Combatting Brand Bashing in Social Media
By Matt Howland | Vice President
It’s a common fear in social media – dissatisfied customers taking over social media conversations to bash the brand. The fear is real, but whether you are in charge of your social media or not, negative comments going to occur. That’s what makes social interesting – your company doesn’t totally control it. Everyone knows no one is perfect. Brands are not perfect, and things are going to happen. There will be delayed shipping, there will be faulty products. It’s a fact of life and people know this.
The most open and engaging brands usually have the least amount of brand bashing via social, and the reason is because they create more brand advocates. A well-tended social media community attracts people who stand up for it – cultivating these advocates is the best way to combat bashing.
If you are open and honest about your products in a manner that provides benefit on both sides, people will be more likely to defend you. If a bad experience happens, address it publicly. Social media is a great forum for this. It’s really another customer service channel – it builds trust through engagement so people can actually believe in your brand.
Brand bashing doesn’t have to be a fear. You can make the best of negative experiences by addressing them head on via social media and building transparency. People traditionally see a transparent brand as a good brand. And more engaging you can be, the better.
You Might Like:
- Whitepaper: Getting Your Brand Ready For Loyalty
- Aberdeen Research Report: Customer Loyalty 2012: Enabling Technologies for Customer Engagement, Conversion, and Retention
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