events. These experts sources are influential in shaping how you’re viewed. Consistently putting out a stream of positive, on-brand impressions makes it harder for negativity to stick.
Focus on Customer Service
For businesses and organizations, providing exceptional customer and client service has to be the top priority. How customers are treated shapes their opinions, reviews and loyalty more than any advertising or marketing efforts. If customers feel valued and have positive interactions, they’ll enthusiastically spread the good word about a brand.
Train employees to go above and beyond, follow up after issues to ensure satisfaction and create easy channels for customers to leave feedback and suggestions. Solicit criticism so you can constantly find areas for improvement. Fostering a customer-centric culture focused on delivering great experiences is the foundation of a stellar reputation.
Leverage ambassadors
Customers and supporters who proactively praise and promote your brand online can be powerful advocates for boosting your reputation. Identify these “ambassadors” and find ways to nurture those relationships through appreciation, insider access, incentives, co-creation opportunities and more. Their authentic voices singing your praises are highly influential.
Reputation improvement strategies repair and improvement isn’t something you can just set and forget. It requires consistent, strategic effort over time. Monitor sources, analyze data, engage your audiences, share great content and continually refine your strategies based on what’s working (or not). The goal isn’t to simply get rid of negativity, but to be positively defining your reputation through your actions.
In the words of famous investor Warren Buffett, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Don’t let all your hard-earned credibility and achievements get tarnished or washed away by neglecting your reputation. Whether you’re a major corporation or an individual on the rise, your reputation improvement strategies is simply too valuable of an asset not to prioritize protecting and improving it at every turn.