Q: I’m increasingly concerned about the amount of (mainly untrue) content posted about my company online. This is having a detrimental effect on our reputation and our share price. Is there anything we can do?
A: First and foremost, you have to find out precisely what is being written about you, your company and your brands; you are probably seeing only the tip of the iceberg.
Next you must analyze the plethora of data to single out what you need to act on. Then you must act – and fast. The viral nature of the internet means rumors spread at incredibly high speed so you have to move quickly and take the correct course of action to secure your reputation and protect your share price.
Let’s take each step in turn. First, detection: a company like ours scans global websites 24/7 to detect activity on your company.
Second, analysis: the data we find are analyzed by our Risk-XTM software. Our certified consultants rapidly assess the investor impact and will contact you if there is an immediate threat.
Third, security: you need to act fast to secure your reputation. The right action to take depends on the nature of the threat but we have a full suite of proven, tactical approaches to review, reduce and remove threats.
Fourth, protection: by devising and implementing world-class security and investor relations policies, you can secure your company’s reputation and protect your share price. Does your company’s disclosure policy cover this area? It’s something we focus on in order to help you feel confident about communicating with your investors. This in turn gives investors confidence that you’re managing your online reputation.
More generally, you should be aware that you’re not alone in having this concern. I’m sure you will have read about other companies under attack. One recent example is London-listed Gulf Keystone Petroleum, which posted a regulatory news service story titled ‘Response to speculation’ on May 10, 2012.
Here’s an extract: ‘Due to the damaging and misleading nature of these various comments that have been posted on bulletin boards and other social media sites during the past 24 hours, the company feels it must respond.’ CEO Todd Kozel commented: ‘We will not tolerate malicious attempts to damage the company’s reputation and share price.’
The key to achieving this – that is, not tolerating malicious attempts to damage your company’s reputation and share price – is to act now. You must detect and analyze threats, then secure and protect your corporate reputation. This will boost your investors’ confidence and give you the confidence to grow your business.
Virginia Phillips is senior consultant at Infosec Partners and director at Red Oyster Investor Presentation Experts
