[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Introduction” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Almost 60 percent of the world population uses social media (SmartInsights<\/a>). More important, almost 80 percent say that social media influences their buying decisions (Forbes<\/a>). Those numbers stress the importance of social media reputation management.<\/p>\n Be successful with social media on behalf of your clients with \u201cThe ultimate guide to effective social media for business\u201d.<\/a><\/p>\n Social media has wide-reaching impacts on how people perceive your clients. It\u2019s why you have to pay attention to social media if you want to succeed in online reputation management (ORM).<\/p>\n This guide reviews steps you can take to manage your clients\u2019 social media presence\u2014and their online reputations\u2014the right way.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What is reputation management?” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Brand reputation crisis management<\/a> involves strategic activities that directly impact how customers perceive your clients, helping to shape and improve their public image..<\/p>\n A common example is getting more 5-star reviews for a client. Your agency can take steps to increase the number of reviews customers leave for the client. In turn, their Google rating should improve, and more people will trust them. After all, customers think products with an average of 40 reviews are more trustworthy (FinancesOnline<\/a>). They also prefer to shop with businesses that have ratings over 3.3 stars (Search Engine Journal<\/a>).<\/p>\n Social media enables customers to voice their opinions in a public forum. At the same time, your client can interact directly with those comments. All the while, other social media users can watch as the conversation unfolds. How your client acts, then, can have wide-reaching effects.<\/p>\n Conversations across social media offer you a chance to connect with prospects and customers alike. Social media includes platforms like Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram. It also includes Facebook, Google, and other reviewing platforms, like Yelp. Finally, social media includes YouTube, Reddit, and even blogs.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Why social media reputation management matters” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n If your clients aren\u2019t active on social media, you might wonder if it matters. Do they need to pay attention to Twitter conversations if they don\u2019t use the platform? Do listings on Yelp<\/a> change opinions?<\/p>\n The answer is that social media ORM matters whether your clients are active on a platform or not.<\/p>\n More than that, though, social media has impacts that make it essential for ORM efforts. These include:<\/p>\n Being aware of conversations on social media is the first step to better social reputation management.<\/p>\n Have you heard the maxim \u201cif it isn\u2019t online, it doesn\u2019t exist\u201d? The sentiment holds true for brands on social media. If customers can\u2019t find your clients, they\u2019ll likely shop with someone they can find.<\/p>\n Social media increases visibility and the credibility of a brand. When customers can find the brand with ease, they\u2019re more likely to shop. Credibility improves when prospects can see the brand interacting with other customers.<\/p>\n Social media makes it easier than ever to engage customers and build a community. When a brand is on Instagram or TikTok, it\u2019s easy for loyal fans to show up.<\/p>\n These platforms make it easy to get feedback and your clients can learn their customers<\/a> inside out, which in turn, improves customer trust levels. Trust translates to loyalty, with all its benefits, including higher sales.<\/p>\n Social media lets your clients join conversations and even shape the discussion. Transparency, increased engagement with customers, and gathering customer feedback<\/a> lead to better brand reputation and increased trust (Newsweek<\/a>).<\/p>\n When your client is transparent, customers can make more informed and confident buying decisions, as they feel the brand is more trustworthy and reputable.<\/p>\n Social media can become the first place customers turn to express dissatisfaction, acting as an \u201cearly warning\u201d system for a client\u2019s brand image. That might seem like a bad thing at first, but proper crisis management and ORM gives your client a chance to set the record straight with their customers.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”How to do social media reputation management successfully” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Social media has a clear impact on your clients\u2019 reputations when you focus on building trust and community, rather than looking for \u201clikes.\u201d As a result, you need to include it as a key part of your ORM activities, and these tactics can help you do just that.<\/p>\n The foundation of good social media ORM is posting good content<\/a>. Engaging content helps you connect with your clients\u2019 customers and win them over. Even people who aren\u2019t yet customers will want to follow your clients if their content is engaging.