Managing Your Reputation On Social Media

Nearly half of all consumers use social media platforms to get info about products and services or a specific business. And roughly 60 percent of customers are in the habit of sharing their positive brand experiences via various social platforms. More than 70 percent of customers are also more likely to trust a business after reading positive customer comments. So, if there’s anything negative posted socially about your business, it can definitely have a big impact on your reputation. Here are some things you can do to manage your reputation on social media.

Change Passwords Regularly

Social media accounts sometimes get hacked. If this happens, it could be disastrous for your brand. Even when such incidents are quickly detected, the damage can be widespread and take weeks or months to recover from. Minimize the risk of security issues by getting into the habit of changing your passwords for your social media accounts.

Remove Content That’s Misinterpreted

Even with careful planning, there are times when you or someone on your staff will post something on your company’s official social media pages that’s taken the wrong way. Letting questionable content linger will only make the problem worse, especially as others discover it and share it. Monitor the comments you get after new posts are added. Remove anything that’s not getting the intended response and apologize if anyone was offended.

Keep an Eye Out for Malicious or Misleading Content

There are times when someone will purposely post something misleading about a business. Other times, something may be posted to your account that the poster wasn’t legally permitted to publish. You have two courses of action here:

• Contact the poster: Inform whoever posted something misleading that you’re aware of what they did and ask them to remove it.
• Inform the social media company: If the misleading content violates a social media company’s terms or policies, ask them to remove it and take appropriate steps against whoever posted it.

Have a Social Media Policy In Place

Letting employees post to your social media accounts can be a great way to maintain a steady flow of fresh content. However, it can sometimes create reputation issues if someone on your staff unintentionally does something that reflects poorly on your business. Reduce the risk of these issues with an established social media policy that includes:

• Guidelines for what can and cannot be posted or shared
• Appropriate steps for dealing with negative comments from followers
• Rules for what can be posted on private employee accounts about your business

Stay Engaged On Your Accounts

Getting into the habit of setting up an account and forgetting about it can leave your business vulnerable to reputation problems. Stay actively engaged on any accounts you have for your business and delete any ones you don’t have time to maintain or manage. Active engagement on social media can also help your reputation by:

• Allowing you to immediately respond to any legitimate complaints or issues (switch to a private chat for individual customer issues)
• Controlling the conversation by posting engaging content and sparking conversations that are actually good for your business
• Pushing down negative comments or posts with fresh content

Social media is where real-time engagement takes place. Because of the constant possibility of something not-so-flattering dominating the conversation on any of your platforms, it’s imperative to monitor activity, consistently distribute fresh, relevant content, and have a plan in place to deal with unexpected situations.

Get the support and insights you need to effectively manage your business reputation by turning to the team at 445 Media. Contact us today to learn how we may be able to help you maintain your reputation and visibility online.