Reputation Changer: Top Banking Firms Face Urgent Need for Reputation Repair

Online, April 11, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Ever since the global financial crisis that began in 2007, banks and large financial institutions have found themselves in serious trouble. This is not just relegated to their own financial woes, but also to major shortfalls in public opinion. According to some surveys, this dearth of consumer confidence has improved little, if any, since 2007. In fact, most polls of consumer confidence place the banking and financial industries at the very bottom, suggesting a major reputation problem that permeates the industry. But while this problem may seem enormous, members of the reputation management industry say there are ways it can be addressed.

Justin Singletary, the Chief Executive Officer of Reputation Changer, says the problems faced by banks and financial firms are, indeed, matters of reputation disrepair. "There are obviously many factors that have hurt banks and even investment firms over the past several years, but reputation problems may be the most severe problems of all," he notes. "Ultimately, reputation is the bedrock on which any company is based, but this is especially true in the case of banks. People need to feel like they can trust the people who are dealing with their money."

And while public opinion polls suggest that most consumers do not currently feel this level of trust, Singletary says that some positive publicity can go a long way. "We are constantly inundated with national news reports about how banks are failing us," Singletary observes. "But by combating this negative press with positive, brand-enhancing content, banking companies can ultimately begin to establish better reputations for themselves."

This is essentially what reputation management companies like Singletary's do, all day every day. "No matter what kind of client we are working with, whether it's a major banking institution or a small start-up company, we help establish them as a brand of choice among consumers," he comments. "We help generate a positive public perception and ultimately establish the brand as reputable among potential clients."

Singletary is quick to emphasize the fact that reputation repair firms do work with large-scale companies. Reputation Changer itself has worked with Fortune 500 brands, as well as with much smaller businesses. But where client size is variable, and each campaign is customized, the basic tenets of a given reputation management platform are similar.

"Regardless of what kind of client we are working with, our company has the resources available to inundate search engines with positive content," says Singletary. Reputation management companies create content that presents their clients in a positive light, then floods this content into Google, Yahoo, and Bing. This all serves to establish a stronger, more positive public opinion about the brand in question.

But for a client on the scale of a large bank or financial firm, simply inundating search engines is not enough. That's why Singletary says his company can perform what he calls a "media blitz" tactic, producing a wide array of national newswires. Reputation Changer owns several prevalent media syndicates, and also utilizes numerous influential blogs.

Reputation management companies use all these resources in tandem. The goal is never to erase or refute negative publicity, something Singletary says is ultimately counterproductive. The goal, rather, is to suppress it, and create a strong impression to counteract the negative public image.

The point of all these resources, though, is simply to change the public perception of the brand in question. "Nobody can make consumers forget about the banking crisis, or erase from their minds the possibility that sometimes terrible things like this happen," Singletary concludes. "What we can do, however, is establish your bank as the bank to trust. We can help to foster the image of Bank X as the most respected and trustworthy bank out there, the one that everyone should trust with their money."

ABOUT:

Founded in 2009 by a team of online marketing and sales professionals, Reputation Changer is one of the premier providers of online reputation management. The company works 24/7 to provide comprehensive reputation management strategies to its clients, which have included politicians, public figures, Fortune 500 companies, and more. Reputation Changer owns several media outlets, and is known for its innovation in positive SEO techniques, social media implementation, and more. The company is also unique for the custom, individualized process it takes for every client and every campaign.