Consumer opinion and perception can make or break a business – this is the reality facing brands today. If there’s one place where customers are more willing to express their opinions on a brand, it’s social media.
Social media is particularly packed with invaluable customer insights, both good and bad. That’s why social media reputation management is needed. Without it, you’re essentially leaving your reputation vulnerable to unmanaged negative feedback and even fake reviews.
Plus, you’re losing out on marketing chances to bank on the positive feedback your brand is getting online.
So, let this social media guide on brand reputation management help you as we look into the following:
• What Is Social Media Reputation Management?
• Why Social Media Reputation Management Matters
• How To Manage Your Reputation on Social Media
• What To Avoid To Protect Your Reputation on Social Media
• Get Expert Help: Social Media Management That Leads to a Better Reputation
• Social Media Reputation Management Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Social Media Reputation Management?
Social media reputation management involves actively monitoring and influencing how your brand is perceived on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (previously Twitter) and TikTok.
If left unchecked, your reputation will run its own course based on the varied experiences of those interacting with your company. While this could be fine if everyone has positive interactions, the reality is that customers are more inclined to share negative experiences.
Moreover, misleading information can spread like wildfire, potentially harming your brand’s image even if most of your customers are satisfied.
Why Social Media Reputation Management Matters
“Social media is where customers are, so when you manage your reputation on social media platforms, you meet them where they are,” said Tim Clarke, Thrive Local’s senior reputation manager.
By implementing online reputation management strategies, you can stay on top of what is being said about your brand and gauge the sentiment behind these mentions. This enables you to amplify positive feedback and promptly address any negative comments before they escalate into significant issues.
Your brand’s reputation on social media is a powerful influence on potential customers. People often turn to platforms like Facebook, X and TikTok to learn about companies, seek recommendations and share their experiences. What they find can either draw them to your brand or push them away.
Actively managing your social media reputation also ensures that what people see and hear about your brand reflects your values and strengths.
Build Trust and Credibility
Trust is the cornerstone of any successful relationship, and this holds true for businesses and their customers. With consistent online reputation monitoring, you shape your social media presence while showing that you care about your customers’ opinions and experiences.
Addressing concerns promptly and professionally shows that you’re committed to maintaining high standards, thereby building trust and credibility.
Engage With Your Audience
Social media offers a unique opportunity to connect directly with your audience. Reputation management allows you to engage with your followers in meaningful ways, responding to their comments, answering their questions and acknowledging their feedback.
Such an interaction not only strengthens your relationship with existing customers but also attracts new ones by showcasing your brand’s personality and responsiveness.
Get Competitor Advantage
A well-managed social media reputation can give you a significant advantage over competitors who may not be as attentive to their online image. When potential customers see your brand being positively discussed and actively engaging with its audience, they’re more likely to choose you over the competition.
Mitigate Reputational Risks
Negative comments and reviews are inevitable, but how you handle them can make all the difference. Proactively managing your social media reputation means you’re prepared to address any issues before they escalate. Managing online reviews the right way means responding swiftly and effectively to criticism.
With this, you can turn potentially damaging situations into opportunities to show your commitment to customer satisfaction.
How To Manage Your Reputation on Social Media
How your brand image is fairing on social media impacts your business profitability. Online reputation management can be tricky for starters. But there are practical steps you can take to manage your social media reputation.
Social reputation management tips:
1. Audit your social media reputation.
2. Monitor your brand mentions.
3. Track your competitors and market.
4. Develop or reinforce your brand guidelines.
5. Initiate conversations with your followers.
6. Respond to messages, comments and reviews.
7. Take charge of your company’s brand narrative.
8. Build a strategy based on feedback and analytics.
9. Use social media reputation management tools.
Let’s look at these social media strategies more closely.
1. Audit Your Social Media Reputation
Before moving forward with any improvements or strategies, you need a clear picture of where your brand stands right now. This knowledge is your foundation. Without it, you’re basically flying blind, making it hard to set realistic goals or measure progress. Knowing your starting point allows you to create a tailored approach that directly addresses your brand’s unique challenges and opportunities.
A brand audit is essentially a health check for your social media presence. It’s a comprehensive review of your social media accounts, analyzing what’s working, what’s not and what could be improved. You look past followers or likes to understand the bigger picture of how people perceive your brand online.
