Marie Fenner writes … Social media is mainly known for viral videos and catty comments, but these platforms are of increasing importance to brands and companies.
Whereas just a few years ago most customer complaints would be handled via phone calls or even post, customers are now more likely to turn to the internet to vent their frustrations. In fact 60% of 18-35 year olds gave the internet as their preferred medium of choice for registering consumer comments or complaints.
Warren Buckley, Head of Customer Services at BT, revealed that 40% of their customer feedback come solely through Twitter. Despite the impact that social media has on a company’s online reputation, a study shows that 70% of companies ignore customer service requests that come through Twitter.
Ignoring social media can not only lead to disgruntled customers, but also build a negative reputation for a company, and this is why it is so important to manage what people say about you online.
Brands that handled it badly
To demonstrate how damaging ignoring feedback received via social platforms can be, you only have to look at a few examples of how brands have been brought down a peg or two by social media.
A recent example was when law lecturer Mark Leiser tweeted to complain about an issue with an easyJet flight that he was due to catch, and later reported that airline staff denied him entry to the flight due to critical content of the message that he broadcast to his followers.
EasyJet under fire after claims it refused to let Mark Leiser on board for sending critical tweet http://t.co/40ZriBal6u via @thedrum
— Olivier Cimelière (@olivcim) September 28, 2013
Within 24 hours the original tweet had been shared over 1,000 times and picked up by the national press, receiving coverage from publications including the Metro and the Independent. The airline was chastised for the way that a customer was treated, which all stemmed from a throwaway tweet.
With online interaction now playing such a huge part in forming an opinion about a brand, it’s imperative to ensure that you don’t repeat the errors of others when it comes to managing what people say about you online.
A university lecturer says an easyJet manager threatened to stop him flying after he tweeted criticism about the…http://t.co/YcjX2oLkKC
— STV News (@STVNews) September 25, 2013
Restoring your online reputation
Uncomplimentary comments such as the above example can leave a negative trail leading to your company, as Guardian journalist Tim Dowling found out when he searched for the details of a local pub. Whilst finding the details Dowling was also presented with a review condemning the slow service they received, which was displayed just below the map and address for the establishment.
The damage wasn’t just caused by the review alone, but how prominently it was displayed – this was one of the first things that customers would be presented with during an online search.
Some businesses may have rightfully earned a bad reputation, but those who are receiving unfair criticism are now turning to online reputation management firms to rescue them from rotten reviews and restore a more positive presence online.
These specialists work to improve the online reputation of a company or brand by pushing unfavourable content further down in search results. 94% of clicks go through a link displayed on the first page of search engine results, so moving a bad review from page 1 to page 2 is already going to significantly improve how customers perceive a particular company online.
Build a positive presence early on to avoid the need for fixes
Manipulating search engine results is more difficult than it sounds, and having to undertake this suggests that there was a reason for bad results in the first place. Managing your online reputation can, and should, start as early as possible.
Businesses need to consider feedback received online as an integral part of their customer service – not replying to a tweet can be the same as not answering the phone. A positive online reputation can be built from being as attentive to issues raised online as via other mediums – tackling them early on can then stop negative sentiment from snowballing.
It’s more important than ever for brands and companies to carefully manage their online reputation.
Author bio:
Marie is a veteran of online marketing, reputation management and digital analytics at AT Internet, having spent the last 11 years helping clients improve ROI and monetise their online assets better. She’s passionate about all things digital and an advocate of ‘data-driven decision making’.”
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photo credit: Ed Yourdon via photopin cc