The myths and misinformation percolating online and particularly in social media related to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have taken foolishness to new and dangerous heights. Myths like these endanger people’s lives and well-being, and consumers need to seek out reliable information from trustworthy sources when making decisions or learning about this rapidly growing pandemic.
We’ve been astonished at the global scale of misinformation related to this disease that seemingly can only exist to create hardships and sickness. While the motivation for this is hard to fathom, the general presence – and even the organized dissemination – of misinformation is nothing new. In fact, it’s a practice that many of our clients face, regardless of industry.
Not all PR is Created Equal
Plenty of firms offer to spread false information and manipulate public opinion for the right price. According to BuzzFeed, one such practitioner prides himself on a tool he dubs the “Content Farm Automatic Collection System,” which widely disseminates baseless client messages in the blink of an eye.
A new breed of “research reports” created to ride the coattails of well-known brands and legitimate businesses’ successes provide another example. These “reports” are becoming common, especially within technology sectors, and can be recognized by the laundry lists of company names they contain, which become focal points of related press releases and communications. These questionable-at-best reports often promote themselves by stuffing a lot of legitimate, well-known business names into an executive summary and/or news release. Hijack the brand value of these businesses, watch the search engines serve them up and then try to sell the reports, regardless of how poor the research and/or reports may be. To underscore just how poor this research often proves to be, consider that they commonly feature names of long-ago-defunct companies.
A very real and related problem for communicators, however, is that these efforts can trigger so many news alerts that it makes it difficult for people to follow legitimate news from a brand. It even makes it challenging for brands to monitor news and online chatter about themselves. There’s just too much noise and garbage to sift through.
Insulate Your Brand with a Proactive Communications Strategy
So, what can you do in this age of easily manipulated media?
Be proactive first and foremost. Tell your story and grow your online footprint to create a trail of credibility for your brand. It’s up to you to write your company’s narrative, or someone else likely will.
Break through the noise to stand out amongst low-quality mentions and flimsy competitor messaging. Many strategies can help you get more proactive and increase your brand’s control of its online footprint. Contact us to discuss the best options for your company; in the meantime, here are five tips to get you started.
1) Develop a Clear Voice Across Channels
What makes your brand unique? Be intentional about your positioning, and once it’s established, take advantage of the media real estate available to you. When you search your brand on Google, what appears on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP)? Have you updated your company’s information on controllable platforms such as social media and Crunchbase? Taking these steps often brings more of the SERP under your brand’s control. If you publish a lot of credible information about your brand across a variety of different channels, in other words, you’ll drown out the noise of others and better shape your brand’s identity. With that in mind, audit the SERP and make sure any information you can control is up-to-date and that it represents your business values and messaging. Consider how owning Google listings, a Facebook page, a Twitter handle and other resources may help.
While you can’t control everything, a content marketing and proactive media relations strategy can help you establish a buffer of consistent messaging around your brand to protect you from extraneous mentions and false information.
2) Identify Key Publications and Reporters
When it comes to placements, think quality, not quantity. Influential reporters can offer credible endorsements for your data, experts, products and business. Forming mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with publications and reporters starts with clear messaging and insights that are valuable to their audiences.
3) Stay Ahead of the News Cycle
Once you’ve identified key publications and reporters to target, be aware of what they cover and when so you know how you can contribute. This involves reading key publications regularly and, in some cases, researching their editorial calendars. Awareness of each publication’s idiosyncrasies can help you pitch proactively and specifically and get more consistent, meaningful placements. Position your experts as effective resources who can help the media better inform their audiences. Not sure how to make all of this happen? We can help.
4) Remarket Your Successes and Endorsements
Have successful customers? Share their stories with the world! With their permission, use their stories and quotes as testimonials and case studies to help promote your company. This mutually beneficial practice can help increase both brands’ reach and build credibility.
5) Leverage Thought Leadership
Internal experts at your organization are your company’s best spokespeople. Don’t stop at simply including their quotes in press releases. Weave their opinions into your overarching promotional strategy. Identify opportunities for them to contribute to leading trade media. Seek out speaking opportunities for them and nominate them for relevant awards and honors in their fields. Raise their profiles to elevate the organization’s.
Take Care of Yourselves … and Your Brands
First and foremost, be active consumers of news. Don’t believe all the misinformation currently circulating on Coronavirus or other topics that are potentially rife with flawed or inaccurate information. Take care to make sure you’re only considering reliable info from credible sources – related to Coronavirus and other important topics.
Marketers, spend some of your downtime thinking about the disinformation surrounding your brand and steps you can take to be more proactive in writing your brand’s narrative going forward.