Using Social Media to Repair
Your Business’ Reputation
It is not uncommon for a meme or video to go viral literally overnight and usually these are comical in nature. Unfortunately, one bad review can also go viral and whether or not there is any truth or substance to the claims being made, a company’s reputation can take a substantial blow. If your company has been the victim of unfounded claims and is suffering significant financial losses due to these claims, it’s time to take the bull by the horns, as the saying goes, to do something about restoring your reputation. Most likely the damage began on social media, so here is some of what you can do to turn the tables using that very same medium.
Begin at the Source
Before getting into some of the ways in which you can use social media to begin repairing your company’s reputation, it’s imperative that you get to the source. It is not uncommon for unscrupulous competitors to invent false claims as trolls on your social sites or other popular social pages within your audience. If you find that a company has used false and slanderous claims meant to do your business harm, you may have recourse to sue them in a court of law for damages resulting from these claims. Here is where you’d probably want to consult with a small business lawyer to see if there is a case and to begin pursuing compensation.
Hit Social Sites Hot and Heavy
While the damage may have been done on Facebook or Twitter, you should not focus solely on the site where the claims began. It is suggested that you hit as many social sites as possible quickly with a huge focus on SEO. Remember, most consumers search the Internet to find new businesses so you will want your positive social feedback to rank higher than the negative reviews which are costing you business. How you go about that may take the expertise of a social marketing firm, but it is imperative that you get on this as quickly as possible. With YouTube being the second most popular search engine after Google, as well as being the second largest social media site, don’t forget to use video if at all possible.
Capture the Interest of Market Influencers
One thing any good marketing professional will tell you is that when using social media you will want to capture the interest of market influencers. Gain their attention and you’ve probably just gone a long way toward repairing your business’ reputation. It is likely that these influencers have thousands (if not more!) followers and if they have good things to say about you, all that negative press will quickly fade away into the shadows. You may need to offer a freebie or two for them to review, or a service if you deal with intangibles, but in any case, you want to get as much positive press as you can. The cost of giving a few freebies is minimal compared to all that revenue being lost to negative reviews.
Yes, you may have ground to bring the competition to court if it can be proven that they waged a slanderous war against your company, but in the meantime, you will want to minimize further damage. Social media is by far the fastest and most effective way to repair your reputation, so isn’t it time you got social?
