Getting started in risk management years ago was a bit of an eye-opening experience.
Well, that’s a bit of an understatement. It was a baptism by fire…

Since then, I’ve worked through crises big and small, things lasting for months or years on end with a hostile audience or minor hiccups that spring up on a Wednesday afternoon and can be cleared up by Friday.

So, without further ado, let’s dig in and get to the 5 biggest points from me for managing and protecting your brand online. 

1. There’s a small list of “global risks” everyone has to worry about.

Legal compliance, threats and danger, and even things like racism, misogyny and anti LGBTQ content are potential issues for everyone.Those kinds of risks are the kinds of things it’s easy to look for, easy to know what to do. 
 
But the exposed surface drastically differs for every brand out there. For some people, it’s an outspoken CEO with strong political views. Or even an executive team active on social media with the brand and its identity firmly attached to them. Universities have strict hierarchies and leadership structures formed over decades or even longer. Banks and insurance companies live in worlds of strict regulation, international organizations need to face changing sentiment and focus across a diverse range of moods, religions and languages. 
 
Don’t leave your risk management to some generic list. You need to know what really matters to you and the unique threats and risks your brand faces.

2. Your exposure to risk changes over time. Big and small. 

There’s a slow drift in risk as people become more complacent or political sentiment shifts. 
The launch of new products, pushing into new markets, or even a marketing campaign that pulls in a new demographic could provide a new threat. 
 
But risk changes quickly, too. Brands aligned with celebrities for large-scale campaigns can suddenly find themselves facing backlash for views when global events take place. War and natural disasters create changing situations that impact companies associated with travel. However, even challenger brands in other markets make wordplay about locations all over the planet. 
 
Years ago, Virgin Blue had a loud and bold tone of voice in their comms, airport signage, etc., that wildly contrasted the established formal tone of existing airlines. Some of that language generated complaints. Years later, none of it would get even a second glance. Somewhere in that window, the risk surface changed. There was a tipping point, and probably in a short window.  
 
Managing risk needs to be refreshed, updated and reviewed. The things that mattered 3 to 6 months ago might not matter now, and new issues have arisen that you may never have expected.

3. The world changes fast. Faster than we imagine. And faster every day.

 
Risk management needs your team to be switched on and watching the world. It’s not about knowing absolutely everything but in making sure you know enough. And there’s always going to be new things to learn and find.  
One of the biggest lessons is that you can’t learn it all. You can’t see everything.  
Going too broad with your listening and monitoring means you’re watching nothing. The more you pull into the net, the harder it is to find the right fish. 
 
Maintaining an active presence in major social networks will keep you across trending changes and sweeping news, but don’t forget about the algorithmic-driven feeds.  
Being active every night on TikTok and Instagram doesn’t help if you work in finance and curate your feed around BookTok. Creating and maintaining “corporate” accounts to follow content that matters to your brand can help push relevant changes and trends quickly in front of you. As a plus, it’ll keep your personal feeds and accounts free of the corporate world. Switching off matters too.

4. Context matters. More than anything. 

A big lesson in risk management is that things that present a real threat to one brand are not an issue to others. With expectations varying across industries, nations, and even products, there’s so much to consider and balance. 
 
Your audience has already made those considerations, most of them without consciously thinking about it. You need someone who is tuned in to your audience and how they think, feel and engage. But don’t get locked into a checklist. People who’ve never interacted with your brand before or might never be customers can be the greatest source of risk. Online audiences get fired up and people attach to causes, justified or otherwise.

5. The best risk management happens before a risk shows up. 
 

Right now, you’re doing the work that will guide and impact how the next crisis is handled. You’re already establishing your credibility, trust, and how you communicate. 
An established history of authentic connection with your audience makes the next piece of crisis comms easier to swallow. 
A long list of engaged and passionate followers will leap to defend you in the middle of a crisis, long before you can engage legal and PR teams on just how to talk about an issue. 
And a Facebook wall or blog page filled with transparency and down to Earth conversations lends weight when you need to talk about something messy and complex. Far fewer people are going to accuse you of doublespeak if it’s not how you normally play.

The brands handling risk the best are those that started before a crisis came up. Risk management isn’t just about how you react. It’s about how you prepare. 
 
Build trust and forge your identity so it’s crystal clear, and you’ll have a strong foundation to stand on when flood waters rise.

You’re not just here to put out fires, you need to fireproof before the sparks can land.