The PR Sherpa: Understanding and Controlling Digital Risk

QUESTION: How can PR professionals anticipate and overcome digital risk factors?

ANSWER: As more and more companies venture into the world of digital marketing, many face unchartered waters that are teeming with perils and ripe for potential

corporate crises. That said, corporate communications professionals realize that the advantages of digital PR are just too good to pass up, creating a sense among some that

there's a race to leverage new technologies and create new digital strategies to capture the attention of consumers.

According to New York-based agency Peppercom, a self diagnosis may be the best way to confront digital risk. President Steve Cody and partner Ted Birkhahn put together

a list of questions to help senior PR executives evaluate and manage their digital risk. The following is a brief diagnostic quiz that can help you determine if your digital

marketing strategies are putting your organization at risk, and if so, by how much. Please answer the following questions to determine how vulnerable you or your organization

might be.

1. Are your digital initiatives seamlessly coordinated with your traditional marketing programs?
   1. Yes
   2. No
   3. Not Sure
2. Are your digital initiatives completely transparent to the end user?
   1. Yes
   2. No
   3. Not Sure
3. Do you believe transparency is necessary in all forms of digital marketing?
   1. Yes
   2. No
   3. Not Sure
4. Do you frequently reevaluate how your end user chooses to receive his or her news and information?
   1. Yes
   2. No
   3. Not Sure
5. If so, are you taking steps to continue to communicate your core positioning and message points in new and

   different ways that appeal to the needs of your key stakeholders?

   1. Yes
   2. No
   3. Not Sure

KEY:

If you answered "Yes" to three or more of the questions, your company's digital risk is fairly low. Constant monitoring of your digital marketing program and its impact on

your constituents is still necessary, but your strategy is not leaving your brand or its reputation significantly exposed.

If you answered "No" or "Not Sure" to three or more of the questions, your company's digital risk is probably high. Your company and its reputation are probably at risk based

on your current approach to digital marketing and your misunderstanding of how people on the receiving end of your campaign might react to it. Weighing your digital risk, and

making prescriptive changes as a result of self-audits, is critical to preventing crises that are brought on by digital marketing mishaps.

If you fall somewhere in between, consider this a wake-up call. Your company's reputation is probably relatively safe from harm, but you need to realize the rapid and

intolerant nature of the digital marketing world. It would be wise to plug any holes and remove any possible risk from your digital marketing arsenal by evaluating the questions

where you answered "no" and determining why it might pose a risk to your organization.

Contact: Steve Cody, [email protected]; Ted Birkhahn, [email protected].