[You are what you tweet] Bend but do not break

Dealing with social media is a tricky business. Almost as soon as it started, people found themselves infuriated with how tricky it is. If you find yourself frustrated with this social web, on either a personal or commercial level, remember that it is here and is most likely here to stay. It has already changed the way people interact, with each other and with the brands they consume. Not only has the game changed, but it is continuously evolving.

When it comes to damage control via social media, a few key points stand out:

• Have a constant eye over your brand.

  If someone is complaining about your brand online, you should know about it as soon as anybody else does. A quick response, even just as recognition, goes a long way to soothe the temper of twitchy customers. If you don't have the in-house abilities, then outsource.

  There are many examples of brands saved by a quick reaction to an unhappy influential customer. It's useful now, and it's only going to become more and more important.

• Do not delete negative conversation.

  If, as Nestle did, you view your social media space as yours, then you are missing the point. Sure you'll need to censor certain things, like swearing and hate speech, but your social media space is there to reflect what people want to say about your brand. People will notice if you're filtering out the bad. They will react badly.

  When it is not in your own controlled space (eg a video on YouTube or someone else's Twitter), then it is even more important that you do not try. Trying to get content removed from the Internet is a losing battle.

  If you manage to get an insulting YouTube video removed, it will be uploaded again, and then uploaded elsewhere, along with a sea of comments about how you can't stop the Internet. You will make more enemies, and are more likely to fan the fires that burn you.

  Rather try to engage it head on, if you can. If you're reasonable, even in the face of unapologetic insult, everyone who views the video will also see your calm and reasonable reaction. Remember that there are more people viewing than those who comment.

• Along the same line, be careful not to bow too quickly to online pressure.

  The initial knee-jerk reaction from social communities is not always the one to trust. Just because they are vocal does not mean they are in the majority or in the right.

  A good example here is Frito-Lay US, whose Sun Chips brand recently brought out a new type of bag for its potato chips. The bag was made to be as environmental friendly as possible, out of renewable plant-based material. Unfortunately a side effect was that these bags were very noisy. After release, there was a lot of complaining about the noise. eg Tweets of "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over my Sun Chips." and such.

  Frito-Lay US decided to pull the bag because of the feedback, only to face another backlash from environmentalists, for obvious reasons. It succeeded only in causing more negative conversation.

  Frito-Lay Canada took a better approach and released a video. The video quite openly admits that the packets are loud and says that it is trying its hardest to make them quieter. It then goes on to say that, considering their benefits for the environment, it believes it is worth it. It follows this by offering free earphones to anyone who contacts the company about it.

  This is a bit of a ballsy move for a brand, but the manner of the video is sincere. That's what does the trick (read a full article on this and view the video here.)

• Like Frito-Lay Canada, be as sincere, honest and authentic as you can be.

  Sure, this isn't necessarily tied to social media, but more to a growing cultural mistrust in corporates. Nevertheless, social media is not the place to spout hollow-sounding PR speak.

  Internet communities are hyper-sensitive to being duped, but they can be surprisingly forgiving if you sound like a human being rather than a corporation. The worst thing is to sound like as a corporation. This does, however, highlight how much of a tightrope walk it is.

  Remembering what happened with Nestlé, it comes down to not sounding like a brand, but making sure you always remember that you are representing a brand.

  This does also depend on the brand, however. Certain brands can be edgy, and others can't. What applies to your target audience in marketing, also applies on social sites.

A lot is expected from brands, especially big ones, and small mistakes can be costly. It is worth any company's time and money to invest more than the bare minimum to get competent representation here. There are digital agencies that have the tools and know-how to steer your brand safely around the tumultuous waters of social media.

So find an individual, or team, that can handle it... or risk alienating yourself in a tricky, but influential space.