The nature of online marketing is such that every organization is likely to encounter reputational issues with differing degrees of seriousness. You must bear in mind that the internet has become an integral part of online marketing and that you can ill-afford to risk your online reputation.
Brands that can survive a crisis with their reputations unscathed are the ones that are the most enduring businesses.
Regardless of the type and size of your organization, you must appreciate the critical importance of reputation management, how to prepare for sudden crises and how to respond when things go wrong!
Reputation or online crisis management is the practice of shaping the online public perception of your brand/ organization and combating all the negative opinions expressed by others.
Brands must judiciously decide what type of information to share online and what kind of sensitive information to withhold. Having said that, there is, however, little control you have on the conversation others have about your products or services.
According to surveys, more than 50percent of consumers follow particular brands online, and 60 percent of users refer to social networking sites and review sites before buying products and services.
The rapid growth of social networks and review sites in the last few years has endowed unprecedented freedom to customers to express their candid views online.
Resolving a crisis -especially in the present-day online environment where information spreads at the speed of light – has been an intimidating challenge for many brands/organizations.
The organizations that have been able to recognize crises promptly, differentiate facts from misleading untruths in real time, assess the overall situation and act upon it in a timely manner – are the ones that excel in online customer service and reputation management.
Use tools like Google Alert to stay ahead of the curve and keep close track of all mentions of your brand. Maintain a watch over competitors’ activities and industry updates.
Social listening platforms help brands identify impending crises by alerting them whenever the crisis occurs, or there’s a rise in negative mentions or one thing uncommon that happens.
When monitoring your online reputation, you will have to go far beyond just the mainstream social networks.
Create a reputation guideline and empower your employees to respond to the discussion around your company’s products/ services so that your customers and prospects will receive the correct feedback and directly from you.
It is equally important to have a well-conceived plan for both internal and external communication should a crisis occur. You should outline the overall strategy, provide clear guidelines and assign specific responsibilities for each member of the team.