Management of online reputations

Facebook is one of the world's biggest interactive social media networks and hosts 1.2 billion users worldwide, that is 11% of the world's population. It allows a company to post a page about itself, with regular updates on new products and services that it is offering.

This means real time feedback on a product or company, giving the company an idea on how to modify or improve products or services. It also gives feedback on the amount of people that have viewed the page, commented or are talking about a brand.

Twitter can be used to post latest updates, keeping a company active within the social media network, together with YouTube, which can be used to post and host video news updates about a company or anything related to it.

It is also a cost saving medium for communication and has a large amount of tools that, when used effectively, can create successful campaigns.

Strategic implementation

As there are consequences arising from a social media campaign that is not implemented strategically, here are two tools that can help manage social media issues:

• Assigning resources - Whether human, economical or technical, if a company does not have an expert, it is advisable to consider external help
  
• Training the team - Knowledge is power and with social media continuously growing, it is important that the team is constantly updated regarding social media

Once mastered, company social media should be manageable but if a crisis does occur, it is important not to respond in a panic but to sit with the team, update them and come up with a strategic plan that will benefit the organisation.

Post crisis response

It is also important to remember that if an organisation has gone through a crisis and management has been implemented, it does not stop there; one needs to ensure that the communication is constant and that the team is up to date. Placing a system in place post crisis is crucial:

• Rebuilding reputation - Define the strategies and tactics at play to rebuild a company's reputation, from in-depth analysis of online content to online chats with the most active bloggers.
  
• Tracking and monitoring - Continue tracking the issues and traditional media during the months and years to come.
  
• Updating content - Continue updating the company's online properties appropriately.

Attention must be paid to the action plan, which should be used as a reference and a strategic tool when things fall off the wagon; this is where online crisis management becomes critical to any social media effort.