Why is a reputation audit necessary
Before welcoming a speaker, bestowing an award, establishing a partnership with an outside individual, or making a high-profile job offer, it’s helpful – if not downright mandatory – to do your research, especially in the Age of Epstein.
Consider a college or a university that is gearing up for commencement season and looking forward to hosting a speaker and/or awarding an honorary degree. Or a nonprofit that has invited a special guest to an annual dinner. Or even a corporation that has selected a keynote speaker for its annual conference.
All too often, these announcements, which should be met with anticipation and enthusiasm, backfire into a full-blown crisis. The root cause? Lack of research.
And nobody likes surprises, especially when they come at what is supposed to be an exciting time. Situations like these are equally avoidable and embarrassing, provided that you take a moment to evaluate your visitor against the stated mission, vision, and values of your organization, as well as assess their digital footprint.
The importance of a reputation audit
You’ve seen this scenario play out repeatedly: A speaker or awardee is announced with great enthusiasm, complete with an official news release, social media, and media blitz. Excitement typically follows, along with some initial grumblings. It’s quiet for a few days, or even weeks. Then the real noise starts. Maybe it’s the discovery of a questionable tweet or “like” from five years ago. Maybe it’s a little-known affiliation with a controversial organization. Maybe it’s a personal belief or position on a social, intellectual, or political issue that isn’t in line with what the institution and community stands for. Or worse, maybe their name appears in the Epstein Library, which is easily searchable here.
Nine times out of 10 this nightmare can be avoided if your organization simply takes the time to appropriately vet speakers, visitors, and awardees before they are announced.
Examples of what to look for when performing a reputation audit
“Appropriately vet” isn’t having an intern look at social media feeds. It isn’t doing a quick review of two pages of Google results. And it sure isn’t blindly assigning value to whomever is the “big name” person of the moment.
In today’s world, your organization really can’t risk the bad publicity and embarrassment that comes with failing to adequately evaluate publicly-available information – especially when that information is out there for anyone with an Internet connection to find.
That’s why an increasing number of institutions are asking the Castle team to perform reputational audits prior to extending invitations to speakers, nominating individuals for awards, and making high profile job offers. Audits like these entail an intensive scan (typically at least seven years’ worth, maybe less or more depending on an individual’s online footprint) of social media accounts, mainstream media presence, personal and professional profiles, and statements and positions on issues of national significance (immigration, racial/gender equity, social justice, politics, women’s rights, voting rights, healthcare, etc.). We then evaluate and analyze specific concerns and their potential impact on the organization and its key stakeholders, including identifying potential issues/challenges/reputational risks that could result from affiliation with the individual.
Performing a reputation audit – Castle is here to help
Checking the past before awarding the present is not just prudent, it is absolutely necessary to lessen the possibility of future problems. With the power of the Internet, and in particular social media, reputational audits are one the easiest – and most effective – ways to minimize, or at least mitigate, disruption to what should otherwise be an exciting event. It’s not too late to ensure your guests align with what your organization stands for – contact us today.
