Harvard Business Review Post #3: Reputation

“Reputation Warfare” (by Leslie Gaines-Ross, p. 70) A reputation strategist at Webber Shandwick (a global PR firm), Leslie Gaines-Ross addresses a growing concern for many companies—how to protect their image when they come under fire from anyone with a computer, Facebook page, or Twitter account. Because this actually happened to a friend of mine, I paid close attention to the author’s six pieces of advice. Here are three—read the entire article for the rest: Avoid a disproportionate show of force (or you’ll look like a corporate bully); respond fast…if bureaucracy gets in the way, you’re sunk; and, empower your own team of social media folks to tell your story. Be sure to see the sidebar on p.75 about how a single employee using YouTube can tank a major corporation’s profits.