This will save your business: Reputation Management Plan and a Social Media Policy
Posted by Adriana Tayraco on Thu, Sep 01, 2011
We’ve all heard of companies being trashed online and the legal and financial mess that engulfed them as a consequence. The most infamous examples of online reputation crisis come from Dominos Pizza, United Airlines, and more recently Airbnb. Before you start pointing out that these things only happen to big, multinational companies, here are some examples of small to medium companies that felt the mighty power of social media come down on them: Golden Beach Hotel (who threw out guests after they wrote a bad review) and Horizon Realty (who sued a tenant for $50K for tweeting a negative comment). You could say that having a social media policy is very much like having a safety net in case you fall and having a reputation management plan protects you in case someone pushes you.
When crisis strikes, a brand is affected in its entirety. Stakeholders pay the price, managers pay the price, and eventually customers will pay the price when they are forced to switch their business somewhere else. In most of the cases, it is not the initial crisis that causes most of the damage; it is an inadequate response from a company’s representative. Company employees are not entirely informed on how exactly social media works and the repercussions a single comment can have on the entire organization. A Social Media Policy teaches employees about the risks of social media and educates them on privacy and professional conduct online. A report from employment services firm Manpower found out that only 29% of companies in the Americas had a formal social media policy in place in 2010, the number went further down for international companies to only 20%. Companies find it difficult to implement a social media policy, especially when it is an evolving document constantly trying to integrate different and newer social media sites.
A reputation management plan; on the other hand, protects you against negative news coverage. It works hand in hand along with your social media policy to protect you from online risks. It protects, defends and – if needed – removes damaging information from the public eye. It starts with proper social media monitoring and constant crawling of the internet for mentions on your brand. You train your organization on how to execute a crisis plan (this includes first responders, spokesperson, public statements, and so on). When a threat is identified, that’s when the importance of having a plan in place really shines bright. Speed is of the essence as a quick response to the attacks (or a public statement, depending on the type of threat) is necessary to minimize a crisis. Be careful not to start blaming everyone around you, if there is something we have learned is that an online social media reputation is all about transparency – if you lie or manipulate, someone will find out and mock you publicly.
Both a Social Media Policy and a Reputation Management Plan need to be implemented before disaster strikes. Even if your company doesn’t do business online, there are still plenty of customers who will talk about their experiences with you through social media. Do not underestimate the impact this can have on your company. If your company does get caught in the middle of a social media PR disaster and you have had no backup plans rehearsed and ready, you have no one to blame but yourself.
For more information on how you can set up a Social Media Policy and to download a sample of Internet Reputation Management Guidelines please visit http://www.brandprotect.com/online-brand-protection-resources.html