Allegations against a company's advice or services can arise from any direction and can be incredibly costly, even if unfounded. Safeguarding your reputation is crucial and requires careful evaluation, consideration and preparation. In the event of a major reputational incident, the damage to a company's reputation or brand can have an almost immediate and significant impact.
Did you know?
45%
of businesses are worried about negative online reviews damaging their reputation*
35%
of businesses are concerned about damage to their reputation or brand following a cyber attack *
How can you help to protect your online profile and business reputation?
We've worked with our Specialist Partner RiskEye to give you 9 steps to help to protect your business.
Trademark your business branding (words/designs/ expressions etc)
If someone is using your branding fraudulently, online platforms are accountable for responding to trademarked details of your business.
Take ownership of your Google My Business page
Ensuring the proper controls are in place for any part of your online presence is one of the most important steps you can take.
Set up your platform security setting
It's important to setup the correct security settings for your business. For example, only grant access to your social media accounts to essential personnel and regularly review and update these permissions as roles change and employees move on.
Turn off comments
If your business or organisation doesn't need audience engagement on a specific post, you don’t necessarily need to leave comments on. Leaving them on may introduce unnecessary malice and distract from the messaging you're trying to convey.
Only use platforms that are right for your business
Be careful not to set up an account just because they are new and you feel like you ought to have a presence there. Your business will have a particular audience and that audience may only be suited to one or two platforms.
Don't go after the protagonist that is trying to harm your business
All platforms and online entities have rules, standards and regulations in place. If the content falls foul of these, then the platform almost always removes the content or suspends the account of the protagonist.
Ensure that the correct editorial layers are in place within your social media platform
It’s recommended that there’s always a second person that reads and approves anything that's going to be publicly published on your platforms and meets regulatory standards.
Agree upon a voice and a tone for your business
Whichever approach you choose, it should be consistently represented by whoever publishes on your platforms. Knowing the language and tone you want to use is very important and just as important is when or when not to use it.
Educate employees on social engineering tactics
Being able to recognise a third-party trying to induce or deceive you or your employees can mitigate a large loss to your business if identified at an early stage.
Our Specialist Partners to help manage your reputation
To access these solutions at preferential rates and terms, contact our Specialist Partners.
Horizonscan
Crisis Communications
Horizonscan specialise in making businesses more resilient to crisis events. Their team consists of a range of relevant subject matter professionals, who are experts in coaching and training. They deliver consultancy on Business Continuity and Crisis Management globally.
RiskEye
Reputational Risk
RiskEye provides a robust set of services and solutions to help to protect the reputation of your business and its brand in the digital world. They utilise specialist risk analysts and technology to detect, identify and mitigate online reputational risks.
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Need further help or assistance?
Call our Risk Help Line to speak to our Risk Management Solutions team for help and advice on
0345 366 6666
Opening times: Monday - Friday* 9:00am - 5:00pm
Email us at: riskadvice@aviva.com
* Excludes Bank Holidays. The cost of calls to 03 prefixed numbers are charged at national call rates (charges may vary dependent on your network provider) and are usually included in inclusive minute plans from landlines and mobiles. For our joint protection telephone calls may be recorded and/or monitored.
* YouGov Survey commissioned by Aviva - 1,218 UK senior business leaders surveyed between 15 September to 8 October 2023.