It is vitally important to remain on top of what is happening in social media in reference to your company reputation. A few negative comments in the social media have a viral impact and can have a large negative impact on your reputation. It is thus vital to build strong authority through online reputation management.
There are some specific keys to follow to insure that the reputation is not destroyed by negative social media comments. It is important to be proactive and timely. A bad reputation can happen in a minute, but can take hours or even years to repair. Some of the keys to build strong authority include the following:
- Have a crisis communication team
- Develop communication outreaches
- Build branding for yourself and your company
- Dialogue instead of message
- Acknowledge transparency
- Recognize viral nature of social media
- Embrace brand fans
Maintaining a Watch with a Crisis Communication Team
With the speed and viral nature of social media comments, one negative view by one disgruntled customer can cause untold damage in short order. If it goes undetected for a time, by the time the company realizes it has happened, it is way too late.
The way to counteract this damage is to have a special crisis team whose job is to follow social media sites and stays abreast of what is being said about your company. This means a negative can be caught early and handled in an appropriate manner long before it is able to permeate the internet world.
Developing Communication Outreaches
The best damage control starts before the damage even happens. Reaching out to customers and potential customers with blogs, forums, and other forms of writing helps you show interest and concern. In addition, sharing information that is beneficial helps you appear as a source of expertise, and gives your business a more positive appearance.
Building a Strong Brand for Yourself and Your Company
Branding for yourself and your company helps give a positive outlook for your company, so when a negative comment appears on social media, it will have less impact. You will be viewed in a positive light, so there won’t be as much damage done by a simple negative post or comment on a social media site.
Dialoguing Instead of Messaging
With the advent of social media, the public expects to be an active part of any communication. No longer will they tolerate being bombarded with PR messages and/or sales copy. They want a dialogue between themselves and the company representatives. It is vital to develop an interchange of communication that shows you really care about what they have to say. Thus, if a negative comment happens, they know you are available to dispel any misconceptions. In addition, they are more apt to speak up for you and your company because they feel personally invested.
Acknowledging Transparency
It is no longer possible to hide behind a mask of secrecy. It is imperative for companies to realize that things are now transparent. Acknowledging this transparency enables you to put your best foot forward, and to explain any negative aspects. Recognizing that “all will out” enables company officials to apologize for any wrong-doing and to attempt to rectify the situation before things get spread all over the social media world.
Recognizing Viral Nature of Social Media
The power that social media wields cannot be ignored. The viral nature of social media means one stray comment can be spread over a massive area in short order. This makes it doubly important to be aware of what is going on at all times in reference to your company.
Being knowledgeable and proactive in reference to social media enables a company to build strong authority through proper reputation management.
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Social media for marketing is a subject Idania Silvia, knows quite a lot about. She has written on the subject from all areas, and is especially aware of using social media to build brand authority through reputation management.