How do you handle the brand’s online presence and reputation? These seven proven steps will help you connect with your audience and give anyone researching your brand online a good impression.
In how others view your business, your online presence on social media platforms plays a significant role. Your overall social media presence will make or break your brand.
Others will know if people are pleased with you, your brand, and your company. If they are not happy with how you handle specific problems, others will also know this.
There are many tips/tricks that you may use to manage your presence on all social media platforms appropriately.
On a forum seen by tens of millions, are people talking about you? It is better to hope they say nice things. With so much online time spent on social media by people, it is more important than ever to manage your online identity, whether you are a person or a corporation.
Why should you care about online reputation?
Data reveals that before deciding whether to make a purchase, 85 percent of customers data business online. This also includes any social media presence you have when your potential customers research your company and reviews and news that shows up when they type your business’s name into a search engine. Understanding how the clients are using the site is part of productive online reputation management. The last place they will go to find out more about you might be your website.
Today, individuals are more knowledgeable about companies’ sales and marketing. Consumers are starting to value other clients’ feedback and online reviews more than something you may have to say about your brand. Not only do customers love online reviews, but they are willing to pay more for business service with higher reviews and ratings.
They will not just send you an angry letter or write to the paper if people are not happy about doing business. On social media, they will point out your flaws, and before you know it, you might have a PR catastrophe on your hands.
Social media is a massive echo chamber of the views of people. Small grievances can very quickly get out of control. For large or public-facing companies, in a matter of hours, complaints can magnify into movements.
Here are seven insightful takeaways you can use to handle your brand’s internet street cred.
1. Track your social footprint.
The two most prominent social media platforms are Facebook and Twitter, but they are not the only ones out there. Perform daily searches on each website for your brand name or product to get an idea of what people are talking about you. In addition to responding to problems, you will gain useful insights into customer sentiment towards your brand (see below). Bear in mind that you should search all related sites, not just the ones you have an active presence.
2. React promptly to people.
People expect you to be sociable if you have a social media presence. When your clients reach out to you on social media, they expect you to respond to their questions quickly. And if you do not instantly fix anything, at least accept it. Engage with people who post comments to build a lasting relationship with your audience if you post content.
3. Ask for Google and Yelp reviews.
Online reviews are powerful tools to attract customers early in the buying cycle, in particular. Ask them to post reviews to share their views and increase your set of reviews if you are making your customers happy. To allow consumers to leave feedback, build an email marketing campaign if you have a broad customer base. When asked, more people would leave a review. Incentivize the process of your campaign with a giveaway or competition if you have trouble getting feedback.
Online reviews are appreciated by consumers searching for products and services. The most popular are Google and Yelp reviews since they usually appear first in search results, making your brand look more trustworthy and respected by consumers.
4. Encourage advocacy for brands.
To build a base of strong brand supporters, you can use social media. Provide your audience with an enticing reason to follow and connect with you by sharing the content they love, initiating conversations, and hosting competitions with them. Encourage the audience to share their content as well: User-generated content is highly appreciated by clients and consumers of social media, such as reviews.
Internally, it would help if you promoted brand advocacy, too. Openly and truthfully, a firm set of social media guidelines for workers should detail their online references’ culture and intent to your brand.
5. Ensure transparency.
Transparency constructs trust. Because everyone can read everything you have ever said online, trying to cover up the fact has serious potential for backlash. On social media, practice direct contact and marketing. Always accept your faults, so it will be found out sooner or later if you try to cover anything up. Do not delete or cover the message if anyone objects to you on social media; answer it. Mind, there may be millions of eyes watching.
6. Set priorities.
The first thing to do when setting expectations for your online presence is to remind yourself why, in the first place, you are on social media. Your response should not be “because everyone else is on it.” While the ultimate aim is to raise your brand recognition, it should be more relevant to your actionable objectives. For example, suggest that by the end of the second quarter, you want to increase your product’s Instagram responses by 25 percent. Your goals (specific, observable, achievable, meaningful, and time-bound) should be SMART.
7. Know your audience.
To control your social media profile, understanding your target audience is essential. You would be better prepared to consider your own identity on social media if you are aware of your audience’s desires and needs. You will know which platforms work best for your brand and how to speak on each particular platform to your audience.
Careful cultivation of your company’s online image will improve your sales and positive feelings towards your company. People expect companies to connect with them to at least some extent on social media, so it is essential to do it right. Stop the pitfalls, because watching is the world!