How will your CEO talk about your half year results online?
Will you just share a link to the investor centre, media release or – if you’re lucky – positive AFR coverage?
Or will you think carefully about your online audiences and what they, specifically, need to hear?
Consider BP – and CEO Bernard Looney – as a timely example. Six months ago, the company’s half yearly results were received, let’s say, less favourably than hoped. Criticism went rampant as details of profits rubbed salt into the already-deep cost of living wounds.
Whether intentional or not, Looney’s attempt (see below) to avoid the elephant in the room only led to greater criticism. And if your immediate thought is: ‘He should’ve just stayed quiet on the results!’….there are many more examples of leaders being called out for failing to lead when needed most.
The lesson? Whatever your results, you must first listen to stakeholder sentiment – ‘read the room’ online – before crafting any statements.
Last week – six months on from that experience – the next round of results were due. So, what did Looney’s team and BP learn from past experiences, and how did it shape their approach this time around? It’s a fascinating case study.
Beyond any financial results, devastation struck Turkey and Syria with an earthquake days prior. Any planned messaging had to be altered to respect stakeholder context and show empathy. From there, what’s interesting is how the numbers were reported.
Compared with six months prior, this post is notably more transparent. And the public response?
Approximately triple the engagement compared to the announcement six months prior, still with a mixture of positive and negative sentiment as you would expect.
However, in amongst the focus on REPORTING, what we found most interesting was the renewed focus on LISTENING. These results weren’t just about what Looney had to say.
See the post below from Amanda Naylor, CEO at Manchester Youth Zone, and the all important ‘Update’ at the end of her post.
What presented as a potential reputational issue became a positive call out for openness and collaboration. Something industry competitor Shell appears to have missed in their own reporting efforts. The reach of THIS post exponentially greater than Looney’s initial results post.
This is the power of listening online. But you must also be equipped to take action.
Miss the mark, and the reputational risk can be exponential. Be strategic and planned, the opposite is equally true.
We have our own ‘PPLAN’ planning methodology for risk reduction, built around the five drivers of digital reputation. They are:
Purpose. Knowing ‘why’ you’re participating online is the single most important factor to inform effort, coordinate with peers and mitigate risk.
Profile. How the world sees you online. Building an effective, consistent digital presence helps leaders take back control of their narrative.
Listening. How you continue learning about the needs of key stakeholders.
Activity. Taking purposeful actions that harness social media algorithms ensures leaders maximise effort and minimise risk.
Network. The company you keep online. Growing a network of strategic, credible contacts builds powerful public endorsement that’s invaluable during headwinds and tailwinds.
How well your leader’s words are received online relies on so much more than just the words they use. A word of encouragement – remember to PPLAN.
I’d love to hear your plans and if you have a question or need to bounce something off me, please feel free to get in touch. Always happy to help.
Thanks,
Roge
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