Reputation Management Survey: Where are schools exposed?
Our recent survey of how schools manage their reputations revealed a wealth of information about what steps schools are taking – and where they are exposed. 5 key findings stood out:
1
Schools are missing out on inexpensive ways of protecting their reputations. Just 6% of respondents said their websites included the contact details of a press officer. Yet a news story could break at any time, and if it happens out of hours the chances of journalists being able to include the school’s side of the story are minimal.
2
Nearly half of schools have experienced some bad publicity in the last five years. And social and digital media is causing most concern: in 64% of cases, the story appeared online. This is not just a sign of the times but also underlines the importance of keeping your online reputation under constant review.
3
18% of all schools are particularly exposed to crises, having neither adequate funds nor insurance in place to cover the costs of handling one. These schools in particular should be heavily focused on crisis planning, which saves significant sums of money compared with having to deal with a crisis from scratch.
4
Nearly three quarters of schools do not subscribe to media monitoring software. Monitoring is an essential reputation management tool as it acts as an early warning system for any brewing issues and helps you spot opportunities for positive publicity.
5
Schools are concerned about a wide range of potential difficult stories. In total our respondents highlighted 17 different areas they are concerned about, with finance, league table performance, and pupil/staff use of social media each mentioned the most. The truth is that schools are of great interest to both journalists and the public at large, and it pays to be prepared for the attention.
How can schools learn more from these insights?
We will be discussing the full range of findings from our survey along with a detailed outline of what practical steps can be taken to manage your reputation in a series of seminars in 2018.
The first 25 spaces for our opening seminar – in London – are available free of charge. Please register your interest by filling in this form. Further details, including dates and venues, will be sent out in due course.
In addition, if you would like a private, no obligation chat about how we might be able to help you directly then please do email me personally on [email protected]