Social media is taking over from the mainstream media for marketing and connecting with customers. The main aim of ay company today is to provide the best customer service to any customer, which is why companies are taking an extra effort towards visiting sites like https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/best-practices/customer-experience/ and reading all the ways through which they can improve their customer response team. Today, it is no longer an avenue for small local businesses, but even the big corporate use it to market their products. The most common social media avenues today include

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Blogging sites
• YouTube

On social media, be prepared for praises, raves and rants, varying opinions, constructive and negative criticism. There will be genuine customers with genuine concerns. However, there is also a malicious lot that hides behind the veil of social media. This lot’s main agenda is to taint your brand.

Let social media be a blessing not a curse to your brand

A social media company could make or break your product or service in a matter of minutes. Look at it this way; practically everyone including your customers is on social media and this means that a couple of good or bad reviews could see your business rise through the ranks or fall terribly. There is no greater task than trying to repair a tainted perception and reputation. It is the business owner’s responsibility to guard and protect the image of their brand and company.

No matter how appealing your brand is, there will always be a negative post, tweet or comment occasionally. However, how you react or handle the situation solely depends on you and this can prove to be a blessing or a curse to your brand and your company’s image.

Always remember that not every complaint spells doom. Actually, some negative posts on social media are a blessing in disguise. Use this opportunity to give your customer immediate and satisfactory assistance. Once this is sorted out, the customer could turn out to be your number one fan and spread the word around. Again, all this depends on how you handle the complaint.

Here are a few tips to help you construct and manage negative reputation on social media:

• Genuine concerns? Own up, take the blame

Avoid being defensive over genuine concerns. Fix the complaint and follow up with the customer. Besides, defensiveness only creates more attention and unwanted drama, which could turn out to be your brand’s worst nightmare.

• Respond to complaints immediately

Slow feedback and response is unprofessional and this is a sure loophole to negative reputation faster than a slow feedback. Avoid buying time and face the concerns head-on. Make a point of doing a personal follow up.

• Handle this as if your personal reputation is under question

You know the way you would spring into action once someone tries to taint your reputation, the same passion and enthusiasm should be applied when protecting the reputation of your brand. Avoid taking matters lightly.

Unless the client deliberately takes down the post, do not pressure them to do so. This is unprofessional. Instead, be kind and address their concerns effectively and immediately. They might take the post down, or appreciate your effort on the same post and this could be a win-win situation for you.

• Don’t be petty or personal

As much as it is important to tackle every complaint as if you were defending your own reputation, always remember that there is a very thin line between being proactive and petty. Have your limits by identifying what is worth your time and what is not. For instance, you have no business countering malicious posts from competitors and other simpletons. This will only drain your energy for no good reason.