Reputation, image and Impression Management

Reputation is the general, overall, and long-term impression of an organization on a specific public. Based on how a public views and understands the organization, reputation thus is the prevailing impression of an organization and the social evaluation that people make of it. Reputation is rooted in what people know or think they know about an organization (the cognitive element) and what attitudes they hold based on that information (the affective element). Reputation is considered part of the social capital of an organization, something it can bank on and build on. I would argue that reputation is perhaps the most important goal of any public relations program, and certainly one of the most vulnerable aspects of any organization. Thus the need to envision it, actively pursue it, and protect it at all cost.

Image: (aka perception) is a more general and short-term evaluation of an organization’s messages. It is drawn from the way an organization projects itself toward its various publics. Image is what people think about the organization based on the impact of its messages. Image is based on both word and deed – on the verbal, visual, and behavioral messages, both planned and unplanned, that come from an organization and leave an impression. Because not all publics receive the same messages or process them the same way, image can be inconsistent and can vary from one public to another or from one time to another. Whereas reputation is considered interactive and closely associated with public relations, image sometimes is linked more with advertising and the production/presentation of messages directed in support of a branding effort toward a public or market segment.

Impression Management

Reputation Management and Marketing Company that helps businesses improve their online presence. Our services help businesses rank locally and organically on the first page of search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Reputation Impression also optimizes and creates directory listings on review sites that account for 97% of all search traffic. As more consumers turn towards their mobile devices for local search and social media interaction, having a mobile optimized website is crucial to gaining new customers