What does your social brand say about your company online? Even more importantly, what are other people saying?

A major part of having a positive online identity is knowing what people online are telling others about you and your company. As the month of February wraps up you may not be feeling the love. But, you can manage and improve that reputation by taking an active role in the perception of your brand.

Here are 3 ways to maintain a positive online brand

BE SOCIAL

  • Maintain a positive relationship with your followers by engaging in online conversation, answering questions or following up in a timely manner.
  • Post regularly so that there is more opportunity for good truthful content about your company to be viewed and shared.
  • Reach out to disgruntled reviewers. For example, if your company receives a low star review on Facebook try contacting the reviewer. They often just want to be heard and may be willing to change their rating after your conversation.

MONITOR consumer and employee review sites such as Yelp and Glassdoor. Sometimes negative reviews may be posted that are referencing another company with a similar name to yours etc. Move swiftly to have those removed. In other cases, you may ask that individuals message you to resolve their issue. Remember that anything you post in response will be read by others so remain professional, but work to clear up any confusion and provide helpful feedback.

SEARCH for your brand on social platforms. This will take a bit more work, but it’s important to know what is being said about your company. There are tools that will monitor your brand across multiple channels such as SocialMention.com which has alerts that will inform you when you pop up in a tweet or are tagged in photos online.

When a negative comment appears online, use it as an opportunity to position your company as one that really cares about its customer or employee satisfaction. A great response to a bad review or comment can reinforce your brand and create a positive image in readers’ minds of you, your company and its products or services.