Vetting brand partners and collaborators to protect reputation

One of a communicator’s best attributes is the ability to be nimble. You should  know who you can turn to as reliable partners to navigate a new campaign and weather any storm. But that knowledge doesn’t just magically appear — it’s the product of strong processes and vetting with all parties involved.

The most effective communicators also serve as critical gatekeepers of brand partners, influencers and collaborators, ensuring that messages align with the organization’s culture and tone. This vetting process involves much more than doing your due diligence into a partner or collaborator. Engaging in a holistic process involves an understanding of the relationship between internal engagement, risk assessment and crisis management.

Putting in the background work helps ensure success

When working with collaborators and partners, it’s on you to ensure that they third understand how your company puts its messaging together. That will help ensure wires don’t get crossed and any content the partners release into the world lines up seamlessly.

This is doubly true in times of crisis when the organization might be stretched thin by events beyond anyone’s control. Wil Shelton, CEO of Wil Power Integrated Marketing, shared a few ways communicators remain vigilant and on top of their collaborative relationships in crises.

• Be clear about your brand values. This should underpin all of your communication, especially in a crisis. Be forthright about it with your partners and let them know what’s at the heart of your relationship. “You need to define clear brand values and boundaries, so when a crisis hits, you have a foundation to act from that aligns with what your brand truly represents,” Shelton said.
• Invest in training and risk assessment. The best crisis planning happens before anything goes wrong. Work closely with your partners and collaborators to identify potential weak spots and shore them up. This can include brand-specific media training. “Conduct periodic risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities in partnerships with celebrity affiliations or influencers.”
• Lean on your internal advocates. Your employees can play an active role in your relationships with brands. Remind your partners that your employees are what make up your culture — you can even provide testimony from them to help guide your collaborators in a crisis. ” Employees can play a powerful role in reputational repair by speaking out on behalf of the brand’s values, showing the public that those values are genuinely reflected inside the organization.”

Applying the vetting process to influencers

Ahead of her fireside keynote at Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference later this month, we asked Nicole Dye-Anderson, SVP, head of media relations, experiential & influencer strategy at Wells Fargo, how this applies to her work with media influencers, which she classifies as those with a strong social media following and industry expertise who serve as media sources.

“I make it my mission to build authentic, long-term relationships with influencers and spend time collaborating with them, aligning on campaign messaging and the brand’s established cultural values, while giving influencers the freedom to be themselves,” she said.

Vetting  media influencers differs depending on the industry, but the vigorous process at Wells Fargo involves Dye-Anderson looking for:

• Brand alignment. “I review past content to ensure it aligns with the brand’s values and look to avoid polarizing opinions or inappropriate behavior,” Dye-Anderson explained. “I ask questions like, ‘Will this be an authentic partnership? Does this person share the same values as my organization?'” Her team also provides influencers with a brand playbook to help them understand brand values and clearly identify how their goals align with desired outcomes. “It’s important to note we do not draft content for them,” she added. “It’s important they stay true to their voice.”
• Reputation. “I always start with adverse media screenings on potential partners, which are one of the best ways to identify any possible risks, by analyzing their digital footprint over the past several years, including deep dives into their social channels, media appearances and previous brand partnerships.” Check for any controversies within the past five years that can cause reputational risk if the partnership proceeds. Were there any controversies within the last five years that would cause a reputational risk to my organization if we were to partner
• Niche expertise. “Does the influencer have deep industry or product knowledge, thus making them a credible and authentic source?”
• Media source. “Outside of their social platforms, is this person a trusted news media source?”
• Engagement metrics. “In addition to audience numbers (like followers), I analyze engagement rates, looking for high-to-moderate positive engagement (likes, comments, shares). This helps indicate an active audience that trusts the influencer.”

Remember the legal implications

Comms messaging may look different than the language the legal experts in an organization use. But in times of crisis, a close collaboration with legal can help you find the middle ground during the reputational screening Dye-Anderson mentioned. 

Bart Lazar, partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP shared the legal implications communicators should consider about collaborations during crises:

• Meaningful due diligence. You should always vet your partners, but it’s extra important to do so before times of crisis. Look past the glitz and glam of high-powered partners and look to see how they truly align with your mission. “Sometimes people rush into influencer deals based on follower count alone. But due diligence is how you protect your brand from unexpected issues down the line.”
• Deeper background checks. Every organization needs to look into the people it works with. But this process needs to be more than just a Google search. “You need a deeper dive, with the influencer’s consent, to get a full picture of any potential issues. A background check should at least cover their online history for any conflicts or negative media coverage, which can give insight into how well they might represent your brand.”
• Alignment with compliance standards. Enough is going on during a crisis that you shouldn’t have to worry about compliance issues with brand partners. “There’s a real need to ensure compliance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) endorsement guidelines, so the partner’s posts align with legal standards and the brand’s integrity. When vetting an influencer, their understanding of compliance practices can be a good indicator of professionalism and reliability.”

Internal building blocks lead to external strength

While it’s important to keep a focus on partners and a given crisis, don’t forget about your internal stakeholders and employees.

Linda Haggerty-Dotterer, owner of LHD Communications warned that it’s easy to overlook the importance of keeping employees informed about both the overall issues at hand and the impacts of partnerships.

“Sometimes, the working team is focused first on external stakeholders like collaborators, and think they can deal with employees later,” Haggerty-Dotterer said. This is a mistake and a missed opportunity.”

You can mitigate this by setting up structures for employees to ask questions about partnerships and how they impact the business and their roles.

“A good rule of thumb is to communicate internally first or at least at the same time as you go externally,” said Haggerty-Dotterer. “This helps build all-important trust in hectic times.”

Nicole Dye-Anderson goes deeper into the future of influencer relations during her keynote at Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference on Nov. 15. Register now. 

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.