# Reputation Recovery — 30/60/90 Day Plans

> When brand reputation takes a hit, recovery is not automatic. It requires a structured, phased approach that addresses search results, social sentiment, stakeholder trust, and long-term brand perception. This playbook gives you the plan.

---

## Reputation Audit Framework (Day 0 — Before Recovery Begins)

Before building a recovery plan, assess the damage.

### SERP Audit

| Search Query | Page 1 Results (Top 10) | Sentiment | Owned? | Actionable? |
|-------------|------------------------|-----------|--------|-------------|
| "{{brand name}}" | List each result | Pos/Neu/Neg | Y/N | Y/N |
| "{{brand name}} reviews" | List each result | Pos/Neu/Neg | Y/N | Y/N |
| "{{brand name}} scam" | List each result | Pos/Neu/Neg | Y/N | Y/N |
| "{{brand name}} {{crisis keyword}}" | List each result | Pos/Neu/Neg | Y/N | Y/N |
| "{{CEO name}}" | List each result | Pos/Neu/Neg | Y/N | Y/N |

### Sentiment Baseline

| Channel | Current Sentiment | Pre-Crisis Sentiment | Gap |
|---------|------------------|---------------------|-----|
| Google Reviews | | | |
| Social Media (aggregate) | | | |
| News Coverage | | | |
| Industry Forums | | | |
| Employee Reviews (Glassdoor) | | | |
| Overall Weighted Score | | | |

### Stakeholder Trust Assessment

| Stakeholder Group | Trust Level (1-10) | Key Concerns | Priority |
|-------------------|-------------------|--------------|----------|
| Customers | | | |
| Employees | | | |
| Partners / Vendors | | | |
| Investors | | | |
| Media | | | |
| Regulators | | | |

---

## 30-Day Plan — Stabilize & Control the Narrative

**Objective:** Stop the bleeding. Own the narrative. Establish credibility through action.

### Week 1-2: Immediate Actions

| Action | Owner | Details |
|--------|-------|---------|
| Publish CEO/leadership statement | CEO + PR | Transparent account of what happened, accountability, concrete steps |
| Create crisis FAQ page on website | Content + Legal | Address every known question, keep updated |
| Claim and optimize all brand profiles | SEO + Social | Google Business, social profiles, review platforms — ensure consistent messaging |
| Launch proactive customer outreach | CS + CRM | Personal outreach to top accounts, offer remediation |
| Begin positive content production | Content Team | Op-eds, thought leadership, customer success stories (pipeline for weeks 3-4) |
| Activate employee ambassadors | Internal Comms | Brief employees, provide talking points, encourage authentic advocacy |

### Week 3-4: Narrative Building

| Action | Owner | Details |
|--------|-------|---------|
| Publish 4-6 pieces of positive owned content | Content Team | Blog posts, case studies, behind-the-scenes of improvements |
| Secure 2-3 earned media placements | PR | Offer exclusive interviews, data, or access to journalists |
| Launch review generation campaign | Marketing | Target satisfied customers for fresh positive reviews |
| Begin SEO displacement strategy | SEO Team | Target negative SERP results with optimized positive content |
| Host stakeholder Q&A or town hall | Leadership | Transparent forum for customers, employees, or partners |

### 30-Day KPIs

| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| Negative SERP results on Page 1 | Reduced by 20-30% |
| New positive reviews generated | 25-50 (platform-dependent) |
| Positive media placements | 2-3 |
| Customer churn rate | Stabilized (no further increase) |
| Social sentiment (negative %) | Declining week over week |

---

## 60-Day Plan — Rebuild & Demonstrate Change

**Objective:** Show — do not just tell — that meaningful change has occurred.

### Week 5-6: Proof Points

| Action | Owner | Details |
|--------|-------|---------|
| Announce and implement structural changes | Operations + Exec | New policies, hires, processes that address root cause |
| Publish transparency report | Content + Legal | Data on what changed, progress metrics, what's next |
| Launch customer advocacy program | Marketing | Identify and empower loyal customers to share stories |
| Expand positive content pipeline | Content Team | 8-12 pieces targeting recovery keywords |
| Pitch bylines and op-eds to industry publications | PR | Position leaders as thoughtful, accountable |

### Week 7-8: Amplification

| Action | Owner | Details |
|--------|-------|---------|
| Activate influencer partnerships | Influencer Team | Partner with credible voices for authentic endorsement |
| Launch community initiative or CSR program | Marketing + Exec | Demonstrate values through action (charity, initiative, policy) |
| Begin paid media support for positive content | Media Team | Amplify best-performing positive stories |
| Conduct mid-recovery stakeholder survey | Research | Measure trust recovery progress |
| Update FAQ/crisis page with progress | Content | Show accountability and follow-through |

### 60-Day KPIs

| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| Negative SERP results on Page 1 | Reduced by 50-60% |
| Overall sentiment score | Approaching pre-crisis baseline |
| Customer NPS | Trending upward |
| Employee sentiment (eNPS) | Stabilized or improving |
| Positive media placements (cumulative) | 6-10 |
| Advocacy program members | 20-50 active advocates |

---

## 90-Day Plan — Strengthen & Future-Proof

**Objective:** Fully restore reputation and build resilience against future incidents.

### Week 9-10: Long-Term Positioning

| Action | Owner | Details |
|--------|-------|---------|
| Publish industry thought leadership report | Content + Research | Original research or insights that position brand as a leader |
| Launch ongoing brand monitoring program | Marketing Ops | Permanent sentiment monitoring (see `sentiment-monitoring.md`) |
| Formalize crisis prevention protocols | Risk + Marketing | Document everything learned, update crisis plan (see `crisis-communication.md`) |
| Establish advisory board or customer council | Exec + CS | External accountability and early warning mechanism |

