By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-12-20 13:34:06 | Word Count: 664
The popularity and market penetration of social media sites have made their utilization important for businesses who wish to keep their online presence visible to the public. Unfortunately, in a post WEB 2.0 world, more visibility can mean more vulnerability. Consumer generated content means that individuals have more power than ever to affect your company, by either supporting you or by criticizing you. The new word of mouth is spread through sites like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Stumble Upon, YouTube (and others), and through blogs, RSS feeds, open discussion forums, and consumer review websites.
Although the idea that social media presence and social media marketing campaigns are valid ways to reach users, many companies are ill-equipped to deal with when these campaigns go wrong. Because we are a Search Engine Optimization company, Optimum7 understands the tremendous impact a negative reputation in the social media can have on a business’s profitability. Social Media, social networking and search engines combine to amplify the effect of what users are saying about your company. If your enjoy a good reputation already and you are inundated with business, you might be tempted to sit back and just ride the wave of positive word of mouth reviews, but this can stunt your business’s growth.
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The fact remains that for any company to attract new business, it must be vigilant about protecting its image; this includes its image on social media sites. The problem is that companies want to create as much of a following as they possibly can, so they make it easy for users to become “friends” of theirs. This is great because, for example, if a user on Facebook clicks on the “Likes this” icon to some news your company has posted, a link to it (and consequently a link to your company) will be shown on the user’s site. Now all their “friends” can see that they like your company, and they in turn have the ability to create links to their own pages by clicking “like this” button again. This type of viral, organic spreading of news about your brand is the best kind of buzz—real people buzz. It effectively leads to consumers who become advocates for your brand.
But it also works in reverse. If someone posts a negative review or opinion of your company on your Facebook page, it has equal access to reach an unprecedented amount of people. Therefore, companies who wish to remain relevant and visible have to come up with strategies for combating bad, organic press.
Optimum7 can help you to implement effective strategies for managing your company’s social reputation. The most important thing you can do is to directly address a negative review or opinion post right away. By doing so, you make sure your company has a say in the direction the discussion is taking. You can get to air your side or just present a clearer understanding of what lies beneath a negative review—perhaps it is based on faulty information. The other advantage of course is that your comment will always be attached to the negative review wherever it shows up, so new users will get your side of the story at the same time they hear something negative about your company. Then they can make up their own mind, and hopefully dismiss the negative comment altogether.
The point is, you don’t want to ever dissuade new users from becoming new clients, because attracting them is the only way your business will stay successful and keep growing. Let Optimum7 show you this and other strategies to ensure you have control of your company’s social reputation management. Contact us today and get started on your Social Reputation Management. You can call us at 1-800-736-9618.
