Whether you manage your online reputation or not, people are talking about your brand. The crowd might be big or small, but they are the voices that form your online reputation and perception. Sometimes positive comments are not required to respond to but reacting to negative comments and questions too late can come at a high cost. To avoid reputational disasters, you need to be proactive, listen and respond to what’s being said online.

In 2008 musician Dave Carroll had his $3500 guitar damaged during a United Airlines flight and spent the following months seeking compensation without any luck. To address his frustration, he created a YouTube music video about his negative experience with the airline named United Breaks Guitars.

The video had been viewed by 1.5 million people in three days, liking and sharing it, together with contributing their negative experiences with the airline. A few years later the same airline’s security officers were seen violently dragging a man off an overbooked flight after he was already seated. The video went viral, resulting in wide criticism of the business and the CEO for his (not so genuine) response. It’s fair to say that United’s a prime example of how not to manage your reputation online.

1.  Respond to your critics

According to Harvard Business Review, survey evidence of 1,000 one- and two-star reviews of 60 top-ranked hotels around the world pulled from TripAdvisor using independent judges found that about a quarter of those negative reviews were unfair on some aspects. Unfair and negative comments are inevitable but are not necessarily damaging if they are addressed appropriately. Embrace negative feedback and respond to the comments as and when they emerge. Ignorance can lead to much more damaging consequences, as well as allowing others to jump on these comments before you are able to respond. Address negative comments with humour and show character, even when faced with criticism, as responding to all comments received, both positive and negative can instigate empathy with your customers and highlight the human side of your business.

2.  Think before you speak

Sounds simple, but there are endless examples of brands being insensitive or inappropriate in their communication, without realising the potential harm it might cause. Think and test your message before sharing it online, because once it’s out, you won’t be able to take it back. A simple email sent in 2017 by Adidas with the subject line: ‘Congrats you survived the Boston Marathon’ has caused a major outrage with social media users who criticised the company for its insensitivity, considering that twin bombings killed three and injured more than 260 others at the marathon four years earlier. Adidas apologised saying ‘there was no thought given’ to the email’s subject line, but the damage was already done.

3.  Create a social media policy

Whilst digital media has the ability to create a positive brand image and reach new audiences, it can also have a negative impact on the brand, if not managed properly. Employees collectively have social networks of ten times larger than a single corporate brand and content shared by employees also sees a click-through rate double that of their company, because they are seen as more authentic and people are more likely to trust recommendations they see from their own networks.  According to a recent brand advocacy survey, large businesses are more risk-aware, however, over two-thirds of SMEs don’t have a social media policy in place. A lack of social media policy can lead to data breach if confidential business or client information is shared publicly, as well as reputational damage resulting in financial losses, and therefore should be an essential part of company policy, even for businesses who are not actively using social media.