Are you protecting your organization’s reputation?

Maintaining a solid company reputation is critical for success, growth and survival. Potential customers and job seekers consider brand reputation when deciding whether to engage with your company.

So how can you ensure that your company’s brand is strong and reputable? You need to be intentional with a carefully executed company reputation management strategy. 

The internet is where most impactful conversations about your brand are happening. That’s where you should focus energy to observe those conversations, measure impact, and attempt to redirect perceptions. 

These 12 successful strategy ideas can drive and control how your company is viewed:

1. Employ public relations: Maintain a positive image and increase brand awareness. A strong PR campaign can take a damaged reputation and begin to reform it. It can also thrust a little-known brand into the limelight.

2. Utilize search engine optimization (SEO): An SEO strategy can reduce negative information about a company from search engine results and replace it with positive content. 

3. Get active on social media: Maintain a positive and active social media presence. Establish your company as a source of information. Showcase your brand and expand your brand reach. 

4. Develop a content marketing strategy: Showcase your company as a credible authority on relevant industry topics.

5. Improve customer satisfaction: Satisfied customers are a great asset. By improving customer satisfaction, your customers will do the work for you.  

6. Deliver a good customer experience: Your product or service may be incredible, but a poor customer experience can damage your brand reputation. Make every step of the customer experience a good one.

7. Provide excellent customer support: Done right, excellent customer support can be the difference between a dissatisfied customer who speaks negatively about your company and one who becomes a loyal champion. 

8. Personalize customer reactions: Customers feel valued when you recognize them as individuals. Connect with your customer base to develop a strong rapport.

9. Nurture brand advocates: Use social listening tools to get notified when your organization is mentioned in a positive light, and then take the time to respond.

10. Feature customer testimonials and success stories: Potential customers will take their word far more seriously than they take yours.

11. Improve employee satisfaction and engagement: People are far more likely to trust an employee’s opinion about a company than a piece of marketing collateral. 

12. Earn recognition as an employer of choice: Third-party awards showcase the qualities of a great workplace with a seal of approval.  

The key is to continuously revise your strategy to meet your company’s current needs. Revisit your company reputation management plan often, and don’t forget to encourage and respond to constructive criticism.

Laura Brinton is content marketing director at Energage, a Philadelphia-based employee survey firm. Energage is The Washington Post’s survey partner for Top Workplaces.