A Business’s Reputation Is More Vulnerable on the Social Web

Many companies are not fully aware of the importance of their online reputation. What other people say about a company can dictate that company’s success or failure. With the internet comes another medium for people to share opinions about a business. For this reason, good reputation management services are necessary to have a positive presence online.

I totally agree with the blog post. That’s why we need to have right tool to keep monitoring our company image.

But as Chris said, sometimes competitors leave bad reviews to us. Anyway, I believe what goes around comes around.

One good example of how viral information can damage a brand is MicDonald’s recent run-in with controversy regarding the pink slime included in its products. Content about the issue spread like wild fire across social media.

@Brent, I think it is becoming more and more vital that small businesses have a full-time staff/employee dedicated to their online brand appearance and their social media presence. Like Virginia said, having the owner be engaged socially is rare, and can be too much of a burden.

@Nick, Being involved and showing customers you care goes a long way. Having a person in house I think may be the best way as opposed to outsourcing it. I see too many problems when the social media responsibilities are outsourced.

It’s absolutely essential to monitor your brand reputation online. If you don’t know what is being said about your business, you can’t join the conversation. Responding to negative comments and offering to “make good” on the situation shows your customers that you care.

@Brent: I totally agree with you. Perhaps for some SMBs, a dedicated staff member may not be necessary if the role is understood as part of the culture from the top down. But that requires the owner is very engaged socially and with all the other responsibilities of running a business it can be rare.

@Javed: Right. Since any tool can be used for or against someone, knowledge is vital.

@Chris: Luckily some negative reviews in the mix actually improve a company’s credibility, as long as there are positive ones as well.

Not much you can do about bad internet reviews, really.
Competitors are starting to leave bad reviews, to gain an advantage in the marketplace, and it works.

Thanks for this. This reminds me of times when a twitter hashtag originally intended to advertise a business is flipped on it’s head, and used to criticize it instead. Heh

What’s your thoughts on small businesses hiring a full-time dedicated staff to working on the brand appearance now?

To me, it seems more relevant than ever, especially because regional communities are more intertwined online than anyone could have realized even two or three years ago.