Social Media Tip: How to control an online reputation crisis

Social media is the new window shopping for your business. It's how customers view your products and services, how they can interact with you, and how they tell you what they think of you. It allows you to see what customers and competitors alike are saying about you. Online word-of-mouth marketing is key for any business; people have started sharing information not only with friends and family, but also with prospective customers on forums and review pages. It drives sales to your website, but remember, it can also drive sales away from it as well.

It is very important to understand the importance of a positive online reputation in the modern business world. There are tons of ways for your business to be slated online, and not acting appropriately can mean trouble: fast. Managing your online reputation is about maintaining the public's perception of your business. If customers can see that your business is accessible and trustworthy, they are more likely to walk away satisfied.So do the right thing, and learn how to keep your online reputation above the water.

Source: modernworkers.com

Mistakes happen, so it's not unlikely that as a business you'll come across an online crisis at some point or another. Some of the biggest companies like Dell, McDonald's and Domino's have had their fair share of problems.

You're not going to get negative comments on social media taken down, so you need to get clued-up on how to diffuse the crisis instead. Here's a list of some do's and don'ts when faced with an online crisis...

DO

• BE HUMAN

This might sound silly, but you'd be amazed at how often customers complain that companies offer robotic, automated responses to online queries or complaints.

Admit when you don't have a solution to the problem at hand. If you can't change anything for the customer, it will at least make them feel like they've been heard.

• LISTEN

You need to be an active listener. Show that you understand your customers concerns, and that you are a caring company. With 24-hour customer interaction, can come 24-hour customer complaints. Even if you can't respond properly right away, making sure the customer knows you have seen the issue and are aware of it is the first step to resolving it.

• THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE

Use the advantage of being behind the screen to remain calm, and be level-headed in your response.

• OFFER AN APOLOGY

As always in customer service, the customer is always right and this applies to online communities as well. Showing a commitment to resolve an issue shows that you are a caring company.

• ACT NORMALLY

You are still dealing with customers, so your online customer service should be as good as it would be offline. Anybody dealing with your online customer service should know how to manage customer service.

• USE SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

You can use social media tools to boost your online presence after a crisis. Giving some form of online gift or coupon to customers makes them feel valued, and shows a positive side to your business.

There are also many online management tools to monitor your online presence. This enables you to act fast in the case of a crisis, and diffuse the situation before it escalates too fast. There are a few free tools out there you can try:

• Google Alerts is a tool that monitors any site that Google can index. They also give you the option to receive notifications as and when you are mentioned, or weekly if this is a bit too much.
• Social Mention can monitor your presence on over 70 social media properties.

DON'T

• IGNORE IT

Don't regard online complaints as unimportant, this may cause the situation to worsen.

• BE SELECTIVE

You shouldn't disregard particular forums or platforms, any online complaint or negative comment is as important as any other.

• BE REPETITIVE

You should ensure that you don't repeat your error after an apology. This will show lack of commitment to your customers.

Make sure each apology to customers is personalised, otherwise you risk seeming inhuman to your online community.

• BE CONTROLLING

Don't try and control negative comments or messages. Asking for a retraction or removal of certain comments will just make your customers think you are ignoring the issue.

Charlotte Callaghan

Charlotte is a trainee journalist, who loves writing about anything and everything. Currently an intern at Social Media Frontiers, you can follow her @charlotteatsmf and @CharlotteR_4

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