Reputation

As communicators, our job is to promote and protect the reputation of the people and brands that we work with.

By definition, reputation is “the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something.”

If you don’t feel good about that someone or something, it’s likely that you will actively avoid it or walk away. You may also persuade others to do the same. If you feel good about that someone or something, you want to be around it, you want to engage with it and you tell your friends about it. You’re also likely to become loyal to it.

Effectively managing reputation can and will shape how the outside world sees your organisation. Whether it’s your customers, partners, investors or future talent. That’s why managing reputation, no matter what the size of your organisation, is critical. It’s also why reputational impact should be considered with every business decision that you make and why I believe communications needs to sit firmly at the board table.

Your communications team or consultant can advise on the reputational risks or opportunities at hand. It is also crucial to embed the importance of reputation in your business and make it clear that every employee has a role in promoting and protecting it – the way they conduct themselves inside and outside, on social media, when talking to customers etc.

In the always-on world that we live in and with the sheer volume of channels available to communicate, never has it been easier or quicker to share our thoughts, opinions and actions with the outside world. Each and every one of us is shaping how people and brands are perceived, impacting reputation.

The role of communications has never been more important.