A report shows that by the end of 2023, there will be an estimated 4.89 billion social media users worldwide. Another report states that around 55% of clients are familiarized with the brand through social media platforms. These statistics offer a massive opportunity for marketers and business owners. It allows them to use social media wisely to enhance their online reputation. Social media reputation management thus is of premium importance to all marketers in today’s digital world.

Table of contents

• What is Social Media Reputation management? 

• Virality and social media reputation management 

• Social media as SEO

• Valid for the marketing team

• How to use social media reputation management in favour of Businesses?

• Conclusion

What is Social Media reputation management?

It’s difficult for businesses in today’s world of digitalism to escape social media tags and mentions. Businesses today can use an arm of public relations, online reputation management (ORM), to track social media mentions about their companies on different platforms like websites and social media. This is done to respond to any untrue or unfavorable remarks.

ORM primarily responds to unfavorable customer reviews and stories in social media or traditional media that negatively impact your business. A report shows that to combat the threat and safeguard their enterprises, 6,000 SMEs and 240 large corporations in India turned to “online Reputation Management” in 2014.

Virality and Social Media Reputation Management

Regrettably, social media algorithms promote viral content; divisive or contentious content has some of the highest viral potential. This is because engagement is what drives virality. 

The level of engagement will increase as a video’s level of controversy increases. This can hasten the spread of unfavorable press about a brand. Yet, virality’s feature contributes to trends’ quick emergence and decay. 

As a result, while the media and press reports about a company could be famous for a day or two, the internet will quickly forget about it once a new controversy breaks.

Social media reputation management aims to handle any unfavourable comments before they grow or go viral. Although situations seldom reach the viral stage, social media has brought people closer together than ever before, making it possible for either positive or negative emotions about a business to spread swiftly if you allow them.

Social media as SEO

Unfavorable reviews directly impact sales. Before making a purchase, 96% of shoppers search for negative product reviews. According to another study, 8 out of 10 customers use their smartphones while shopping to seek product reviews.

Thus, the business would want good reviews to pop up on the consumers’ screens whenever they search for the keywords. You don’t want prospects searching for your goods or services to encounter unfavorable evaluations or remarks.

Fortunately, social media networks have a high authority over search engines. Make social media accounts for your company on all popular social networks. Employ keywords judiciously, and make sure your profiles are optimized for the ones that matter most to your company.

By utilizing social media, you can rank the pages that present you in a favorable light more quickly than other websites. This will have the desired impact of driving websites that may be at the top of Google’s search results right now down.

Helps to listen to the customer’s opinion

The markets for businesses are huge. Listening to the opinions of every consumer in person seems to be a tedious and arduous task. In this case, building brand loyalty and trust through social media to respond to client questions and concerns is beneficial. In turn, consumer feedback can help enhance your company’s operations and the goods or services you provide.

Helps in tackling rumors

Rumor-mongering is an illustration of a black-marketing tactic that competitors frequently employ. Rumors can occasionally be the outcome of collective experiences or individual beliefs. The market quickly picks up rumors, disseminating them without regard for boundaries. Rumors can destroy a reputable brand. 

The capacity of social media to aid online reputation management and quell rumors is a core feature and one of its benefits. It excels at monitoring rumors and providing prompt reactions. Hence, the reputation of the brand is preserved.

Aids in spreading testimonials 

One thing which businesses/marketers should strive for is to spread positive comments about their brand. After all, it is common to be inclined towards what other people say about a specific good. There is a small line between being overly promotional and trying to spread testimonials of clients who are satisfied with your work. Avoid the former.

Actively continue conversations on social media in a formal manner. Do not be hesitant to request positive recommendations from others. According to eMarketer, 83% of consumers believe online reviews affect their opinions of a brand, and 80% said that bad online reviews affect their purchase choice.

Addressing customer issues 

Even if a customer has a negative experience with a firm physically, they are more likely to vent on social media since they are aware of the potential consequences. Direct messaging between the customer and the company may be used to relay initial negative feedback from disgruntled customers on social media.

A dissatisfied consumer may use the comment area or publish a post and tag your company to express anger if the issue is not resolved or handled correctly. Occasionally, irate consumers may encourage others to boycott a firm on social media. Due diligence is required since most potential buyers prefer to listen to what customers say over what a brand or company claims.

Businesses can swiftly discover and resolve client issues and offer feedback through social media monitoring tools. They can interact with people, keep tabs on mentions and comments, and identify clients who frequently reference their brand or establishment.

Social media reputation management for the marketing team 

Social media platforms are helpful for the marketing teams of companies. Marketing teams can use these resources to plan and develop campaigns that build on positive customer feedback while addressing problems that could harm the company’s reputation.

Social media pages and profiles are a digital extension of your brand, creating an additional avenue for people to interact and discuss a business remotely. Your marketing team’s resources must stay active on these channels’ pages to initiate engaging conversations and update fresh content regularly.

A thumb rule: An inactive business profile page can deteriorate online business branding more than having no account on social media.

How to use social media for reputation management?

Marketers can use social media in diverse ways for reputation management. Putting a plan in place can help you respond to comments and ensure your staff knows the digital world’s dos and don’ts. Look at the points below for effective social media reputation management.

Monitoring the digital presence

Social media can be used to monitor brands’ digital presence. Also, keeping up with industry news and checking social media tags may make a big difference in whether or not your company is trusted. A brand should respond to positive and negative comments; rewarding customers or clients who recommend your services or products will persuade them to do so again.

A brand should respond to positive and negative comments; rewarding customers or clients who recommend your services or products will persuade them to do so again.

Keeping track of social media responses may seem easy, but it is not, as you or your brand may be mentioned without an official tag. So, the good idea is to search for a brand or personal name on the internet to acknowledge how people react to a brand image on a digital platform. Keeping track of hashtags is also a good strategy.

A few tools that can facilitate your social media reputation management include:

• Mention
• Hootsuite
• Reputation Refinery (formerly Trackur)

Quick responses

Social media paves a quick and accessible path for brands to respond to criticism. Keeping track of all brand tags on the internet can be a challenge. Selecting the reviews that could hurt your brand the most is an excellent place to start, though.

Customers and clients will become angrier if a brand takes longer or puts them on a prolonged wait to respond to them. A prompt response will reassure the client that you value their feedback and will collaborate with them to continue offering a pleasant service.

As you use social media for reputation management, it’s important to be honest when reacting to online mentions. Customers are more likely to use your product or service again if you are honest with them. In a survey, around 84% of people agreed that brands portraying honesty are positive. Maintaining a policy when a business receives social media evaluations will help your brand in the long run.

Conclusion

Social media and reputation management are essential instruments companies can utilize to maintain growth and business continuity.

Some buyers choose to check reviews before engaging with a company. As per reports, 46% of consumers trust online reviews. Reviews are essential since they have the potential to enhance or damage a company’s reputation. Most reviews for a company can be found online via emails, website comments, or social media platforms. 

Several businesses have embraced social media’s dynamic platforms to raise their visibility, disseminate awareness, and enhance their profitability. Thus, social media has a significant role in online reputation management in the contemporary world.