Businesses walk a thin line when active on web. With abundance of platforms for brand criticism, reputation attacks happen at the drop of a hat. The race to be active on social media has given more power in the hands of users. The same has also increased instances where even big brands have been ridiculed, mocked and downgraded. Hence, it is better to be cautious and take every precaution to be safe. Below are some of the points that may come handy to avoid reputation threats;

Speak Carefully

Those who adore you always keep an eye and ear to what you say. Same is true in case of web also. People who are availing services or are looking forward to in near future will pay great heed to what you have to say. Hence, it would be wise to speak carefully and not to make comments or promises that you will hesitate to identify with in future. With the comments section, users can rain havoc if a brand doesn’t meet expectations. Of course a reputation management firm can damage-control but isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?

Respond

Earlier, there weren’t many channels for grievance redressal and thus companies only faced the wrath of customers on a major glitch. The same has changed nowadays. With fan pages on Facebook, official blogs and Twitter, one can let public know of any discrepancy within seconds. Hence, brands cannot afford to ignore a query raised on web. The best solution to this is to be active and respond to anything whether positive or negative. This shows that you are concerned about what people have to say. This will avoid any backlash through user generated platforms.

Highlight good deeds

Companies, big or small, from time to time engage in something that is worth commending. Even if such elements are absent, one can always highlight the most promising product or reviews from happy customers. Such small gestures and updates help in reinforcing the trust of customers. Even companies rendering online reputation management services use such information present on web to guarantee flawless reputation. Hence, make sure to shout out loud on web – in a professional way though- when doing something good.

Establish channels of communication

A number of established brands have recently felt the need of communicating with their clients or customers to eliminate the middlemen. This keeps the outpour of emotions on a platform that is managed by company only. If no such provision is there, one is bound to speak on consumer forums and complaint boards. Availability of such channels also gives a company the chance to communicate directly with their users and learn about their opinions.

In addition to the above points, one need to always strive to give the best to the client or customer. Sadly, following all the above with utmost dedication doesn’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any attacks. One can do little in case of trolls and exaggerating customers. To handle such cases, one has to seek help from reputation specialists with experience and expertise.

This was all from w3Police, a reputation experts company India advising global clientele on online reputation.

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