Want to keep your online reputation intact? Don’t ignore the mentions

Online you will find many brands that are leaving tweets, mentions, and comments unanswered. This doesn’t just reflect poor customer service on behalf of the brand, but also goes against the sole purpose of social media which revolves around engaging and communicating online in a way that would not be possible before.

What do you think are the consequences of so many unanswered mentions, posts, tweets, and comments? A negative online reputation. Social media is a form of word of mouth and is still one of the greatest marketing methods, but ignored complaints and concerns will definitely leave people with a negative taste of the brand.

It’s 2013 and you now have the ability to build a name and presence for your brand online and this should be seen as a major advantage. You now have the ability to monitor in real-time for any brand mentions and potential damages to your reputation online to avoid any negative feedback you receive before it snowballs. Even though realistically it’s not possible to respond to every comment or question online, responding to the majority will add major benefits to your digital footprint.

Gathering data such as insights on consumer trends, service and product happiness can play a crucial part in your marketing campaign. Most of the top social media channels like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are the main networks people turn to for social responses. Many people are also valuing a brand’s social media presence higher than their website and this means that they are more than likely to do their research about the company on their favorite social media channel.

Here are a couple of tips on managing your reputation on social networking channels.

Think before you delete: While you might think it’s okay to delete any negative comments on web properties that you ‘own’ such as your Facebook business page, deleting it might be worse than ignoring it. When someone posts a negative comment or post on one of your own profiles, address the issue and respond to the person who left the comment.

Word of mouth: People that have had negative brand experiences might tell their friends and own social circles about it. Bad news online spreads like wildfire and due to the real-time nature of the social web, it can snowball. Online reviews about your brand are not limited to niche review channels, but can now be posted on any social media channel. When you receive any mentions or comments online, review where the message originated from and address it on that specific channel.

Transparency: When you receive any mentions or comments online you should always be honest in your response. Being yourself and transparent is highly valued for customer service. With this it’s also important that you are diligent in distinguishing fake and unfounded comments from the ones that deserve a response.

Being active and transparent on social is a must for businesses today. Use the medium to protect your business and don’t ignore the comments and mentions you receive.