No matter how much work you put into running your business, you only have so much control over what happens. When you have many people working for you, all it takes is one mistake and you could be dealing with a major hit to your brand. From someone saying something out of place to the media to a defective product hitting the market, there are many scenarios that might lead to you needing some reputation management. Use this advice and put together a plan that helps you get back on your feet.

Assess the Damage

The first step you need to take before putting any plan into motion is assessing the damage done to your brand. Cases can range in severity, with some issues only requiring a little bit of work to improve the company’s image. However, there are plenty of scenarios that require an immediate and involved response. Take a moment to get a feel for how the public views your brand and how stockholders are responding to recent events. This will give you a better idea of what work needs to be put into your restoration process.

Make a Response

The worst thing you can do when it comes to reputation management for your brand is to ignore the problem in a public way. Sweeping everything under the rug is the easiest way for you to make matters worse. After assessing the damage, come up with a plan to respond to whatever it is that has transpired. You want to take time with this, however, as rushing into an apology or using the wrong words can also make the situation a lot more complicated. If needed, work with an agency that specializes in such reputation adjustments and gain professional insight.

Put Out Positive News

After you have acknowledged the issue in a public way, you want to start putting out positive news. If you’re making changes to directly address the problems your brand has been creating, then you need to make sure you announce this without looking as if you are desperately seeking attention. Experts suggest putting out stories that are upbeat or neutral in tone, which can help to balance out any negative information that has been dominating online journals and reports in recent weeks. The more content you create, the easier it is to have a balanced presence online again.

Though finding yourself in a scenario where you need to fix damages done to your brand is annoying on many levels, it isn’t the end of the world. Look into reputation management strategies and see how you can get back in the good graces of consumers.