Last Updated on February 11, 2021 by tJMgqCih1t

Consumers expect brands to actively use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+. You don’t have to have an account on every social media website, just the ones where your target audience is most likely to socialize. If your business does not have at least one social media account, you will miss what detractors are saying in relation to your company. If you are not there to do damage control, you risk losing potential customers to brands who have mastered using social media to enhance their online reputation.

Social Media Strategy

Every business that uses social media needs a strategy that outlines what is acceptable to post and what is not acceptable. While major corporations usually employ dedicated social media marketers, most businesses do not; they let employees post updates and respond to customer’s questions. This practice is problematic if employees respond angrily to negative comments or post anything political or controversial. Make sure any that any of your staff with access to your social media account are professionals that would never post anything that could damage your company’s reputation.

Respond Quickly

When upset customers take time to ask questions or report problems with your product or service on your Facebook or Twitter page, they deserve an answer within 24 hours. Other consumers will watch how quickly you respond, and what you say when you do answer. Respond to customers by using their name and apologizing for their bad experience. Never blame the customer, even if they are clearly in the wrong.

If there is a problem that you don’t want to talk about publicly, ask if you can continue the discussion offline and then post about reaching a resolution on social media later.

Crisis Management

Be honest as possible during a crisis, without jeopardizing an internal investigation. If your business does not post on social media, others will. If you don’t speak out, you lose control of discussions about your business. Crisis control is about framing online content about your company and social media gives your company leverage in a crisis since people will flock to your posts and tweets to see how you are responding.

Social Media Monitoring

Writing engaging Facebook posts or tweeting about new products isn’t enough if you want to build a positive online reputation; monitoring brand mentions is essential for proactive reputation management. Anyone can use social media to complain about a bad experience they had with your business without giving you a chance to make amends first. Consumers used to complain to the manager or write a letter to the head office if they felt a business treated them poorly or if they received an inferior product; today, they post their complaint on Facebook. Complaints get shared more than praise, therefore, it is vital that you monitor what people are saying about your business and your employees on social media.

Creating engaging posts or tweets is time-consuming, so is setting up alerts to notify you when your business or any of its key employees are mentioned. Instead of rarely posting and not worrying what people are saying in reference to your business, have BrightPast monitor your digital reputation. Consider it social media insurance because if consumers see damaging information about your company on social media, and there’s no response from your business, they will shop elsewhere. Be proactive and use BrightPast’s service to stay on top of your online reputation.