The World Can Be A Scary Place

The Internet is filled with news, facts, and stories about pretty much any company out there. Unfortunately, when bad news about a company finds its way onto the Internet, it spreads quickly. Companies can't contain every story, review, and customer statement that is posted online, but you can take control of the way your brand is perceived by taking steps to improve your company's online presence.

Commit to Building a Positive Social Media Presence

Companies often use social media websites to promote new products and handle customer service inquires. However, the bigger your business is, the harder it is to keep up with you social media accounts. And, if you aren't consistently posting online and engaging your customers, it can negatively affect your brand. After all, a lot of people read news features online, sometimes through stories that are shared on social media. So your company needs to be present, consistent, and professional at all times.

• Designate one person to answer responses and comments to social media posts.
• Have a different person craft your company's daily social media posts.
• Make sure there are new posts on your company's social media accounts on a regular basis.
• Follow up with customer questions and inquires quickly.

Squash Negativity with Kindness

When you receive a customer complaint online or a slightly negative news article is posted online, your first instinct might be to defend your company. However, that isn't the correct response. You need to kill negative reviews and news with kindness. To do that, you need to respond to every negative comment, review, or news article professionally, positively, and publicly. If your company made a mistake, own up to it and correct it. People are more likely to continue doing business with a company that resolves issues instead of ignores them.

Own Your Online Presence

There are several different social media websites and, most likely, your company has its own website and/or blog. That's a lot of online real estate to cover, but you need to own it. You need to use the same user name and logo across the board; connect all of your company's social media accounts to each other; and connect all of your company's social media accounts to your blog and/or website. This allows you to control your brand. It helps people recognize your company immediately when they come across your profile. And this is extremely important when you're trying to create a positive online image for your business.

Ultimately, you can't control every piece of news that surfaces online about your company. You can, however, control how your company responds to it. Create a positive online presence and respond to everything, the good and the bad, professionally to build and maintain a solid online brand for your company.