And because misinformation runs rampant throughout digital media, it can be tough for brands to navigate. Marketers are well aware of this threat, with “42% worrying about the detrimental effect on their brand’s reputation for advertising alongside misinformation,” per data from Integral Ad Science.

“It is estimated that at least $235m of ad budgets every year is unwittingly spent advertising on sites that peddle misinformation,” Csaba Szabo, managing director at Integral Ad Science, writes for The Drum. “This money, along with the air of legitimacy that ads by global brands lend to these sites, only perpetuates the issue.”

Not to mention, misinformation has even started causing brands to take stances on public issues, which has led to some unintended backlash.

How Can Brands Protect Themselves?

Fortunately, with the right team and tactics in place, marketing on the Internet doesn’t have to be a minefield for brands trying to grow their business. Here are three ways brands can prevent misinformation from affecting their digital marketing strategy.

Targeting and Channel Strategy

Identify ideal consumers and where they spend their time online. With this information, brands can audit conversations happening across particular platforms and devise a messaging strategy that effectively navigates around the effects of misinformation.

In particular, knowing these audiences, where they tend to thrive, and what they’re talking about could also lend to some intriguing new opportunities in paid media, allowing brands to place the right message at the right place at the right time more safely.

Social Justice and Transparency

One study claims that “two-thirds of consumers say it’s important for brands to take stands on social and political issues.”

However, that doesn’t mean brands should hop on every issue circulating the news cycle. Brands should always do their due diligence when researching social justice issues, gaining a clear, 360° understanding of the issues at hand and how they relate to their business. This allows brands the ability to be transparent about their intentions while also avoiding being super-spreaders of misinformation themselves.

Monitoring and Crisis Management

Maintaining a courteous and professional persona online is a great way to manage communities laden with misinformation. Be proactive by creating a response matrix for crisis management teams focused on issue escalation in order to protect corporate reputation.

But, not only that, new social listening tools—such as Newsguard’s integration with Meltwater—are being introduced by the day intent on helping brands identify and mitigate misinformation.

Let’s Create Together

Want to learn how your brand can navigate around misinformation—but not sure where to start? Drop us a line at info@againinteractive.com. Your success is how we measure ours.