Company Reputation and Crisis: What Companies Should and Shouldn’t Do During a Pandemic

Large-scale crises affect every part of a community socially, economically, and otherwise. In this article, we will tell you how to maintain a positive image for your brand during a crisis and come through to the other side.

How has the pandemic affected consumer confidence?

Self-isolation and lower incomes have led consumers to be even more selective. Some people will continue to distance themselves from industries that have been hit hardest by the coronavirus, such as the tourism industry. Furthermore, when brands participate in controversy, it becomes even more difficult to regain customer confidence than before.

A negative image has a huge impact on a brand’s competitiveness. Controversial attention to the virus can trigger a wave of scrutiny from the media, undermining the authority of a company and its CEO. Negative mentions like these showing up in the top search results seriously damage your image and financial performance. Your customers will simply turn to your competition.

After quarantine ends and media attention changes to another problem, it takes a lot of effort to remove unwanted content from search results. Even after the fact, such content can cost you a lot of audience and potential customers.

In addition to online publications, other factors may threaten your reputation:

Negative feedback from employees at sites such as Glassdoor
Bad reviews and low ratings on review sites like Yelp
Inappropriate statements on social networks that cause a negative reaction from the audience

During a crisis, consumers are especially sensitive to any brand statements about the problem. All social media posts are “under the gun” and facing extra scrutiny. Even one careless statement can cause a wave of negativity and a loss of customer confidence. For example, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has repeatedly made comments on Twitter about exaggerating the problem. Users have frequently criticized these comments.

In the future, these scandals can affect not only the company's profits, but also on its HR reputation. You can lose potential talented employees because of a lack of trust in your company or because of personal hostility.

This is especially important in times of crisis, when professionals need confidence and social security.

Invest in company reputation

A study by Weber Shandwick showed that a strong reputation accounts for 63% of a company’s market value. Your image depends on what content users find in the first page of Google search results.

Having a loyal audience and brand advocates helps protect the company from attacks from competitors and other consumers. Even a few negative reviews can cost your brand customers. A Moz study found that you risk losing:

22% of consumers if there is one negative post in the top results
59% of the audience if 3 negative posts are found
70% of the audience if 4 negative posts are found

statistic which shows how many negative articles influence on users by choosing of product or service

Therefore, you must not ignore negative comments, even if it’s just one review or the information is false. The best solution is to sort out the conflict and resolve it by offering compensation to the dissatisfied customer. Either remove content through negotiation or a legal claim.

In addition, regular monitoring, analysis of brand mentions, and product or service feedback will give you an edge over your competitors. You can constantly monitor trends, identify consumer insights and improve your product even in times of crisis.

Step-by-step instructions on how to maintain a positive company image in times of crisis

1. Increase audience loyalty

According to studies, attracting a new customer costs 5 times more than maintaining existing customers. Therefore, your primary task is to work to meet the needs of customers.

List of services directly affecting customer loyalty

For example, free delivery during the quarantine period and in the next few weeks, while people can fully get to work, will positively affect your image.

Be as responsive as possible and do not disregard any question or user comments. This should be the norm at all times. You should assign a dedicated, responsible employee to follow up on customer feedback.

Show that you are a socially responsible company. Tell the audience what safety measures are taken when packing and delivering goods. For example, some beauty salons or medical centers have bactericidal recirculators.

2. Follow the usual pricing policy

Maintaining regular prices signals that your business is stable. It’s important that consumers be confident in their choice. If a brand abruptly starts discounting, perhaps the company is on the verge of bankruptcy or product value has declined.

To offer more value, instead of lowering costs, you can improve services. For example, if you trade in household appliances, then you can offer customers interest-free installments.

3. Enhance your corporate culture

A strong HR reputation will also help overcome the crisis. The more you support and motivate your employees, the better support they will provide your brand in the future. For example, Ally Financial offered payments for child care during the quarantine period to its employees.
Ask your staff to write reviews about working for the company. This will provide positive content in the search results, which will attract targeted users.

4. Expand partnerships

During the crisis, many companies are facing similar challenges. This is a great opportunity to create alliances that will help mutually reinforce your image.
For example, Federalberghi Italia has teamed up with the FH55 Grand Hotel Palatino in Rome to inform the audience about security measures taken during a pandemic. Caring for the health of customers and constant support creates trust and loyalty to companies.

5. Prevent the spread of negativity

The worst thing a brand can do during a crisis is to ignore the attacks from consumers and the media. Contact a reputational agency for help. Specialists will create a content strategy aimed at refuting negative information and creating new, positive content.
With the help of SEO tools, positive content will reach the top of search results, crowding out negative articles and posts.

6. Change the format of your ads

When spending power falls dramatically, aggressive advertising methods don’t work. It’s important to show concern for your customers and asking them to make a purchase may not be the best central message in a difficult period. You can instead post content to social networks to attract their attention to your products.

Charity and socially significant actions become the best brand advertising. For example, Mastercard teamed up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome to allot 125 million to create therapies for coronavirus.

Contact Topface Media for Reputation Management

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Conclusion

In a crisis, it is wise to invest in a positive reputation. During this period, it is very difficult to gain customer confidence, so even one negative comment can cause a loss of profit. Constant monitoring of references and quick responses will help you avoid problems in the future.

Work to increase your audience’s loyalty. Show consumers that you care about them and are a socially responsible business.

Seek support from your partners and look for new partners for collaboration and public awareness. Avoid aggressive marketing. This will only scare away your customers. Stick to your usual pricing policy.

If you encounter negative reviews, contact a specialist. They will help to squeeze out the bad comments from the top results and replace them with positive content.

Remember, any crisis ends, and your positive reputation will remain with you forever.