As the dust continues to settle in the News of the World phone hacking scandal I wanted to reflect on something that occurred right at the start of the whole debacle and explain how it’s relevant to your business.

Within hours of the news breaking about News of the World’s illegal phone illegal phone tapping of Milly Dowler’s voice messages, Ford announced that they were withdrawing all advertising from the paper. This was before the full scale of the problems began to emerge and obviously well before the paper announced its decision to close.

As the first advertisers to announce their withdrawal they are the ones I remember but they were quickly followed by others concerned about the impact on their own brands and reputation in the light of the scandal.

The issue of brand and reputation management is not just relevant to the likes of Ford however, it’s just as important for small businesses and professional firms.

Have you considered recently who and what your brand is associated with and what that says about your business, as well as how this affects your reputation?

Most small businesses and professional firms will have no association with the News of the World, or any other tabloid for that matter. But there are many other ways that your associations with others can have an impact.

Employees

The people in your business, especially in service businesses, are all important to your brand and reputation, just ask News of the World!

They are so important it’s worthwhile considering some specific employee issues to help you manage your reputation as a business.

Selection – Don’t they say recruit for attitude, train for aptitude? Of course, you need to select individuals who you believe can do the job but don’t forget to also consider the softer skills and their reputation, from previous jobs. (Maybe David Cameron should have paid more attention to the reputation of Andy Coulson, for example.)

Training – Train your employees to deliver the brand experience that you want your customers to have. Don’t leave anything to chance. You shouldn’t, for example, assume that because you recruit a senior lawyer they will deliver the level of service that you expect. Different firms have different standards and you want to make sure all employees deliver to your standard, not accept the lowest common denominator.

Training may be required in a variety of areas. To allow your accountants to deliver great customer service for example you may need to train them in time management skills, so they create the space in their day to answer client questions and provide the level of contact that clients expect.

Of course, it’s not only training in soft skills that are needed to protect your reputation. It’s also important that all employees are fully aware of acceptable behaviour and practice. So this will include having policies for things like data management, confidentiality, money laundering and so on and making sure all employees understand their own responsibilities. For those Archers fans amongst you just think of the damage to the reputation of Bridge Farm from the failure of one member of their team to follow their hygiene policy.

Briefing – Don’t be surprised if employees say or do the wrong things when they haven’t been properly briefed. If you are out of stock of your most popular product no doubt your order processors and sales force will be getting it in the neck from customers. Make sure that employees are briefed with the message you want delivered: “We have that item on order, are expecting it in on Wednesday and I’ll call you as soon as they arrive”, is so much better than “No, we don’t have any, you’re the 10th person to ask today and I haven’t a clue when we’re expecting them in, you’ll have to call back again tomorrow.”

Monitoring – You can’t assume that things won’t change. It’s important to keep an eye on staff, especially remote workers who may be one removed from the accepted practices of your business. You need to monitor their performance on your service standards as this is how reputations are built and destroyed. Client surveys, satisfaction readings and encouraging client feedback will all be useful in this regard.

Business partners and associates

If you work in partnership with others to deliver your services they will have an impact on your brand and reputation. So make sure you check them out, talk to their customers, ask the business owners probing questions about client service and ask other business owners, your own customers and suppliers what they know (and think) about them.

Marketing media

As Ford decided so quickly in the light of the News of the World events where you advertise and the vehicles you choose to use for marketing says something about who you are willing to associate with and indeed put money into the hands of.

The selection of appropriate marketing communications vehicles should certainly be about whether they reach the right target audience but should also take account of the brand associations of any such advertising. Whilst sponsoring a local beer festival for example might seem innocuous and free from problems, do think through the consequences to your brand and business reputation of things like alcohol being sold to underage drinkers, noise disturbance or the event being a complete flop.

Social media buddies

A tricky subject really and one that impacts more on the reputation and brand image of the individual manager, business owner or director than on the reputation of the business. Who you follow on Twitter and your Linked In connections and so on all helps to build a picture of you and your interests. So, if you’ve set up a Twitter account for business purposes and you are following mainly footballers and super models not only can you not expect Twitter to deliver much business benefit but you need also be aware that the impression you create is of someone who’s not as interested in business as your clients might want you to be.

The world wide web

In the modern world the internet can make and break reputations. Whilst it’s impossible to control everything that’s said about you and your business, online, it’s certainly worth being aware.

Many lawyers were shocked to learn about a site called solicitors from hell which had been allowing clients to post negative reviews about individual lawyers and firms for many years before one if these victims decided enough was enough and took them to court.

Think about how you use website reviews yourself. Do you ever book a holiday or a hotel without checking our Trip Advisor reviews? Is there an equivalent to Trip Advisor in your sector and if so, what does it say about you?

It’s worthwhile finding ways to scan the market to review your reputation and so much better to know what people are saying about you than be ignorant. Try a Google search with [your business name] and [review], re-read your Linked In profile and recommendations and consider what it’s saying about you and whether it would persuade people to use your services or employ you.

Final thoughts on managing your reputation

Going back to the News of the World; being the first to act can make a difference when it comes to reputation. I remember Ford being the first advertiser to pull their advertising and respected them for it whilst the others, I thought, were just jumping on the band wagon. In more recent weeks a few small businesses have had incredible uplifts in their reputation by offering free or speedy support to fellow business owners in the immediate aftermath of the riots in some English cities. Their selfless actions will have created tremendous good will from those they helped and those who heard about it, a great boost to their local reputation.

And just one last thought on the tabloids and what they say about your business and how they might impact on your reputation. Do be careful about the publications that are left in your reception area. OK! magazine may be acceptable in a hairdressers and The Sun might be alright for the barbers but neither are suitable reading material for the reception of any serious business or professional firm, and I only mention them because I’ve come across those or similar publications in the reception areas of businesses around the West Midlands.

No doubt we’ll all continue to read and hear the fall-out from the News of the World case over many weeks and months to come. Perhaps now when it comes up you’ll be reminded of some of these tips for managing your brand reputation.

Further reading:

How people buy and the role of advertising and marketing

Get your business noticed – the service approach

Written by Teresa Harris, Second Opinion Marketing. Teresa is an independent marketing consultant working with professional practices, small businesses and public sector bodies to develop effective marketing plans which achieve their business objectives. As a marketing coach Teresa works with new marketing managers and small business owners to enhance their marketing performance.

Contact Teresa on 01789 740396 or by email.

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