The keys to a successful e-reputation anticipation strategy

E-reputation management has become essential for companies. It’s no longer enough to simply react in the event of a crisis: we also need to anticipate risks and implement a truly proactive e-reputation strategy. In this article, we’ll take you through the main steps involved in building your own action plan.

Analysis of potential threats

Any forward-looking e-reputation strategy starts with an analysis of potential threats to your business. Here are a few examples:

1. Negative reviews posted on specialized websites or social networks can damage your reputation;
2. Disgruntled former employees could share sensitive information;
3. A rival could spread false rumors to tarnish your image;
4. Political, economic or ecological influences could impact your business sector;
5. An internal error could result in an embarrassing situation.

It’s all about mapping risks and building anticipatory scenarios to better prepare yourself.

Setting up a monitoring system

Once the risks have been identified, it’s essential to set up a monitoring system, enabling you to keep an eye on developments in your e-reputation on the web in real time. This includes :

• Monitoring search engines and the display of results related to your business;
• Listen to social networks, which are often the source of criticism and negative comments;
• Monitoring forums, blogs and other platforms where Internet users can share their opinions.

To make this task easier, several tools exist (free or paid) that allow you to centralize and automate your watch according to the keywords and sources you define.

Implementing proactive communication

In addition to monitoring, it’s important to adopt a proactive communication approach. The aim is to promote your company by regularly sharing relevant, high-quality content. To achieve this:

• Create attractive content: blog posts, videos, images, infographics… Be creative and adapt to your target audience’s expectations;
• Share your news: inform your audience about your company’s news, milestones and successes;
• Promote positive reviews: relay satisfied testimonials from your customers and partners on your communication channels;
• Develop your online presence: animate your social networks, participate in discussions on specialized forums, publish guest articles on influential blogs in your sector…

So, by controlling your communication and strengthening your reputation, you can limit the potential impact of attacks on your e-reputation.

Crisis management

Anticipating crises

Despite all the precautions you take, it’s impossible to predict every crisis situation with any certainty. However, thanks to your anticipation work, you will have identified the most likely scenarios and will be able to draw up an action plan adapted to each case. This plan should specify :

• Individual team responsibilities;
• The messages to convey and the communication channels to use;
• The procedure for quickly resolving the problem (correcting an error, responding to criticism, etc.).

Reacting to the crisis

When a crisis breaks out and your e-reputation is damaged, you need to react quickly and effectively. There are a few principles to bear in mind:

1. Don’t deny the facts: recognizing the problem is essential if we are to assess it and respond appropriately;
2. Inform internally: keep your staff informed of the situation and define a course of action together;
3. Communicate transparently: explain the causes and consequences of the crisis and present the actions taken to remedy it;
4. Solve the problem: depending on the situation, correct the mistake, respond to attacks or dispel false rumors…

If necessary, don’t hesitate to call on crisis communication experts to help you manage this delicate stage.

In short, a successful e-reputation strategy is based on thorough preparation, effective monitoring and controlled communication. It will enable you to limit the risks and protect your company’s reputation on the web over the long term.