Damage Control Using Social Media – Brand Reputation Management

Has your brand been subject to negative comments or reviews, online or in the press? If so, it’s time to think fast and do some damage control. Brand reputation is extremely important, and nowadays consumers aren’t brand loyal and won’t hesitate to jump ship to another brand. You therefore really need to take the time to nurture your brand reputation. Social media is often used as a platform for people to blame and shame brands, but brands should use these platforms to manage their reputation.

If you have had a recent string of negative reviews that people will likely see, it is important to try and bring attention to the positive ones. If you receive a positive review on Facebook or on a review website, sharing a quote from the review is a great way of increasing the reach of that customer’s positive experience. It is often beneficial to get creative with this – quotes aren’t particularly eye-catching, but placing a quote on an image of the reviewed product is. Sharing these positive reviews reassures people that might be wary of any negative ones, whilst also helping to develop a positive brand image.

You don’t want any potential customers to be put off by negative reviews online. Sharing the benefits and USPs of your product or service should be a regular feature of your social media plan. Sharing images of the product alongside an explanation of why it is so great helps to portray a positive light on the product. Not only will your followers have regular reminders of why they should like and choose your brand, but you will have a positive and impressive social media feed for anyone browsing your social media profiles.

It’s important to demonstrate that your brand listens to its customers and cares about their needs. Engaging with people online is therefore extremely important in building customer trust and loyalty. If people leave comments on any of your posts – positive or negative – reply to the comment and engage in a conversation.

No matter what the accusation, it is important not to jump off the handle and type out your anger. There are numerous practices to utilise when responding to negative comments, and having a format in place will help to demonstrate consistency and the same level of customer service to all customers. Even for positive reviews, it is important to reply and demonstrate a caring and understanding to individuals that have taken the time to leave a review.

Depending on the circumstances, it can sometimes be appropriate to publicly acknowledge a situation using your social media accounts. For example, in a situation where you are having delivery problems that will lead to a delay in all customers receiving the product. If customers are posting online about their frustrations, it can be a good idea to address the delay to everyone on social media, explain why the situation is occurring, and also apologise. However, only do this if it affects a large number of customers and people have been publicly posting about the mishap. The same gos if you have posted something that is wrong or has offended people. Mistakes happen and they aren’t the end of a brand as long as you address the mistake!

Following these practices, alongside using content to repair a damaged brand reputation, is a great way of fixing a damaged brand reputation. Equally, following these measures will help to prevent a brand’s reputation from being tainted. Keep up to date with our blog for lots of tips on all things digital or if you require further help, contact us today!