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It's no secret that Australians love social media. Don't believe me? Just take a look at the statistics: 12 million monthly users on Facebook, 3.4 million users on LinkedIn, and more than 2 million users on Twitter, according to the latest figures released by the social media experts at FRANk.
Even if you're not a big social media fan yourself, there's no denying the increasing popularity of these websites offers plenty of opportunity for web-savvy marketers. Social media marketing is the latest buzzword on the lips of many experts, and for good reason.
A report published earlier this year by the Social Media Examiner found that 86 per cent of marketers today believe social media is important for their business, with the top two benefits of this initiative being increased exposure and increased traffic.
Of course, there are two sides to the social media coin. Remember the old acumen that a customer will tell a story of good service to one friend, but will let a dozen friends know when they've had a bad experience with a business? Social media amplifies that concept a hundred fold.
Someone who has a negative interaction with your business today now has an easy and accessible platform from which they can tell hundreds (if not thousands) of other potential customers about their experience.
That means you need to be switched on and aware of social media's potential to make or break your online reputation. Fortunately, there are plenty of active steps you can take to ensure social media is working for your organisation, rather than against it. Here are a few examples.
Keep on top of customer feedback
The best way to get on top of a customer experience that might damage your online reputation is to be proactive. Make sure you are monitoring your social media pages and on the lookout for any comments or posts that might put your reputation at risk.
You don't want to pay any attention to hateful trolls and people who are just looking to start a fight, but if someone has actually had a disappointing experience with your organisation and wants answers, make sure you get in touch as soon as possible.
Think before you tweet (or like, or post, or comment, or…)
In the rush to be current and to spark conversation, it can be easy to fall into the trap of making ill-judged social media posts. Take the example of American fashion designer Kenneth Cole, who, in a momentary lapse of judgement, once tried to use the Egyptian revolution of 2011 as a marketing opportunity.
"Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online…" read Cole's tweet, which was hastily taken down a short while later after a rather vocal response from the Twitter community.
Remember, anything your business publishes on the internet is going to be seen by a significant global audience. What's more is that once something is uploaded to the World Wide Web, it's often there forever.
Limit access to business social media accounts
Finally, it's important to put up restrictions and barriers regarding who is able to access social media accounts that are linked to your business. These days, many organisations make the mistake of giving multiple individuals access to Twitter, Facebook and Google+ login details.
Even if you only have one social media guru on the team, make sure you have a comprehensive social media policy in place for all your employees that outlines their obligations as representatives of your brand. It only takes one bad egg to spoil your online reputation, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
By Karen Hall