During the social media management audit, you want to:
• List all the social media accounts under your brand’s name. Don’t forget to check for any old or forgotten profiles that might still be floating around.
• Ensure that your branding (logos, bios, contact information) is consistent across all platforms. Inconsistencies can confuse your audience and dilute your brand identity.
• Look at your posts to see which types are getting the most engagement. Are certain topics, formats or posting times of day more effective?
• Make sure all your profiles are fully filled out. Incomplete social profiles can look unprofessional and might turn potential followers away.
• See what people are saying about your brand. Customer feedback can give you insight into your reputation and highlight areas for improvement.
You also want to look at each social platform’s analytics and consolidate your findings. A brand audit should be done periodically. This way, you can refine your strategies, engage more effectively with your audience and ultimately build a stronger, more resilient brand presence.
2. Monitor Your Brand Mentions
The online conversation about your brand can change rapidly, and staying on top of it requires regular attention. Consistent brand monitoring helps you catch issues early, engage with your audience effectively and stay informed about public perception.
Tips for online reputation monitoring:
• Leverage tools like Google Alerts, Hootsuite or Brand24 to automate the tracking of your brand mentions. These tools can alert you in real time whenever your brand is mentioned online.
• Don’t limit your monitoring to just one or two platforms. People might be talking about your brand on forums, review sites, blogs and social media. So, cast a wide net to cover all bases.
• Create alerts not only for your brand name but also for key products, services and individuals in your company. Again, don’t forget to include common misspellings and variations.
(Reddit; @WildBag2450)
Brands shouldn’t also sleep on Reddit in their online reputation monitoring. It’s a rich source of unfiltered customer feedback and conversations.
When you come across mentions — especially negative ones — respond quickly and professionally. Timely engagement can turn a potential PR issue into a positive interaction. We give more tips on how to respond later on.
Sentiment analysis is a crucial component of brand monitoring. It involves evaluating the tone of the mentions, whether they’re positive, negative or neutral. Understanding the sentiment behind the mentions gives you a deeper insight into public perception and helps you tailor your responses appropriately.
3. Track Your Competitors and Market
Competitor research involves keeping a close eye on what other businesses in your industry are doing. The research isn’t focused on just the big players in your industry. Often, businesses of similar size and tenure offer the most relevant insights. These competitors operate under similar constraints and opportunities as your own, making their strategies and performance particularly informative for your context.
Knowing what your competitors are up to is essential for several reasons. First, it helps you identify industry trends and benchmark your performance. Second, it enables you to spot gaps in the market that your business can fill. Lastly, it keeps you informed about potential threats and opportunities, allowing you to adapt your social media strategies proactively.
Tips for tracking competitors:
• Start by listing your main competitors. Again, include those of a similar size and tenure, not just the industry giants. This gives you a more relevant benchmark and a clearer picture of your rivals.
• Monitor your competitors’ social media accounts. See what type of content they’re posting, how they’re engaging with their audience and what’s resonating with their followers. Tools like Hootsuite and Sprout Social can help automate this process.
• Sign up for your competitors’ newsletters. This will let you in on your competitor’s latest news, product launches and promotional strategies.
• Look at the kind of content your competitors are producing, from text posts to blog posts, photos, videos and infographics. Assess the engagement levels to understand what’s working well for them.
• Join industry-related forums, like LinkedIn groups and other online communities. This not only helps you stay updated on industry trends but also provides insights into what your competitors and customers are talking about.
You can also utilize tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs or SimilarWeb to track your competitors’ online performance. These tools provide insights into their traffic, keywords and backlinks to help you understand their SEO strategies, which are closely linked to social media. Looking into your competitors’ strategies, strengths and weaknesses provides valuable insights that can help shape your own approach to brand reputation management.
4. Develop or Reinforce Your Brand Guidelines
Brand guidelines are a set of rules and standards that define how your brand should be represented across channels, including social media. These guidelines ensure consistency in your brand’s messaging, appearance and overall identity. Within these guidelines, you’ll often find a social media policy and a social media style guide.
• Social media policies outline the dos and don’ts for your team when representing your brand online. It covers everything from how to respond to comments to the kind of content that should (or shouldn’t) be shared.
• Social media style guides delve into the specifics of how your brand communicates on social media. It includes guidelines on tone of voice, language, visuals, hashtags, emojis and more.
