Reputation management takes on a whole new realm when it comes to the online marketing remit. A very recent article published by the Drum painted a picture of pained business owners struggling to stay abreast of their online PR and social media management, in the face of “bad reviews, malicious comments and misjudged social media posts”.
It is true to say that when a company engages in online marketing, social media management was historically overlooked. More and more of our clients here at K2L are choosing to opt into our social media management services, since the realm of good social management is now more important than ever—and also more complex than ever.
Your social media management should include real-time response to any gripes or queries on the social platforms. Many business owners may feel aghast at such a prospect, but is it not less damaging to publically handle and resolve a complaint on your branded social profile than to have such conversations conducted on a forum over which you have no control? Furthermore, I have witnessed cases of complaint handling which have actually served to boost the positive social profile of a company.
In terms of negative reviews, the key review providers, such as TrustPilot or Feefo, contain a facility that allows you to pre-verify reviews before they are published. Whilst the services are designed to afford the public a transparent view of a given company’s services, this facility is your safeguard against malicious or abusive posts.
Finally, social media management is rarely just about firefighting. If your presence online is warm, engaging and pertinent, you can navigate any stormy exchanges with ease. The onus is on you or your marketing agency to build your personality online.
If this sounds like the sort of challenge your relish, great! If it sounds like something you understand that you need to do but would rather entrust it to an expert, feel free to get in touch with us.
