Today I wanted to talk about one trend that we have to be aware of, and that’s being more watchful of fake news. Unfortunately, it’s a big problem. Big companies and small companies are putting policies and procedures into place to prevent fake news from affecting their businesses. Some are even enlisting the help of innovative software. Small businesses can protect themselves too, by creating Google Alerts for brand mentions or with social media monitoring tools that are free. Here’s an example from Talkwalker.

Another PR nightmare are deep fake videos. These are videos that face-swap a person in the video. That means you could have a video of a convenience store robbery and put a famous actor’s face on the perpetrator, making it look like he/she did it when in fact it’s a doctored video. Videos can be easily manipulated to discredit a business, a politician, a CEO, or a brand. Some people do it in their spare time and think it’s fun. But it’s no fun, if it’s aimed at you, and there could be a huge reputation, emotional, and possible financial risk.

Social media platforms, tech companies, and the government are all working to filter out fake news, to create a detection tool to see what’s real — and what’s not. Again, monitoring your brand online and being aware of personal mentions can help avoid a potential nightmare — or at least put it in front of you so you can act quickly if there’s a problem. You’ve worked hard to create a top-notch brand and image, and you have every right to protect it.

This is Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. If you’re looking for ways to protect your brand, as well as grow your visibility, contact me. I’m at RobinSamora.com.Talk tomorrow!