• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

  • đŸ”„ Free Newsletter
  • ⭐ FREE Web3 Course
  • đŸ—“ïž Our Events
    • Social Media Marketing World (Mar 13-15)
    • Other Industry Events
  • 💡 Society
  • ⚙ Tools
  • đŸŽ™ïž Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Web3 Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🎯 Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
    • Tools Sponsorship
  • 👋 About Us
    • Our Story
    • Articles
      • Web3
      • Instagram Marketing
      • Facebook Marketing
      • YouTube Marketing
      • LinkedIn Marketing
      • TikTok Marketing
      • Expert Interviews
  • Search
  • Social Media Marketing World10th annual. Biggest industry event. Sale ends soon!IMPROVE YOUR MARKETING

    6 Ways to Protect Your Business Reputation With Social Media

    by Alexi Venneri / September 12, 2016

    social media how toDo you want to increase trust with your fans and followers?

    Want to avoid making mistakes on social media?

    There are easy ways to avoid potential problems that could negatively affect your business and reputation online.

    In this article, you'll discover six ways to present your business in the best light possible on social media.

    avoid social media mistakes
    Discover six ways to protect the reputation of your business with social media.

    #1: Use Humor Appropriately

    You might think something is funny, but will it be funny to your followers? Or is it outdated? Is there a chance it might offend someone? Incorporating humor in your posts can help engage your followers, but you need to know your audience and keep jokes relevant to your topic. If you're not 100% sure, ask someone you trust for an honest opinion.

    In this tweet, the Atlanta Hawks cleverly used emojis to represent the teams on their 2016 NBA schedule, knowing their fans would get the joke. When you incorporate humor in your own posts, try to be clever but not too esoteric, or you run the risk of your humor falling flat with your audience.

    humor in social media post
    The Atlanta Hawks found a humorous way to draw attention to the upcoming NBA season.

    #2: Fact-check and Spell-check Your Content

    Hiring full-time proofreaders isn't feasible for most businesses. If you're proofreading your own social posts, take the time to check your math, verify spelling, look up definitions, and do a little online sleuthing to confirm the validity of your claims. Don't just rely on your gut feeling.

    A quick proofread by White Castle would have kept a brilliant brand interaction with a celebrity from falling flat and giving Taco Bell a chance to bring the conversation back to them.

    taco bell tweet
    Always check your posts for spelling and grammar.

    #3: Respond to All Comments and Complaints

    The holy grail of social media is engagement. Responding and participating in conversations with your customers and advocates help you build brand loyalty.

    If you don't have time to respond on your social sites, you're likely better off just closing down your accounts. A lack of response is worse than having no social profile at all. You need to know what your customers are saying and sharing so you can address potential issues before they grow into bigger ones. You might also potentially turn a negative experience into a positive one.

    If you see a social post about a potential problem with your business, send that person a message offering to continue the discussion offline to help rectify it. Trying to resolve matters in an online discussion might turn off other customers and lead to factual inaccuracies being broadcast to the public.

    zappos customer service tweet
    Offer to resolve the customer's problem offline.

    Offering to take the matter offline not only gives the customer a chance to discuss the issue in more detail, but also shows other users that your business cares about making things right.

    Tools Resource Guide

    Looking for something to make your life easier?

    Discover the tools we recommend to drive engagement, save you time, and boost sales across your entire marketing funnel or business.

    Whether you need help planning content, organizing social posts, or developing your strategy, you’ll find something for every situation.

    FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE TOOL

    When customers take the time to share their thoughts on social media, it's important that you acknowledge them. As quickly as possible, apologize for their experience without admitting being in the wrong. Even if getting a complaint doesn't feel that great, you failed to meet your customer's expectation. Embrace and learn from it.

    The Conference You've Been Waiting For

    As a small business marketer, you can probably only pick one or two events to attend each year. Get back into the game with an unbeatable conference experience and expert training at Social Media Marketing World in sunny San Diego, California—from your friends at Social Media Examiner.

    đŸ”„đŸ”„ As a valued reader, you can save $350 if you act now! Sale Ends Tuesday!

    CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

    #4: Make Sure Your Customer Service Apps Are Working

    If you're providing customer service through customized apps connected to your social media accounts, check the links frequently to make sure they're working correctly. If they're broken, turn them off and fix them quickly.

    Customers often go to Facebook to share frustrations, so having an app that makes it easy for them to call, chat, or email you will help you serve them while keeping negative comments off of your public page. If the app isn't working, customers might start questioning your professionalism and the accuracy of the information you provide them.

    This error message from a Cloud application platform leaves a Mercedes-Benz fan disappointed.

    customer service app on facebook
    Make sure customized apps for your social accounts are working.

    #5: Search for Rogue or Duplicate Pages

    There can be many reasons why your company's social accounts might be duplicated, from deliberate hijackers to employees oblivious to the implications. Duplicate pages not only potentially damage your reputation, but also confuse search engines, which are forced to choose which version they feel is the best fit for the query.

    Regularly search each of your social media platforms for your company name. If you see a duplicate account, open it and make a note of whom you're connected with. If you don't know who created the account, use the online help centers to find remedies, which differ for each social platform.

    To avoid internal issues within your company, make sure your social media policy includes a stipulation that employees can't create their own sites with your business name.

    The solution to these duplicate Twitter accounts might involve merging the two accounts and then doing some cleanup.

    duplicate social accounts example
    Regularly check for duplicate accounts on each of your social platforms.

    #6: Respond to Both Positive and Negative Reviews

    Many businesses routinely respond to negative reviews, but don't think about acknowledging positive ones. Show your appreciation to customers who take the time to share positive experiences with your product or service. It's more than good manners; it's good business.

    social media review
    Engage with both happy and unhappy reviewers.

    Do take care in how you respond. Some of your customers may have unpredictable sensitivities. Acknowledge reviews as quickly as possible and be polite and professional.

    Using SEO keywords in your responses also may push your social site higher in search engine rankings. For example, you can turn your response into a billboard showing how much you love your customers and mention all of the great things you're glad the customer liked.

    Conclusion

    Before you send a tweet or post a status that you wish you could take back, be cognizant of how you're communicating with customers and prospects.

    What do you think? Do you use some of these tactics to avoid potential social media mishaps? How do you ward off problems on your social channels? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

    Tips on six ways to ensure you present the best side of your business on social media.
    Tips on six ways to ensure you present the best side of your business on social media.

    Get Your FREE Course: Web3 for Beginners

    Web 3 for Beginners

    Curious about Web3, but don't know where to start or who to trust?

    Introducing Web3 for Beginners, a course taught by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner.

    Learn the basics of Web3 and apply it to your business with this FREE comprehensive course.


    CLICK HERE TO GET FREE ACCESS

    About the authorAlexi Venneri

    Alexi Venneri is the co-founder/CEO of Digital Air Strike, the leading digital engagement company. She is an accomplished public speaker and wrote “Balls! Six Rules for Winning the Business Game”.
    Other posts by Alexi Venneri »

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (39 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Find out how thousands of marketers plan to change their social marketing activities in our 14th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. This 39-page report reveals what marketers have planned for their organic social activities, video marketing, social ads, and more. Get this free report now and never miss another great article from Social Media Examiner.

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media ExaminerÂź
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility