A big part of reputation management is monitoring for any reputational threat. No brand should be waiting for a crisis to strike in order to start doing the work of strategically managing its reputation. Remember: just because a crisis hasn’t struck your brand’s reputation yet, that doesn’t mean it’s not currently in danger. Here are a few areas that show a brand’s reputation is under threat:

Your stakeholders keep communicating that your brand is missing the mark.

Your brand’s stakeholders can include diverse groups such as customers, partners and suppliers. Each group of stakeholders has its own needs and expectations from the brand. There might not be a crisis yet, but there may still be signs that your brand’s reputation is being damaged. Reputational risk increases wherever there is a gap between the expectations about a brand and its reality. This means if there is a pattern of your stakeholders communicating that you are missing the mark, it’s time to pay attention and address the issue for the sake of your reputation.

Your internal team is disconnected from the brand’s vision.

Your internal team is your brand’s internal stakeholder. The members of an organisation are custodians of the brand. For this reason, it’s important to ensure that not only is there buy-in, but employee needs and expectations are addressed, just as is the case for external stakeholders. If your internal team is disconnected from the brand’s vision, your brand is at risk of sharing information that increases reputational risk- accidentally or purposely.

Your reputation does not align with the reality of your brand on the ground.

Whether your brand has a better or worse reputation than is the reality, this is a problem. Potential customers and stakeholders often encounter positive messaging about a brand, especially on their own platforms. However a negative experience when interacting with the brand then damages your reputation. The opposite can also be true: if a brand seems to have a negative reputation but experience of the brand is positive, the discrepancy damages the brand. If the public expects anything from your brand other than what you are, it’s important to address.

Stephanie Taderera is a Content Executive at Magna Carta Reputation Management Consultants. To learn more about how we can help you build your brand\’s reputation, contact us today.