"Measuring and understanding your reputation isn't always enough," says le Roux. "We have realised that there is a massive need for ongoing reputation management support, especially for entrepreneurs and people who are new to the communication field."

"Very often, it is assumed that reputation management is very pricey and something that is only relevant for large corporate organisations," adds le Roux. "It is especially important for new business owners to build and foster their companies' reputations right from the start," says le Roux. 

"Often it is assumed that having a social media presence is sufficient. It is, however, everything about your business that impacts how you are perceived that has an effect on your reputation," adds le Roux. 

"People want to do business with companies that have a good reputation. We have evidence that there is a correlation between a good reputation and bottom line," says le Roux.

"Reputation management is much more than just having cool social media pages, SEO and a creative website. A large portion of your budget may be going to quirky marketing gimmicks, but if you don't have your reputation building blocks in place, you'll be wasting a lot of time and money," le Roux says. 

"With our hands-on approach, our programme will help you to focus on the whole business and how you as an entrepreneur (or even a large organisation) can build a positive reputation for your business right from the start. You will be empowered with a very comprehensive understanding of how to look after your reputation, identify your blind spots and leverage off your strengths," le Roux adds.

According to Reputation Matters, communicators — or anyone in the organisation that has a keen interest in reputation management — will benefit from the mentorship programme.

"We have often seen that after a company has invested significantly in a research project, they don't implement the recommendations. Research is crucial; unfortunately, without implementing the recommendations, your reputation will not grow and improve," le Roux says.  

"We will mentor you on how to build your own communication policies, strategies and plans, as well as provide you with templates to make your job easier. In this way, we aim to foster a longer-term relationship with the client instead of just an annual engagement," concludes le Roux.

For more information, visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or contact research@reputationmatters.co.za. You can also follow Reputation Matters on Facebook or on Twitter.