The 5 Secrets Fortune 500 Brands Use for Their Brand Reputation

Tens of years ago Henry Ford said “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do”. He didn’t know tens of years later that’s what most tech brands would try to do.

From metaverse promises to half-baked AI solutions, most tech brands today try to build their reputation on what they WILL do, instead of what they have done. 

Sounds crazy, but today’s audience seems to react positively to hyped promises, and forget quickly about strong track records. 

This is why knowing how to effectively balance hype and promises with track record is key to having a solid brand reputation.

How to do that? Let us give you 5 Fortune 500 strategies on how to approach your brand reputation on social to make sure you don’t destroy years of reputation-building with a single tweet or announcement: 

1. Go Gentle on the AI craze

Please don’t jump on the AI train with buzzwords or half-baked solutions just because everyone else is doing it. We're reaching peak AI fatigue. No, I don’t need your customer service to be AI-driven. Companies all around are bragging about their commitment to customers with one of the “improvements” being “a new next-gen AI assistant for instant, accurate answers.” No, thank you.

People at this point are just waiting for the first company to proudly announce: “No more AI. You’ll talk to a human 100% of the time.” People are craving human interaction more than ever. Your investors might want AI innovation, but that doesn’t mean your customers do.

2. Don’t jump on trends for the sake of it

Not every brand has to be Duolingo. Not every brand has to chase funny trends. It’s crazy to see how many serious brands are commenting on TikTok with the tone of a high schooler. No, it doesn't make you more relatable, it makes you cringe.

Also, more likes or views doesn’t mean your post is more successful. You’d rather have 5,000 views where 50% are your ideal customer profile (ICP) than 100,000 with 0.5% ICP. Focus on your social strategy and your social program goals. Post and act accordingly.

3. Always vet who you’re engaging with

That viral influencer everyone’s obsessed with right now? They might’ve said your brand sucks six months ago, or worse, posted racist remarks a few years back.

And then there you are, commenting “hi bestie!” on behalf of your entire global company on their latest post. Do your homework, and when in doubt, keep your fandom to yourself. Whatever upside that comment might bring is not worth risking a brand crisis.

4. Don’t ignore underrated reputation sites (Glassdoor, Reddit)

Your content can be fun, engaging, and help build your brand, but it won’t fix 50% of your employees on Glassdoor saying your company has racist hiring practices or that it is the worst place they’ve ever worked at.

The same goes for Reddit. Monitor both platforms, and actively minimize brand harm even if it just means showing accountability and empathy. Showing up with empathy on a subreddit post from a frustrated customer has more long-term value than getting 100,000 likes on a comment you posted on the latest Love Island star’s post.

5. 90% of the time, silence is the better move

No, your brand doesn’t need a stance on every political issue. You’re running a business, not an NGO or embassy. You also don’t have to respond to that viral TikTok where an ex-employee trashed your company. Most of the time, whatever you say will backfire. Think twice. Sometimes silence and letting the storm pass is the best move. You might not make things better, but more importantly, you won’t make them worse.

If you need help with trying bold marketing ideas and campaigns while at the same time making sure you don’t destroy your brand reputation in the process, let us take care of it.

Lucky you we have a 2-week free trial policy. This way you could see right away how we work and get a high-level view of the strategy we’d follow, before committing or signing anything!

Click here to request your 2-week free trial.