According to a recent poll, digital avenues pose the greatest risk to businesses’ public images.
Signal Leadership Communication recently released the results of a Nanos Research opinion poll that reveal Canadian businesses unease when it comes to promoting themselves online — mainly because of the potential backlash if things go wrong.
One thousand Canadians were surveyed for this poll, 84 percent of which believe that social media “can do a great deal of damage to the image of an individual or an organization.” Only 71 percent of respondents hold the same view of television and broadcast television, while approximately half of respondents believe the same is possible with print news or radio.
“The danger of social media to inflict image damage is real, so leaders need to take this powerful PR threat to their reputation seriously,” said Bob Pickard, Principal of Signal Leadership Communications in a statement.
“Social media is not just about selling to a mass audience; it’s about relationships with real individuals who experience and share a wide range of emotions with their online communities,” he continued.
Furthermore however, respondents believe online media to be the most reliable source of timely information, followed by radio, television, social media and then newspapers. Just 41 percent of respondents believe social media is an accurate reflection of timely, accurate information.
This report demonstrates the general anxiety around digital media among many Canadian businesses, fearing the general lack of control that the online world presents.
“Good judgment and digital savvy are key to managing reputation,” said Principal of Signal Leadership Communications Janet Mandel.
“There’s far more risk for something to go wrong and explode virally. If it does, the public’s attention is on the leaders online — so they themselves need to understand this new digital dynamic.There’s far more risk for something to go wrong and explode virally. If it does, the public’s attention is on the leaders online — so they themselves need to understand this new digital dynamic,” she continued in a statement.
Related: Survey says Canadians don’t trust social media, despite being one of its biggest users
[source]Signal Leadership Communications[/source]
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