Six Things You Need To Know Before Hiring A Reputation Manager

When you’ve worked hard building up your brand and making it a trusted source for your customers, the last you want is to have to defend it. But all too often, underhanded tactics, scare stories and rumours threaten to undermine all your hard work. While you can turn your hands to most business matters, there are some things that are always better just left to the experts and managing your brand reputation is one of those things.

You’re looking for a Reputation Manager that will not only defend your brand but also be proactive in spotting any hidden dangers on the horizon. You need someone smart and reliable and we have six tips to find that special someone.

1. Make Your Needs Clear

Think about why you need to hire a Reputation Manager to begin with. Are you hoping they’ll be on the frontline dealing with customer complaints or will they take a more strategic role on social media and sit within your marketing team?

If you’re not sure what their exact role will be, then you need to go back to the drawing board and figure out whom this person is and what they will be doing to defend your reputation. Make sure you have a clear idea of who they will be reporting to and which team they will be supporting.

2. Who Do You Need?

Or perhaps, how will it work? You should ask yourself if your Reputation Manager will work for you on a full-time or part-time basis or if you would consider a contractor on retainment. There are several options on offer if you’re not convinced you need someone full-time, including having employees working remotely.

Graham Smith, Recruiting Consultant at Bigassignments and Study demic, says: “When it comes to getting just the right fit for your team there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. If there’s a lot of initial work to do but then it looks like dying down, you might want to hire someone on a project-by-project basis but if there’s a firefight going on then taking someone in-house might be your best bet”.

3. Create A Clear And Accurate Job Description

By spelling out your exact requirements before you even get to interview stage, you should help filter out those applicants who just don’t have the skill set you need. Getting your job description just right is crucial, so if you need extra help with your own writing skills use the tools below to help you create accurate, error-free text.

– Mywritingwayand Simplegrad: two online guides to help with your general copywriting needs

– Australian help: a professional online editing and proofreading tool

– Reviewealand Academized: to help generate specific keywords and titles for job searches

– Australian reviewer: to go over all your grammar for accuracy

4. Make Sure You Really Need A Reputation Manager

This might seem like an obvious thing to say but do you really need to make this hire? It might be entirely possible that the problems you’re experiencing can be dramatically improved with a little staff training, saving you time and money.

If, for example, you’re receiving negative reviews on customer service then staging an intervention and re-training staff on telephone interaction with customers may be the solution. Avoiding a costly and often time consuming hire may well be better in the long-run and will give you a better idea where problems are on the ground, giving you greater control.

5. Make Sure You Have A Plan

Whether you have a lot of work or just a few ongoing issues having a set of objectives in place is going to make the role a lot clearer for your hire and for your current staff and management.

This reputation management plan doesn’t have to be rushed, it should be the conclusion to a well thought out and considered collaboration between management with input from staff and customers.

You might even consider it a project your new manager could take on straight away.

As Corby Bennett, an HR Manager at do my homework and Essayroo, says: “You have your marketing and sales goals and this area of your business should be no different. It’s not good enough to think short-term, you need to have a sense of the general direction of this area.”

6. Consider A Wide Range Of Candidates

While you’re looking for the best fit, not all Reputation Managers come from the same backgrounds. Applicants will be as varied as the role itself and will come from areas as diverse as Public Relations, Marketing and Customer Services. Don’t dismiss someone just because they don’t have a formal qualification but consider experience a top priority.

Your brand is worth the investment so make a great hire and put out those fires before they cause you too much damage.

Freddie Tubbs is a communication manager at Ukwritings. He regularly takes part in online marketing and communications events, and contributes posts to Essayroo and Boomessays blogs.