Ways to Improve Social Media Reputation

The world of social media never sleeps, users in every area of the world are constantly tweeting, posting, or messaging one another. Social media platforms thrive based on their ability to provide inter-connectedness. It is truly amazing what can be accomplished in a few moments on social media, good or bad. Your social media reputation is important for your business.

Thanks to sharing and liking, it is a rare occurrence for a user to go on a social media platform and not come across a viral thread. For small businesses, this web of connection means their every move is under constant scrutiny.

If your team is not careful or prepared, your content might become viral for all the wrong reasons. Even the most careful of marketing teams run the risk of saying the wrong thing or posting the wrong media, so it is crucial that companies take the necessary precautions to avoid a social media crisis.

The most important preventative measure to avoid a disaster is establishing social media guidelines and policies. The specifics of the guideline will vary from each company, but the fundamental purpose is to document what is acceptable and unacceptable marketing strategies.

The guide will not only help to create consistent branding materials but minimize the risk of rogue and inappropriate social media conduct by employees. Beyond a style guideline, it is crucial for businesses to establish a chain of command. No marketing materials should be created, approved, and posted by the same individual.

By establishing a chain of command, it ensures content is passed through the proper channels before being sent into the world of social media forever. This policy encourages a fresh pair of eyes to critique and correct the content before the final piece is seen by the general public.

In addition to a chain of command, companies should have a social media crisis recovery plan in place. If tasteless content slips through the cracks or a disgruntled employee seeks sabotage, businesses need to have a plan of action in place regarding how to respond and how to repair online reputation.

Establishing a plan prior will save you valuable time and lower the risk of making matters worse with hasty responses. The plan should include a detailed timeline of how the company is to respond in times of crisis, including both internal and external affairs.

There are a few important aspects all plans need, including how to determine severity of crisis, what actions will be taken internally to prevent future disturbances, and how the crisis will be handled externally on social media platforms.

When it comes time to address your audience and customers, it is crucial to simply acknowledge the problem rather than defend the company’s actions. Responding angrily or denying the problem will serve to upset your customers even more.

Companies should create pre-approved external communications that emphasizes sincerity and forgiveness above all else. To salvage online reputation, prioritize short and concise messages as to not get involved with further commotion.

If you would like more information about avoiding a social media crisis, need help managing a social media disaster, or other digital marketing services please contact Pink Dog Digital at (410) 696-3305, email us at info@pinkdogdigital.com, or visit us on the web at www.pinkdogdigital.com.