### Week 11-12: Sustained Growth

| Action | Owner | Details |
|--------|-------|---------|
| Conduct 90-day retrospective | Full team | What worked, what didn't, systemic improvements |
| Transition from recovery to growth marketing | Marketing | Shift budget from defensive to offensive |
| Launch brand campaign (optional) | Creative + Media | If appropriate, reintroduce brand with refreshed positioning |
| Set up annual reputation health review | Marketing Ops | Recurring quarterly audits |

### 90-Day KPIs

| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| Negative SERP results on Page 1 | 0-1 (displaced by positive content) |
| Overall sentiment score | At or above pre-crisis baseline |
| Customer retention rate | Returned to pre-crisis levels |
| Brand consideration (survey) | Recovered to within 10% of pre-crisis |
| Review rating (avg across platforms) | 4.0+ (or pre-crisis level) |
| Crisis preparedness score (internal audit) | 90%+ |

---

## SEO-for-Reputation Tactics

### SERP Displacement Strategy

The goal is to push negative results off Page 1 by creating and optimizing positive content that outranks them.

| Tactic | Details | Timeline |
|--------|---------|----------|
| Optimize owned properties | Website, blog, About page — target branded keywords with fresh, authoritative content | Week 1-2 |
| Create satellite content | LinkedIn articles, Medium posts, guest posts on high-DA sites — all targeting brand name keywords | Week 2-4 |
| Build profile pages | Crunchbase, LinkedIn Company, Wikipedia (if notable), industry directories | Week 1-2 |
| Press releases | Distribute through PR Newswire, BusinessWire — these rank well for brand queries | Week 2-6 |
| Video content | YouTube videos targeting "[brand] + [crisis keyword]" — YouTube results get SERP placement | Week 3-6 |
| Review platform optimization | Claim and optimize Trustpilot, G2, Capterra profiles — these rank for brand queries | Week 1-4 |
| Social media profiles | Optimize all social bios, post consistently — social profiles rank on Page 1 | Ongoing |
| Structured data | Add Organization schema, FAQ schema to website for enhanced SERP features | Week 1-2 |

### Content Calendar for Recovery

| Week | Content Piece | Target Keyword | Channel |
|------|--------------|---------------|---------|
| 1 | CEO statement / blog post | "{{brand}} update" | Website |
| 2 | Customer success story | "{{brand}} reviews" | Website + social |
| 3 | Behind-the-scenes improvement article | "{{brand}} changes" | Website + LinkedIn |
| 4 | Industry thought leadership | "{{brand}} {{industry}}" | Guest post (high-DA site) |
| 5 | Transparency report | "{{brand}} report" | Website + press release |
| 6 | Video: leadership Q&A | "{{brand}} CEO" | YouTube |
| 7 | Case study with customer | "{{brand}} experience" | Website + social |
| 8 | Op-ed in trade publication | "{{brand}} future" | Trade publication |

---

## Advocacy Program Design

### Structure

| Element | Details |
|---------|---------|
| Eligibility | Customers with NPS 9-10, repeat purchasers, engaged community members |
| Invitation | Personal outreach from account manager or customer success |
| Benefits | Early access, exclusive events, direct line to product team, recognition |
| Asks | Reviews, testimonials, case studies, referrals, social shares |
| Management | Dedicated community manager, quarterly check-ins, feedback loop |
| Size | Start with 20-30 advocates, grow to 100+ over 6 months |

### Advocate Activation Sequence

1. **Week 1:** Personal invitation + welcome package
2. **Week 2:** First ask — leave a review on primary platform
3. **Week 4:** Second ask — participate in case study or testimonial
4. **Week 6:** Third ask — share positive experience on social media
5. **Ongoing:** Quarterly events, product feedback sessions, referral program

---

## Reputation KPIs — Ongoing Tracking

| KPI | Definition | Measurement Frequency | Target |
|-----|-----------|----------------------|--------|
| Net Sentiment Score | (Positive - Negative) / Total mentions | Weekly | > 60% |
| Share of Positive SERP | % of Page 1 results that are positive/neutral | Monthly | > 80% |
| Review Rating (weighted) | Average rating across all platforms | Monthly | 4.2+ |
| Review Volume | New reviews per month | Monthly | Steady or increasing |
| Brand Search Volume | Branded search queries (Google Search Console) | Monthly | Recovering to baseline |
| NPS (Net Promoter Score) | Customer survey | Quarterly | Pre-crisis level or higher |
| Employee NPS | Employee survey | Quarterly | Stable or improving |
| Media Sentiment | Positive/neutral/negative media mentions | Monthly | > 70% positive/neutral |
| Crisis Preparedness Score | Internal audit of plans, training, tools | Quarterly | 90%+ |
| Stakeholder Trust Index | Weighted survey across all stakeholder groups | Quarterly | Trending upward |

---

## Stakeholder Re-Engagement Playbook

| Stakeholder | Re-Engagement Tactic | Timeline | Owner |
|-------------|---------------------|----------|-------|
| Churned customers | Personal outreach + special offer + "here's what changed" messaging | Day 30-60 | CS + Sales |
| At-risk customers | Proactive check-ins, dedicated support, loyalty incentives | Day 1-30 | CS |
| Employees | Town halls, transparency updates, recognition programs | Ongoing | HR + Exec |
| Partners | Executive-to-executive outreach, joint value reassessment | Day 14-30 | BD + Exec |
| Investors | Quarterly update with recovery metrics, forward strategy | Day 30, 60, 90 | CFO + CEO |
| Media | Exclusive access to recovery story, data, or leadership interviews | Day 30-60 | PR |

---

> **Reputation recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.** The brands that recover strongest are those that treat the crisis as a catalyst for genuine improvement — not just a PR problem to manage. Actions speak; messaging amplifies.
