<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68a73ce61906a74ad27d84e4_6513028c78929d96801570d2_Digital%20PR%20-%20Strengthening%20your%20Reputation%20(1).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Expression</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Round-up: 5 Common Mistakes to Building your Brand’s Online Reputation - and How to Tackle them</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>3 November 2023</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>3 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">From <strong>customer reviews to social media shares</strong>, in today's digital age such activity has a significantly greater influence on your brand's online reputation.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">In our latest workshop, 'Digital PR – Strengthening your Reputation and Building Trust in 2024', our experts discussed how PR as a discipline has evolved in recent years, and <strong>the growing importance of a strong online 'footprint' for brands</strong> - including how to frame <strong>Digital PR</strong> within a wider marketing strategy, and <strong>ways to tackle common challenges</strong> facing in-house teams online.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Our experts:</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAABqvLYgBlkYafW3ls6fqeV2seASZVJ-QLlY" target="_blank"><strong>Alex Hickson-Burr</strong></a>, Head of Digital PR, <a href="https://trunkbbi.com/" target="_blank"><strong>TrunkBBI</strong></a><br> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAALBGX0Bynk_8ga8s-EjGdy0jVB_5Efypms" target="_blank"><strong>Hayley Goff</strong></a>, CEO, <a href="https://whiteoaks.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>Whiteoaks International</strong></a><br> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAAUAzgBL8ciPoAlfLpD-TCqQP00G_Vm-JE" target="_blank"><strong>James Crawford</strong></a>, Managing Director, <a href="https://www.pragencyone.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>PR Agency One</strong></a><br> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAFaXCQB-_our3Y6n_SmHeBEZtIkvrApEe8" target="_blank"><strong>Julia Filsell</strong></a>, Head of Digital, <a href="https://speedcommunications.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Speed Communications</strong></a><br> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAvSokEBGsBb7_WuMmKPxp3rMY54KQyRzow" target="_blank"><strong>Katy Bloomfield</strong></a>, Managing Director, <a href="https://www.thisisdefinition.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Definition</strong></a> </p> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/events" target="_blank"><strong><em>View our upcoming events calendar</em></strong></a></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>In this Article:</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"> <strong>Poor Influencer Choices</strong><br> <strong>Existing in your own brand bubble</strong><br> <strong>Overfocus on online reviews</strong><br> <strong>Ignoring your smaller audiences</strong><br> <strong>Lack of internal resources</strong> </p> <h2 class="gn-reveal">5 Common Mistakes to Building your Brand's Online Reputation - and How to Tackle them</h2> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Poor Influencer Choices</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Influencer marketing has undoubtedly risen over the years as a means for brands to <strong>drive credibility and expand their audience reach</strong> but how do you determine the right 'fit' when it comes to influencer collaborations?</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"we often do work within this space and have come across some <strong>poor influencer choices</strong> – one big hero influencer <strong>who isn't going to deliver</strong> a lot for that business, or selecting influencers that <strong>aren't the right fit for a brand</strong> but are recommended by upper management. A place to start when seeking influencer collaboration is to <strong>identify whether their following matches your target demographic</strong>."<cite>Julia Filsell · Head of Digital, Speed Communications</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/key-considerations-when-implementing-an-influencer-marketing-campaign-from-our-experts" target="_blank"><strong><em>Key Considerations when Implementing an Influencer Marketing Campaigns</em></strong></a></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Existing in your own brand bubble</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"existing within your own brand bubble can often be <strong>barrier to audience expansion</strong> or creating content that they want to see. This often stems from the type of content they create – more advertorial than editorial – which loses sight of the fact that PR exists within earned media, so <strong>there must be a reason for journalist to write that piece of coverage</strong> – does it reflect current audience search trends? A brand launching 'X' product <strong>isn't a compelling</strong> enough story, no matter how much you internally might believe so."<cite>Alex Hickson-Burr · Head of Digital PR, TrunkBBI</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="James Crawford, Managing Director of PR Agency One on building brand reputation." src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68a73cdcf4a76d59486750a7_6544df7b2104d8e9b295ddb9_James.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"></div> <figcaption>James Crawford, Managing Director of PR Agency One, speaking on building brand reputation.</figcaption> </figure> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Overfocus on online reviews</h3> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>The most common mistake is focusing solely on online reviews and what's being said online.</q><cite>James Crawford · Managing Director, PR Agency One</cite></aside> <p class="gn-reveal">You should be studying your reputation first and carry out some sort of reputation tracker to figure out exactly <strong>what it is that your organisation is doing wrong</strong> and provide some sort of strategic counsel to that business. If you're solely going around commenting on the reviews and answering people's complaints, you're not getting to the <strong>crux of what the problem is</strong> with your brand reputation.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">View our Round-up: <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/round-up-4-pr-trends-that-will-shape-your-2023-marketing-strategy" target="_blank"><strong><em>4 PR Trends to Shape your 2023 Marketing Strategy</em></strong></a></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Ignoring your smaller audiences</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Often it can be those smaller audiences that are <strong>more engaged</strong> and perhaps more contextually relevant. So, <strong>building communities and maintaining a profile</strong> with those audiences can help better serve your business objectives, whilst ensuring you have a balanced and sustainable strategy. Which means not discounting LinkedIn newsletters because they seem a little more niche, and only focusing on global, top tier titles but <strong>having a blend of both</strong> those things."<cite>Katy Bloomfield · Managing Director, Definition</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">View our Round-up: <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/round-up-measuring-the-impact-of-your-pr-activity-how-to-start" target="_blank"><strong><em>Measuring the Impact of your PR Activity – How to Start?</em></strong></a></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Lack of internal resources</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"it's about <strong>having the internal resources</strong> in place to capitalise on opportunities. We have been in situations where we present amazing opportunities to a client, <strong>yet they don't have the time to review it</strong>, or they're tied up in knots in terms of the approval process. So, it's about realising that <strong>you need to act fast</strong> and take that targeted outreach to ensure you can capitalise on those opportunities."<cite>Hayley Goff · CEO, Whiteoaks International</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources/digital-pr-strengthening-your-reputation-and-building-trust-in-2024" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH THE FULL WORKSHOP TO LEARN MORE</strong></a></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>If you're investing in a Digital PR Strategy for the new year, make sure you're getting the most from your time. The GO Network offer cost-free agency recommendations, pitch management, and more.</em> <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch" target="_blank"><strong><em>get in touch</em></strong></a> <em>to get started.</em></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/digital-pr-strengthening-your-reputation-and-building-trust-in-2024" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Digital PR - Strengthening your Reputation and Building Trust in 2024</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Five agency experts cover social proof, digital footprint strategy, and how to handle the most common in-house online reputation challenges.</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/tone-of-voice-101-building-and-reinforcing-a-consistent-voice-for-your-brand" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Tone of Voice 101 - Building and Reinforcing a Consistent Voice for your Brand</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agency experts cover how to assess your current TOV, avoid common pitfalls, and measure success across channels and internal roll-outs.</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/round-up-how-to-execute-a-strong-cross-channel-inbound-campaign" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Round-up: How to Execute a Strong Cross-Channel Inbound Campaign</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Experts from MC Saatchi, Skout PR, and Flaunt Digital share the exact checklist agencies need to align channels, fix funnel gaps, and lift c</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/round-up-in-house-agency-or-freelance---getting-the-best-from-your-marketing-budget" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Round-up: In-house, Agency, or Freelance – Getting the best from your marketing budget</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Senior brand leaders share when to review your marketing resource mix and how to extract maximum value from agency, freelance, and in-house </span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside>