Tips and Considerations on Brand Reputation and Social Media
Brand reputation is not merely a trend word. It can have a significant impact on results and sales and, albeit not always in a positive way. And social media is a slippery floor for brands if they don’t know how to maintain their presence and reputation online. Below are some tips on managing brand reputation on social media.
Be Consistent
Social media, when used properly, delivers great results. Build a strategy of what to post and where. Highlight your product value and the story behind it. Think about your tone of communication and kind of message will cater to your audience. Always keep an eye on your performance, to ensure that the brand is moving in the right direction on social media.
Regular posting will help the brand gain credibility and generate brand awareness. As your brand is getting recognition, you need to focus on brand reputation to maintain what you already gained.
Be Responsive
Social media is not a broadcasting channel — it is about conversing with people. You need to build a dialogue by being responsive to them. To do this successfully as a brand, you need to check these out:
- Do you have a clear schedule of duties for your team? What happens to messages, comments and reviews left over the weekend?
- Do you have a crisis management plan in place? Do you know what to do, and what to answer when a crisis situation arises?
- Do you have set up KPIs for response time? Customers have highly sensitive expectations for responses on social media.
Social Listening
Monitor brand mentions. While social media platforms are essential, you shouldn’t forget the rest of the internet. Monitoring mentions can prevent a crisis, or identify brand ambassadors you didn’t know you had. It will also indicate the sentiment, the context, and the places where your brand is mentioned the most.
Personal Branding
Does personal branding really matter for your brand reputation? Generally, the leadership and executive team need to have their online presence aligned with the brand’s vision and mission.
All employees should be mindful of what they post online, and how it may relate to the company they work for.
There have been quite a few cases where an employee impacted a company’s brand reputation. It doesn’t matter if you are in the C-suite or just a junior assistant. Try to provide value on social media when it comes to the brand you are connected to.
Social Proof
Be responsive and answer all reviews and feedback, no matter if they appear on Facebook, TripAdvisor or Yelp. Remember that people are more likely to leave negative reviews than leave a recount of their positive experience. Address every doubt and request by responding on time and providing valuable answers and solutions. Don’t take them personally — with proper management you can turn complaints into an amazing customer experience.
