Online reputation management plan

Internet and, especially, social networks have brought great advantages to the traditional trade. Now you have the possibility of selling around the world, have a more close relationship with your clients, respond to your questions almost immediately... but what happens when the comments are not positive, when customers are unhappy, when an unfortunate message is sent? Unfortunately that also reaches a wide audience, and often faster than good news, creating a bad image of your brand online. No matter if you have an active presence on the internet because users are there and you can't help that they talk about you.

Online reputation exists and you decide if you want to create it or leave it in the hands of others.

If you think that you do not you can pass and that a single negative comment can do you harm, you are wrong. No one is free to the user and, therefore, for how you should react to critical situations and how to improve the image your customers of your business is necessary to count with a Plan of online reputation.

But, what is the reputation of brand?

The reputation is the union of three factors according to Bertrand Cesvet:

• Who are you?

• Who would you say you are?

• Who says the people that you are?

While the answers to these three questions is the same there will be no problem, but just a second that this will change and be prepared to learn how to act will be the difference between an overcome crisis and a discredited company.

How elaborated is a plan of online reputation?

Similar to planning for any type of marketing strategy, anticipating a crisis for react also controlled should be indispensable. To do this, in digital reputation plan it has to be in line with the communication plan, there is coherence between the two.
To have your reputation under control you must take into account several aspects:

1. Advance: Be prepared for a crisis is the best way to deal with it. To do this, maybe, is controlling your online reputation monitoring who talks about you, where and how. Take into account all of this information will help you to make decisions and make small changes that can put an end to the danger even before unleashing it.
2. Forecast: Think in different crisis situations that may occur in your company and how you could take on them will help establish a pattern of response. In this way you will be able to test your tools and you'll know if you have to take steps to improve them.
3. Crisis management team: In the event that there is a problem who will take care of resolving it? It is important, regardless of the size of your company, that there is a person who acts as a spokesman and who know what to say and how in every moment. It also will help create responses to various criticisms. This will help you know how to act and reduce response time.
4. Identification: If the crisis is already here is the time to act. If it is a criticism, if it is justified and where it comes from, if other users are in agreement and the scope of the same values. It is important to act in haste or eliminate the negative comment specifically without providing a compelling reason such as lack of respect, the use of offensive words, etc. Also you will have to face, not hide information, be empathetic with your customers, and offer a solution.
5. Analysis: Investigate the reason for the crisis and solve it effectively will prevent a relapse and that your online reputation is in tatters. It is important that you carry out quality checks, hear the opinions of your customers and to remain attentive to any changes.

Don't expect to be too late and beginning to work to make the image of your brand online flawless