Having clear brand guidelines is crucial for maintaining a consistent and professional brand image. When your brand’s voice and visuals are consistent, it builds trust and recognition among your audience. For employees, these guidelines provide a clear framework for how to represent the brand, preventing confusion among employees.
What to include in your brand guidelines:
• Brand Mission and Values: Start with a brief overview of your brand’s mission, values and personality. This helps set the tone for the rest of the guidelines.
• Tone of Voice: Define how your brand speaks on social media. Is it casual and friendly, or formal and professional? Provide examples to illustrate your points.
• Visual Style: Include guidelines for visual elements like logo usage, color schemes, fonts and image styles. This ensures that all visuals are instantly recognizable as part of your brand.
• Content Guidelines: Outline the types of content that should be posted (and what should be avoided). Include tips on creating engaging posts, using hashtags and incorporating multimedia.
• Interaction and Engagement: Provide instructions on how to engage with your audience. This includes responding to comments, handling negative feedback and participating in conversations.
• Legal and Compliance: Highlight any legal requirements or industry regulations that must be followed. This might include disclosure rules for sponsored content or privacy considerations.
• Monitoring and Reporting: Explain how to track social media performance and report on it. Include key metrics and tools for monitoring your brand’s presence.
(tentree)
Just to show an example, above is a section of tentree’s brand guidelines.
Your brand guideline should also include a crisis management plan that offers clear instructions on how to handle negative feedback or crises, ensuring that your brand responds appropriately and professionally. If you’re currently in hot water, you can always enlist reputation repair services to get the help you need.
5. Initiate Conversations With Your Followers
Managing your social media reputation isn’t just about responding to comments or messages. You should be proactively starting conversations with your audience. Taking the initiative to create opportunities for interaction helps you build deeper relationships with your followers and positions your brand as approachable and engaged.
To do this, you want to:
• Post engaging social media content regularly. The foundation of initiating conversations is sharing content that sparks interest and invites interaction. This could be anything from thought-provoking articles, funny memes, behind-the-scenes videos or inspiring stories.
• Ask questions for a quick yet effective way to start a conversation. This could be as straightforward as “What’s your favorite product from our line?” Questions invite your followers to share their opinions, experiences and ideas.
• Use polls and surveys to gauge your audience’s opinions on various topics. These tools are great for getting quick feedback and can be fun for your followers to participate in.
• Host live sessions like Q&As, webinars or behind-the-scenes tours. These sessions can be highly engaging and provide a platform for followers to ask questions and share their thoughts directly with you in real-time.
• Use features like Instagram Stories or Facebook Stories to create interactive content. Add question stickers, polls or quizzes to make your stories more engaging and interactive.
• Encourage your followers to share their own content related to your brand. This not only boosts engagement but also creates a sense of community. Reposting user-generated content (UGC) shows that you value your followers and appreciate their contributions.
• Celebrate milestones and achievements within your community. Whether it’s a follower reaching a personal goal or a community project making progress, highlight your achievements to foster a positive and engaging environment.
(Adweek)
To add, you can also look into social audio and how you can inject it into your strategy. Ultimately, the key is to share content that resonates with your audience and encourages them to share their thoughts.
6. Respond to Messages, Comments and Reviews
Responding to messages, comments and reviews is a fundamental aspect of managing your social media reputation. It shows your audience that your brand is not just a faceless entity but a responsive and customer-focused organization.
Tips for responding:
• Aim to reply as quickly as possible. Prompt responses show that you prioritize customer feedback and are actively engaged with your audience.
• Always maintain a professional and courteous tone, even if the comment or message is harsh. Thank the person for their feedback and show empathy towards their situation.
• Address the person by name and reference specific details from their message. Personalized responses feel more genuine and show that you are paying attention.
• If the feedback is negative, acknowledge the issue and offer a sincere apology. Taking responsibility can diffuse tension and show that you’re committed to making things right.
• Offer a clear, actionable solution to the problem. If the issue requires more detailed discussion, invite the person to continue the conversation via direct message or email.
• Keep an eye on ongoing conversations and follow up if necessary. Ensuring that the issue is fully resolved can leave a lasting positive impression.
(Xbox)
Platforms like X and WhatsApp have become popular channels for addressing customer queries and issues. For instance, Xbox has a dedicated X handle @XboxSupport to provide real-time customer service, responding quickly to users’ concerns and inquiries. By leveraging these platforms, you can likewise provide timely assistance and foster positive customer experiences.
