The document discusses the role of digital in reputation management for animal welfare charities. It outlines how the RSPCA uses social media, analytics tools, and SEO strategies to monitor discussions and shape perceptions of the organization. When issues arise, the RSPCA employs set processes like a media monitoring rota and crisis group to coordinate responses across communications channels. Examples provided demonstrate how the RSPCA was able to effectively manage positive stories but also issues that received negative press coverage through prepared messaging and sharing compelling content.

1. The Role of Digital in
Reputation Management
CHARITY MARKETING CONFERENCE
8 OCTOBER

2. Emily Munford, Head of Digital
SOCIAL, WEB, EMAIL, SEO, DIGITAL CONTENT

3. Agenda
• Set the scene
• How we manage our reputation
• When it works well…and when it doesn’t
• Key learnings

4. Summary 2013
TOTAL MEDIA COVERAGE

5. Summary 2013
NEGATIVE STORIES CONCENTRATED IN CERTAIN PAPERS

6. RSPCA digital
• Facebook - 510,000 Likes
• Twitter - 172,000 followers
• Pinterest, Google +, YouTube
• 1.2 million visits pm to website

7. Reasons why people like us
• Active – we are the “Government” body
helping animals (but we’re not)
• Trustworthy – what wwee ssaayy iiss ccoorrrreecctt
• “Go to” organisation for animal welfare
• Professional – 190 years of saving animals

8. Reasons why people dislike us
• Authoritarian – we prosecute
• “Political” campaigning – hunting, badgers
• Disagree with our policies
• Frustration – lock ’emup!
• Customer service issues – we don’t do enough

9. NB: Insert
more positive
CLICK TO EDIT MASTER TEXT STYLES
Digital Review & Strategy
February 2012
RSPCA
person and
animal pic
from
photolibrary
So how do we manage our reputation?

10. People
ONLY AS GOOD AS THE PEOPLE YOU’VE GOT
• Press/Digital/Call centre/Frontline staff
• Strength in external ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippss
• Statements prepared and approved (1 or 2)
• “On the ground” liaison officer, if needed
• Take things off line where possible

11. Tools and products
SEO, SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING, ANALYTICS

12. Using SEO
• Language being used – linguistic profiling, keyword research
• Content on our site reflects both the issues and the language
being used – content gap analysis, copy optimisation
• Content is in the line of sight of those wwhhoo aarree ddiissccuussssiinngg
the issues – blogger outreach, article syndication, social links
• Outcome = search engines see us as being relevant and
authoritative; we rank highly; people find our content when
searching

13. …we appear above DEFRA
Our badger campaigns page is,
on average, two positions higher
than the DDEEFFRRAA ppaaggee oonn tthhee
same subject for the search
phrase badger cull on
google.co.uk

14. Processes
• On call rota and comms
• Social mmeeddiiaa aammbbaassssaaddoorrss
• Major Incident Group (MIG)
• Crisis fundraising appeals

15. Social media monitoring
• Create queries that monitor topics that are relevant
to our work
• Use the results to ascertain the opinion of both the
public (Facebook, Twitter etc), press (news sites) and
special interest groups (forums) aanndd uussee tthhiiss
intelligence to inform marketing, PR and press activity
• Monitor the perception of the RSPCA brand,
specific topics as well as measure the level of coverage
per campaign

16. Processes
ONGOING CONTENT AUDIT, SECTION BY SECTION
• Major Incident Group
• Social ccoovveerr eemmaaiill ggrroouupp
So what happens in practice?

17. Sometimes it works…
SEALS STORM SURGE
• 108 pups in one month – usually 120 in a
year – quick reaction, sell in to TV, put out
request for help, rreeggiioonnaall rreelleeaasseess
• 80% released
• Celebrity endorsement

18. CLICK TO EDIT MASTER TEXT STYLES

19. Seals
• Sky, BBC, ITV all covered release
• Regular updates on social media
• 4,000 retweets on one update
• Raised £110,000
• “Saved the day”

21. Strong images are key

22. Sometimes it doesn’t work so well…
ONE FATEFUL WEEKEND IN DECEMBER…
• Article saying we are ‘sinister and nasty’ –
sensitive as we are seen as Goliath
• Inundated with queries about a disabled dog
• Horses in flood plain/seal stuck in a pool

23. Negative press
RSPCA has become 'sinister and nasty', warns
head of the Countryside Alliance…to stop
donating to the “once great institution” and
says charity is more interested in animal rights
than promoting welfare

24. How we responded…
• Statement to press and social; rally the troops
• MIG established; information chain set up
• Regular updates; repetition of message
• Used photo and facts to counter accusations

25. When we have all the pieces in place…
• End non-stun slaughter
–– 5566,,000000 ssiiggnnaattuurreess
• Badger cull
– 304,112 signatures
– biggest e-petition
-
Constantly building our reputation

26. Creative messaging

28. Reinforcing key messages
HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR FAMILY
ABANDONED YOU?
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WWAATTCCHH??VV==88DDKKRRXXXXCCKKAAOOKK

29. In summary
• Right people; right processes; right tools
• Power of content – images, video
• Embrace the shareability ooff ssoocciiaall
• Speed and agility but readiness to
disengage
• You can’t win every time

30. Any questions?

31. Thank you
EMILY.MUNFORD@RSPCA.ORG.UK

32. Over to you…
• What one thing would damage
your cchhaarriittyy tthhee mmoosstt??
• How could you manage it most
effectively on digital?