Protecting Your Brand Against Fake News Is More Important Now Than Ever

Stories regarding fake (or unverified) news have become a permanent feature in the headlines of newspapers and are increasingly reflected in social media. Lies and false rumors disappear inconspicuously, but some of them call attention and go viral. More than making people believe erroneous things, the emergence of fake news is making it harder for them to see the truth. We shouldn’t assume that people can spot genuine and fake news simply because of information overload. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to see what’s coming into their news feed, let alone confirm it. Misinformation that stems from social media transitions to much larger audiences when traditional media outlets pick it up. 

In times of rapidly spreading information, the battle against fake news has become a vital concern for organizations struggling to protect their brand image. Not only do companies face reputational losses, but they also experience a dip in sales and share prices, which ultimately affects their financial standing. If customers discover something terrible about a business, trust is eroded, as they question the company’s reliability. Combating misinformation is, therefore, an imperative. Phony stories can bring about a multitude of consequences if not dealt with accordingly, and it takes a little more than just verifying the source. 

Fake News Is More Treacherous Than Disapproval And Has More Severe Impacts 

The internet has simplified the sharing of information and content, making it more accessible. Unfortunately, advancing technology and the growth of social media contribute to the dissemination of fabricated content, dishonest reporting, and made-up stories. Negative publicity can destroy the reputation of a business in a matter of minutes, despite the company’s standing, undoing years of hard work. Unethical companies sometimes generate fake news or reviews to improve their stature or profits. This is a huge mistake because using unverified or false data can lead to compliance violations. Once customer trust is gone, it’s most likely gone forever. 

The vast majority of consumers are concerned with the quality of the product or service they’re purchasing. Consequently, if a brand generates fake content around its offerings, consumers will immediately stop buying from that organization and are unlikely to trust it again. Brands are expected to be socially responsible by avoiding putting on appearances or greenwashing, the practice of promoting deceptive processes or products to indicate they’re committed to doing good. Some people are wary of what they read online, while others verify against a second source. And there’s always a category of people who distrust everything because fake news is everywhere. 

What Are Some Business Strategies for Dealing with Fake News? 

Solutions are needed to approach the issue of fake news and keep misinformation at bay so it doesn’t harm your business. Follow these strategies to deal with fake news and protect your brand reputation. 

Monitor And Optimize the News and Chatter Around Your Brand

Catch up on the news and chatter around your brand to better understand the overall sentiment that people have toward it. More exactly, you can look for specific mentions and comments about your organization to see if people are speaking about your brand with a negative sentiment. Brand monitoring applies to all forms of media, from TikTok to TV spots. Consider investing in technology that automatically tracks and logs interactions. Research is becoming more and more popular as the volume of information produced daily grows. Several brands responsible for the delivery of life-saving medicines are already leveraging research services for pharma companies to identify opportunities to detect fake news that could harm their image. 

In an attempt to reach larger audiences, you might associate your business with popular stories, whether they’re true or not. Publishers that spread false or misleading information frequently capitalize on advertisers by placing mainstream ad texts alongside deceitful articles to make the content look more credible. The outcome is that you should be more selective in your approach to brand safety. Businesses are common targets of misinformation campaigns, so have a response plan because it only takes a couple of hours for the data to go viral. False information is spread, irrespective of whether there’s intent to mislead. 

Combat Misinformation and Change People’s Minds 

When fake news is discovered, it must be corrected with facts, which is anything but easy. There’s a phenomenon called belief perseverance, in which a person only seeks information that confirms their beliefs and blatantly ignores contradicting information. Simply put, changing people’s minds is a tough task. Rely on your in-house professionals and well-respected fact-checkers. Providing accurate information through social and traditional media channels helps raise awareness and education among consumers, offering them more resources to compare their knowledge. Intervene with stakeholders right away as they have or may consume misleading information. 

Always Be Honest and Open  

Above all, you must be transparent in your values and commitment to accuracy by maintaining objectivity in your statements, stories, or explanations. Proactively promoting your efforts will help you stay ahead of any claims to the contrary. Thus, provide a sturdy framework for press releases, blog posts, and social media responses. Misinformation affects every industry and its consumers, so it’s vital to check for manipulation and combat emerging fraudulent activity. Trust is created through consistent and authentic actions and communications. The most important thing to keep in mind is that trust is easy to develop but extremely hard to maintain (and ridiculously easy to lose). 

If something goes wrong, people can always take their business elsewhere. Being transparent means having honesty and integrity in communications, which includes keeping customers up to date on good news and bad news. Transparency is a commitment made at every level of the organization – the help desk, C-suite, product development, and public relations. Since the essence of every successful relationship is strong communication, do your best to remain in the consumer’s awareness. Silence and withholding information may be useful and even necessary in some contexts, meaning it can sometimes be louder than words and improve relationships. 

The Takeaway 

Far-reaching fake news can be difficult to oppose, depending on how outrageous the information is. And with so much at stake, it’s critical for business leaders to win the battleground.