7. Take Charge of Your Company’s Brand Narrative
Your brand narrative is the story you tell about your company — who you are, what you stand for and how you interact with your audience. By actively shaping this narrative, you can build a strong, positive image that resonates with your audience. If you don’t take charge, you risk letting external factors and negative feedback define your brand’s story, which can lead to misunderstandings and a tarnished reputation.
While you can’t control everything that happens online, you can take every chance you can get to manage how your brand is portrayed. Staying at the helm of your brand narrative allows you to highlight the positive aspects and steer the conversation in your favor.
Tips for managing your brand narrative:
• Regularly share a mix of content that highlights your brand’s values, achievements and personality. Consistency is needed for a strong brand presence. Regular authentic updates keep your audience engaged and your brand more relatable.
• Let your audience see the human side of your brand. Behind-the-scenes content — like team activities, product development, or office culture — builds a more personal connection with your followers.
• Don’t shy away from reposting favorable reviews when customers share their experiences. This boosts your credibility and shows appreciation for your customers’ support. UGC is powerful in shaping a positive narrative.
• Nurture two-way conversations with your followers. Show your audience that you value their input and that they are listening. Engaging with your audience helps reinforce a positive narrative and builds a loyal community.
• Be genuine in your communication and actions. Customers can easily spot insincerity from brands, so ensure your narrative aligns with your actual practices and values. Plus, don’t mindlessly jump on social media trends.
• Incorporate high-quality visuals that align with your brand’s identity. Consistent use of colors, fonts and imagery helps create a recognizable and appealing brand presence. Consistency breeds trust.
(Buffer)
From time to time, Buffer shares glimpses into its company culture and values through its social media posts, as shown above.
Having a proactive approach ensures that your audience sees your brand in the best possible light on social media, even when unforeseen challenges arise. While reputation repair services are available out there, it’s always best to be more proactive.
8. Build a Strategy Based on Feedback and Analytics
As social media trends, algorithms and user behavior shift, so should your strategy. By regularly assessing and refining your strategy, you ensure that your efforts are poised for maximum impact, which will grant you a competitive advantage.
Feedback and analytics serve as a goldmine of data-driven insights that can inform your strategic decisions. These insights enable you to take concrete, results-oriented steps that drive engagement, enhance your brand’s reputation and deliver tangible business outcomes.
Here’s an example scenario of how feedback and analytics can help you:
You notice a decline in engagement on your social media posts over the past month. Upon reviewing your audience’s comments and sentiments, you make a preference for more interactive content. Analytics also show that your video posts consistently outperform other types of content.
Based on this feedback and data, you adjust your content strategy to prioritize video content and incorporate interactive elements such as polls and quizzes. As a result, you see a significant increase in engagement and positive feedback from your audience.
By wielding insights that are readily available to you, you can drive more meaningful results from your social media reputation management strategies.
Related article: How To Use Social Media for Business
9. Use Social Media Reputation Management Tools
Manually keeping up with every social media mention of your brand can feel like you’re dealing with wrangling kittens. With social media tools, you can automate the mundane tasks and even the heavy lifting. This way, you free yourself to focus on what matters most: crafting personal responses to engage with your audience.
What social media reputation management tools can do:
• Monitoring Mentions: These tools can track every mention of your brand across various platforms. This includes direct mentions, hashtags and even misspellings. By monitoring these in real time, you can quickly address both positive and negative feedback.
• Sentiment Analysis: Understanding the tone behind mentions is crucial. Sentiment analysis helps you gauge whether the conversations about your brand are positive, negative or neutral, allowing you to respond appropriately and strategize effectively.
• Engagement Tracking: Tools can measure how your audience interacts with your posts—likes, shares, comments and more. This helps you understand what content resonates most with your audience, enabling you to tailor your strategy to boost engagement.
• Competitor Analysis: Many tools offer insights into your competitors’ activities. By understanding what your competitors are doing right (or wrong), you can refine your own strategies and stay ahead in the market.
• Crisis Management: In the event of a PR crisis, these tools can alert you immediately so you can respond quickly and mitigate potential damage. They can also help track the spread of negative information and the effectiveness of your response.
• Reporting and Analytics: These tools provide detailed reports and analytics, giving you a comprehensive view of your social media performance. This data-driven approach helps you make informed decisions and continuously improve your strategies.
