The rich and famous know it well – building a good reputation takes far more effort than losing one.
That’s why public figures often turn to reputation managers to safeguard their privacy, control their public image and shape narratives that protect or enhance their standing.
In today’s fast-moving news cycle and the era of social media scrutiny, reputation management is fast becoming a must-have for individuals or organisations with a public reputation. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about reputation management.
[See also: The best reputation managers]
What is reputation management?
Reputation management is the practice dedicated to influencing how people think of a brand or a person. Whether they are growing, controlling or concealing an individual’s or a group’s public image, the purpose of reputation management is to shape public perception.
A reputation manager can supervise the reputation of an individual, organisation or brand. Depending on the client, this could mean enhancing someone’s public profile, protecting their privacy, or deploying crisis communications for someone who has suffered a reputational blow.
‘It takes a great deal of work to be well understood,’ Lily Kennett, reputation manager and partner at Schillings, tells Spear’s.
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‘It is a continuous process to proactively harness opportunities, mitigate risks, build trust, and strategically position individuals and businesses to thrive,’ she adds.
Who needs a reputation manager?
From (U)HNW individuals to celebrities, politicians or businesspeople, anyone with a public reputation is likely to benefit from the services of a reputation manager, and not only in times of crisis.
While the practice may occasionally involve the management of disruptive events, Kennett explains that it is a continuous process that requires careful monitoring.
Kennett says that ‘most’ businesses and companies in the public eye would benefit from well-rounded advice from a reputation manager.
Reputation management is also closely tied to the privacy and security of successful businesses, individuals and families.
For Kennett, the current information climate makes reputation managers all the more essential, as they work towards maintaining consistency and trust in the face of disinformation and smear campaigns. In some cases reputation management has been essential for survival.
What does a reputation manager do?
Kennett explains that while reputation managers often consider a crisis situation and help to inform a response, the goal is to ‘pre-empt a concern’. And as well as mitigating risks, reputational managers will also realise opportunities.
A celebrity client or a brand, for example, may want to enhance their public persona. In this case, a reputation manager could help them grow a social media following or get them covered in the press.
In another scenario, a HNW individual might want to conceal aspects of their life, such as a messy divorce. Likewise, companies may need help getting through a reputational crisis. In this case, a reputation manager might suppress or dilute negative press. They may also partner with lawyers to either threaten or take legal action.
‘We listen, horizon scan, build intelligence to inform strategies and decisions,’ Kennett says.
What is online reputation management?
In the pre-internet world, people could only spread negative opinions of a person or brand through word of mouth, or perhaps in a newspaper. The internet and social media has completely upended this and Google search results have now become an integral part of what defines ‘reputation’.
The reputation management industry has had to adapt to reflect the change in the way and the scale that people communicate. Online reputation management, or ORM, is the branch of reputation management that focuses on the management of search website results and social media.
[See also: The perils of disinformation: Reputation experts on the biggest threat to HNW clients]
The idea that all information published online has the potential to inform any future output generated on a person or a brand makes the accuracy of the information published online all the more important.
Online information is also likely to find its way onto databases and other “blue chip” sources’, Kennett says. This is particularly concerning in the age of generative AI, she adds.
‘Failure to engage with how reputation is reflected online leaves a vacuum that others will fill,’ Kennett says. ‘You must consider whether it is a true reflection of your profile and what can be done to ensure accurate content is available.’
How much do reputation managers cost?
Fees for reputation management services differ from firm to firm, and from service to service. Reputation management software, for example, will cost a lot less than hiring a team of specialists to work on your individual case.
Tools that monitor online review sites or specialise in Google results cost a few hundred pounds; big firms can charge £10,000 a month for personalised and comprehensive reputation management services.
Most people will pay somewhere in the middle. A campaign can cost from £5,000 to upwards of £15,000, and will last anywhere from several months to a year.
Committing to a regular monthly fee means a firm and a client can build a relationship, that is a real boon.
‘It is hard to put a price on the kind of “sixth sense” that a long-term advisory relationship brings,’ Kennett says.
[See also: The reputational risk of being ‘named and shamed’ as a tax defaulter by HMRC]
How to find the right reputation manager
The best reputation managers have experience and discretion in equal measure and will draw up a robust strategy for their client, not just for placating a crisis, but for fostering values in a client that mean they are not vulnerable to reputational blows.
Because prevention is always better than cure, finding the right reputation manager and exploring the potential of a healthy and productive advisory relationship should be done before a crisis hits, Kennett advises.
She tells Spear’s that many clients come to her with small concerns, through which they establish a first contact with the firm. Clients – or prospective clients – often use this as a chance to get a sense of how the firm works and how compatible it is with their needs, before they commit to building a more in-depth relationship.
The full range of reputation managers, from boutique firms such as Hawthorn Advisors and Cliveden Advisory to larger organisations such as Schillings, can be found on the Spear’s 500 index of the best reputation managers.
Reputation managers vs reputation lawyers
Although it is not necessarily the case, it is not uncommon for lawyers to work as reputation managers, which grants them inherent expertise in fields such as defamation or media law.
For Gregory Monk, a solicitor advocate specialising on reputation and privacy, and his team at Vardags, the work of reputation managers is complimentary to the work done by reputation and privacy lawyers.
For example, lawyers can use legal tools to add to a reputation management strategy, whether it is a client seeking apologies, corrections, injunctions, lodge claims for defamation, privacy, data protection or confidentiality, Monk tells Spear’s.
[See also: The best reputation and privacy lawyers]
Not only that, but for Monk, a good reputation management team will consist of experts with the specific skillsets the client needs.
Kennett says ‘no single discipline will be able to address all aspects of an issue,’ adding that there is frequent collaboration between lawyers, managers, investigators and communications professionals.
‘A full suite of capabilities and a holistic approach yield the best results,’ she adds.
[See also: A guide to The Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
