By now most people are familiar with the world of social media and how it can benefit their business as a promotional tool but others still see one sticking point- how it can ruin their reputation.
We all know the benefits of social media, it can:
- Raise brand awareness
- Promote special offers and events
- Provide company insight and personality
- Provide a useful vehicle for communicating with customers on their own level, at their own pace, in real time
- Act as a quick and easy vehicle for trouble-shooting
- Bolster Search Engine Optimisation
What about the ways that it can go wrong?
You may be concerned that something derogatory and potentially damaging could be said about your brand online. But, the fact of the matter is that if someone has someone negative to say about your brand then they are going to do it, whether they are shooting their mouth off in the pub or whether they Tweet about it.
The benefit of someone saying something negative about your brand online is that you are more likely to know about it and you have the right to reply, amend the problem and set things straight. This is something that many people fail to consider, but online discussions not only open the channel of communication between you and your customers right up but also anything negative can be addressed in such a way to put you back in a positive light.
Tom Chapman, Headstream’s Social Media Strategist had something to say on the issue in May’s B2B Magazine and below is the gist of his expert opinions:
Listen to the buzz
- Track down the buzz around your brand within social media to gauge an idea of what negativity
- Use free tools like: www.whostalkin.com and www.socialmention.com. List relevant keywords to search, e.g. brand name or product number. Results will be returned by category – blogs, forums, networks, news and video
- Google alerts are also a great way of monitoring the conversation based on brand mentions
Can’t beat ‘em? Join ‘em
- React quickly to negative/inaccurate buzz so that it doesn’t spread around cyberspace at a rate of knots
- Respond top posts or comments or contact the detractor directly to show willing to communicate and right any wrongs
- Refrain from being defensive as it will breed negativity, just explain your position and invite feedback
Transparent communications
- Remain open and honest at all times
- Keep your customers informed of how you are rectifying problems
- Failure to communicate puts your brand at the mercy of social media – the kind that you’re worried about!
Social media strategy
- Turn negative search engine results positive with the power of keywords. Use your company blog to respond to negative comments, making sure that its title features keywords that match the negative content and pip negative posts to the post in search engine results.
- Counteract negative comments by highlighting positive testimonials from key clients
- Use your Twitter account to raise awareness of your responses
- Use video or webcasts to respond on mass
- Those with online communities can confine negativity to one area, allowing immediate response
Keep at it
Bad news spreads quicker than good news and while you can’t stop people commenting about your brand or disparaging your products and services you can learn of negativity faster online and react faster to rectify any issues.
You need to always be aware of what people are saying about you and this is easily achievable online. Investing a little time in keeping up-to-date with social media will make sure that you know what’s going on and will set you on the road to becoming an authoritative voice in your subject area; meaning people will come to you for advice and look upon you and your brand in a more positive way. Everyone’s a winner, you see!
For more information on how Chichester Design can help you with your Social Media Optimisation please contact kate@chichesterdesign.co.uk today.
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