How to Manage a Company's Reputation
Oftentimes, companies feel like the media controls their public images and incorrect reports damage their reputations and sales. You can manage your company's reputation without the aid of a PR firm, but you need to be prepared to answer difficult questions.
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Instructions
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Identify possible dangers to your company's reputation. The media loves controversial stories and covering mistakes made by large businesses, but issues like worker strikes can also harm your reputation. Pay attention to national industry news stories, because the local media will often do a regional story that could put your business in the hot seat.
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Prepare one member of your company to speak to the media. Brainstorm possible questions and drill this person so that she is prepared to answer in concise statements that spin the story in favor of your company.
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Develop a list of "talking points" that you want to incorporate into your public communications. Keep these points to one to two sentences that are easy to understand and highlight your company's good reputation.
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Make sure that it is easy for clients and consumers to contact your company. Provide quick responses to questions and concerns to help manage your reputation.
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Send out press releases to the local media to try and get some free publicity. Present your company or a new product in a way that will create a story. For example, note the fact that you are the only biotech company in the area or that your product is going to have a national effect on some industry. Include the contact number for your external communications officer, but alert other people (like researchers) about the possibility of media interviews.
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Establish a policy that requires your PR officer to be on the line while an employee speaks to the media. Let both parties know that the PR officer can interrupt the interview or forbid the employee to answer certain questions in order to protect trade secrets.
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Hire a professional PR person or company to manage your business's reputation if you don't have the time or money to do it yourself. Ask for examples of how the company helped salvage other reputations in the past and if their employees are knowledgeable of your industry.
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Tips & Warnings
You have the right to ask the media to go off the record, but you need to be sure that it is understood by the reporter before you say anything sensitive.
You can send in editorials or make complaints to the editors at various news outlets if they made mistakes. Demand that a correction be printed or announced on the air.
