Digital and Social Reputation Ignored by Many Executives

And while most organizations say they would take some action to respond to an online crisis, at least 10 percent say their organizations would not take any action at all to engage with audiences online to address a damaging article or social media post.  So we still have a bit of the “head in the sand” response going on.

The study found marked differences between B2C and B2B companies, as well as large and small firms, in both CEO attitudes toward social media and in the company’s ability to respond to an online challenge.

• B2B companies lag their B2C counterparts – their CEOs are less likely to consider social media in decision-making, they are slower to engage in a crisis, and they are twice as likely to refuse to engage online audiences at all.
• The bigger the company, the more likely that the CEO will consider social media in their decision-making. In fact, 43 percent of smaller firms said their executives rarely or never consider social media reputation.
• Smaller does not necessarily mean more nimble in social media. A fast response to an online crisis is more likely in larger companies.

In conclusion the report suggests that mapping the online social graph of a brand and identifying and engaging with the influencers in each sector should be part of a brand’s research and decision making.