The great news is there’s a social media reputation management tool out there for every budget and need. Here are a few popular options to get you started:
• Brandwatch is a heavyweight in the industry for social listening and analytics.
• Semrush provides social media monitoring alongside SEO and content marketing features.
• Mention is great for real-time monitoring and alerts across social media, news sites and blogs.
• Sprout Social offers powerful tools for social listening, engagement and analytics.
• Brand24 provides in-depth monitoring capabilities, analytics and sentiment analysis.
• Hootsuite is a robust tool that allows you to manage multiple social media accounts in one place.
(Sprout Social)
Above is an example of what insights a social media analytics tool can offer.
Remember, these are just a taste of what’s available. Do your research and find the best social media tools that suit your specific needs. Most tools also have artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities if you’re looking for AI-powered features.
What To Avoid To Protect Your Reputation on Social Media
Here, we look at what you should avoid to protect your reputation on social media.
• Neglecting Employee Activity: Employees’ personal social media activity can impact your brand’s reputation. Brands often overlook the need for clear social media guidelines for employees to ensure their personal posts align with the company’s values.
• Ignoring Community Guidelines: Neglecting to adhere to community guidelines on social media platforms can result in penalties or account suspensions, tarnishing your brand’s reputation.
• Reacting Emotionally to Criticism: Responding emotionally or defensively to negative feedback can escalate situations and damage your brand’s reputation. It’s essential to respond calmly and professionally.
• Overlooking Localization: Neglecting to tailor content to different regions or languages can result in misunderstandings or cultural insensitivity, negatively impacting your brand’s reputation in specific markets.
• Inconsistent Response Times: Inconsistencies in response times to customer inquiries or complaints can create frustration and signal poor customer service, damaging your brand’s reputation for responsiveness.
• Lack of Transparency in Content Creation: Failing to disclose sponsored content or partnerships can erode trust with your audience and damage your brand’s reputation for authenticity.
Juggling everything as a small business owner can be tough. Social media reputation management is no exception, especially with its technical aspects. However, with time, effort and the right tools (or the help of social media experts), a winning reputation on social media is possible.
Related article: Your Definitive Guide to Online Reputation Management
Get Expert Help: Social Media Management That Leads to a Better Reputation
Whether you want to fight for online dominance or just have at least a well-managed reputation on social media, Thrive is here to help you win.
“At Thrive Local, we have a highly experienced social media team, both in organic and paid social. Our team has been working with numerous companies in various industries for many years now.
We are ready to deliver results that businesses seek in social media reputation marketing,” Clarke said.
On top of social media reputation management, our services include:
• Online reputation management software
• Online reputation repair services
• Franchise reputation management
Connect with one of Thrive’s online reputation and social media guides to get started.
Social Media Reputation Management Frequently Asked Questions
HOW CAN I BUILD A POSITIVE REPUTATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
Consistently share high-quality, relevant content. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages. Highlight customer testimonials, showcase your brand’s achievements and maintain a friendly, approachable online presence.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY BRAND RECEIVES NEGATIVE FEEDBACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
Respond promptly and professionally. Acknowledge the issue, apologize if necessary and offer a solution. In brand reputation management, showing that you care and are willing to address problems can help mitigate the negative impact.
SHOULD I DELETE NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM MY SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES?
It’s better to address negative comments publicly rather than deleting them, generally. Managing online reviews this way demonstrates transparency and shows that you’re committed to resolving issues. However, if comments are abusive or violate community guidelines, removing them may be necessary.
HOW CAN I ENCOURAGE POSITIVE REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
Ask satisfied customers to share their experiences. Encouraging and managing online reviews could also include creating incentives for leaving reviews, such as discounts or special offers. Make it easy for customers to leave feedback by providing direct links to review sites.
CAN INFLUENCERS HELP IMPROVE MY SOCIAL MEDIA REPUTATION?
Yes, collaborating with influencers can enhance your brand’s credibility and reach. Influencers who align with your brand can introduce your products to a broader audience and lend authenticity through their endorsements.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I REVIEW MY SOCIAL MEDIA REPUTATION MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES?
Assess your strategy at least quarterly, but also stay flexible to adjust tactics as needed based on new feedback, changes in your industry or shifts in social media trends. Regular reviews of social media strategies are essential.
