Introduction
Be it a multinational company, or a budding entrepreneur, if you don’t have a social media page to
represent your personal brand, you are already losing the game.
In a world where your clients will first look you up on the internet before carrying out a transaction,
it is imperative that you maintain a credible online presence. The way you present yourself online is
one of the most powerful asset in increasing your overall revenue. Companies are investing
significant sums in managing and protecting their brand and reputation. Are you?
Why make an effort in online brand management?
Your brand’s image on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram is what consumers will
perceive of you. As much as the benefits of building a reputation for your business online sound
appealing, it has its own set of problems that you need to wisely tackle. Digital platforms could be
prone to activities like phishing. A simple misstep can lead to your empire crashing down. The
after-effects could even be irreparable or it might take years for you to win back the trust of your
customers. Haven’t you already heard?
“Prevention is better than cure”
Statistics show that around 97% of businesses around the globe are usually discovered online. About
90% of people in the same survey had admitted to using customer reviews and ratings as a tool to making
purchase decisions. Despite these large numbers already pointing at how important an online brand
reputation is for a company, 45% of business owners still don’t feel that they are doing well in the
field. An angry customer or a disgruntled employee might shatter your image in no time and this is why
you need someone to manage your social media handles. Take rational measures so that your brand values
continue to thrive and survive the cut-throat competition.
how can you prevent a reputation fiasco and take preventive measures for the same?
Read on to know more….
Tips to maintain a squeaky clean online presence
Including social media as a part of your business strategy is no doubt a brilliant idea. But what would
you do when things hit the roof and your resources and long maintained reputation are not there to save
you? Here are a few ways how you can build a foolproof reputation management strategy:
1. Google Your Business
When you google yourself, you see your brand on the internet from the perspective of a customer. You
can go through the reviews on different sites that people have left. You can then accordingly monitor
hate comments, solve customer queries/issues or optimise those reviews to appear on the front page of
google. Basically, this step will allow you to take control of what people see about your services.
2. Stay Authentic To Your Brand Values
Stick to what the company has been created to provide. You deviate from the line of action will mean
that you don’t care about your customers, thus losing their loyalty. The best idea would be working
under your brand values and giving tough competition to your rivals. Another thing to keep in mind is
not to over-accentuate your services. It’s okay if you don’t have 50 years of experience. Try to show
only what you can provide.
3. Correct Your Mistakes
There is no guarantee that you will never ever make a mistake. There is always a chance of an
insensitive comment slipping through or a faulty product being delivered. Now that the milk has already
been spilt, just come out and own up your faults. Admitting that you were wrong on your side, will not
only earn your customer’s trust but you will also be able to handle things well and clear up the mess.
4. Share positive aspects of your company
Outside of customer reviews and comments, most of what is known about you online is coming directly
from you. Heck, you can even control reviews and comments to some extent by engaging online and staying
active in the forums. You can also leverage your online presence by using your social media accounts to
post behind-the-scenes glimpses of your team in action, feel-good photos of your happy customers and
actively soliciting positive reviews or testimonials.
Generate evergreen content that ties your brand journey to your buyer's journey and address negative
reviews or complaints publicly as soon as they come to your attention. Forty per cent of consumers
report having positive feelings about a company that shows concern for customer satisfaction and a
willingness to take responsibility to right a wrong.
5. Employ SEO at work
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the best way to manipulate your content so that it appears on the
first page of your search engine. What could be better than a potential lead looking at you and
stumbling upon a positive article written for your company? Make sure that you use the right keywords
and link the article to as many authentic websites as possible. You could also engage in writing guest
posts for qualified blogs and link them back to the best content you have about your website.
6. Customer Interaction
Interacting with your audience on social media is very necessary. Whether it is a follower appreciating
your services or a user voicing out their concern, you need to speak in a way that not only is
respectful to them but also addresses an issue if any. It gives people the impression that you care
about your customers and are dedicated to providing an excellent customer experience. In addition to
generating a monthly newsletter or publishing, a blog can also boost your online reputation.
7. Choose what goes into public and what stays private
Demarcating the boundaries related to what should be posted and what needs to be kept private is very
essential. Certain sensitive topics like politics or religion should always be off-limits. Your
customers might abandon you even for reflecting your personal opinions on your brand that they might not
essentially share. Crucial information regarding the business should also be kept confidential.
8. Assess Your Present Social Media Reputation
Lastly, always keep a tab on what common sentiment there is among social media users regarding your
brand. This is an important step towards social media reputation management as it allows you to make an
informed decision on what should be your next campaign.
My SocialPulse is a social media assessing tool that monitors the social sentiment of users online.
Brands can use it to get insightful data about what is being talked about with respect to their company.
The information available will not only help you to identify risks but also mitigate them thus assisting
in damage control. My SocialPulse also lets you have an upper hand among your competitors with an
effective social media reputation management strategy.
Conclusion
Just a single action can spoil the reputation that has been built over years. Building trust is a
time-taking process and if you do it right, you will have millions of leads being generated just through
social media. However, the competition on social platforms has already started and you need to build an
effective strategy to gain an upper hand. Once you proactively monitor your brand’s online presence
keeping the above tips in mind, you will have no problem acing your social media skills. My SocialPulse
will help you keep track of your performance so that you are always on the right track. Through this
article and My SocialPulse, I hope social media reputation management becomes easier for you.