<\/p>\n Make sure you have a strategy in place for replying to messages and comments<\/a> your clients receive. Most importantly, always respond to both negative and positive interactions. It can be tempting to ignore negative comments<\/a>, but responding to them and taking action lets you showcase your client\u2019s customer service.<\/p>\n Sometimes, a negative comment or review spirals into a more pervasive narrative, so you\u2019ll want to address any negative stories as fast as you can.<\/p>\n Having a crisis communication plan to use in connection with social media ORM is key. What will you do if someone posts a bad review? What if that review \u201cgoes viral\u201d? Who will be in charge of communicating the brand messaging, and which platforms will you use?<\/p>\n Planning for these situations will help you manage your clients\u2019 reputation<\/a> more effectively.<\/p>\n Another key component of social media reputation management is social listening. Social listening isn\u2019t an active part of your ORM and social media strategy. Yet, it\u2019s key to almost any other activity you undertake.<\/p>\n Social listening allows you to track ongoing conversations<\/a> across different platforms. With it, you can keep tabs on who is saying what about your clients and where they\u2019re saying it. Monitoring these conversations allows you to:<\/p>\n Paying attention to what your clients\u2019 customers and the public are saying helps you stay ahead of the conversation.<\/p>\n One challenge of social media can be maintaining a positive online presence, and doing so can help your clients\u2019 reputations. Maintaining a positive online presence often happens through:<\/p>\n A positive online presence draws customers and prospects to your clients\u2019 brands, while encouraging them happy to engage and interact.<\/p>\n Building a community and engaging customers feeds back into a good reputation. It also increases customer trust and loyalty.<\/p>\n A positive presence makes customers want to see what\u2019s happening on your client\u2019s feed or their page. If interactions are pleasant and content is engaging, they\u2019ll keep coming back. If you can, organize outreach and community events to involve customers even more.<\/p>\n The right tools can make social media reputation management easier. A reputation management platform<\/a> can help you track conversations. A review management tool<\/a> can help you keep an eye on reviews and when you need to respond.<\/p>\n A social media management platform<\/a> lets you post engaging content across platforms. It will help you track engagement, as well as when you need to reply to comments and more.<\/p>\n If you need more help, such as crafting responses, then marketing services could help. White-label social media marketing<\/a> packages can deliver more of what your clients need.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Best practices for your clients\u2019 ORM on social media” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Now that you know the steps to manage social media reputation for clients, review best practices. Let\u2019s look at some tactics you can use to make ORM and social media management easier.<\/p>\n While everyone hopes they only ever get glowing reviews, the reality is there will be some negative mentions at some point. Responding to these the right way is key to your clients\u2019 reputation.<\/p>\n Around 45 percent of people say they\u2019re more likely to visit a business that responds to negative reviews (Oberlo<\/a>). In addition, 70 percent of customers said reading responses changed their opinion of a business (G2<\/a>). When you ignore negative comments, you could be missing a golden opportunity.<\/p>\n Respond to negative reviews appropriately by:<\/p>\n Offering a resolution publicly lets other customers see how you resolved the situation. If the customer is upset, though, then discussing details in private might be the right choice. If you need to ask for any identifying information, then move the conversation to an inbox.<\/p>\n Having scripts and strategies helps. With them, you and your white-label social media team<\/a> can respond to negative reviews the right way.<\/p>\nWhat is reputation management?<\/h2>\n
How does social media factor in reputation management?<\/h3>\n
Why social media reputation management matters<\/h2>\n
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Social media increases visibility and credibility<\/h3>\n
Improving customer trust and loyalty<\/h3>\n
Enhancing brand reputation and image<\/h3>\n
Social reputation management allows you to manage crises<\/h3>\n
How to do social media reputation management successfully<\/h2>\n
Post engaging content for better social reputation management<\/h3>\n
Reply to comments and messages<\/h3>\n
Create a crisis communication plan for social media ORM<\/h3>\n
ORM and social listening<\/h3>\n
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Maintain a positive online presence<\/h3>\n
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Build a community and engage customers<\/h3>\n
Use the right tools for ORM on social media<\/h3>\n
Best practices for your clients\u2019 ORM on social media<\/h2>\n
Guidelines for responding to negative reviews and mentions<\/h3>\n
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Strategies for preventing and addressing crises<\/h3>\n