THIS week at my placement – Communications Strategy Group, we spent some time evaluating what organisations are doing right and wrong on social media.
After that exercise, I realised that a significant number of businesses still have a lot to learn on how to use social media effectively.
Last week in this column we discussed the importance of managing an organisation’s online reputation. This week I would like to give some practical tips on how to protect an organisation’s Twitter reputation.
Dan Virgillito, a freelance guest blogging specialist writes an interesting article on this. I will share some of his insights.
- Verify everything you tweet The basis of a thriving Twitter account for any business is a reputation for being a reliable source of information. Before you tweet or retweet a link or story through your account, it is important to make sure the link leads to a genuine article and that the story or news you tweet is accurate.
- Form relationships before you sell Do not try to sell to your followers and audience before you make a connection with them. Use Twitter as a platform for making and nurturing connections with a long-term perspective. This can be done by sharing useful content, entering conversations where one can add value and helping people out whenever possible.
- Respond to customers quickly People who reach out to you on Twitter expect a prompt response, particularly when they have problems with your service or the issue is time-sensitive. So when clients write to you or about your organisation, it is important that you respond very quickly to their questions and requests for help.
- Post consistently It is important to manage your Twitter account consistently. Set a frequency for posting; for example, at least three times per day — and stick to that as closely as possible. Use online services like Buffer to schedule your tweets and retweets at certain times of the day and week.
- Face your critics If your tweet or something related to your business is criticised on Twitter, it is important to know how to react. Deleting a tweet is not a solution. Dealing with critics properly will minimise the damage of your mistakes.
- Automate responsibly Too much automation of your Twitter account can damage your image. It is good to use automation and scheduling tools such as Buffer, If This Then That and others. However, it is important to remember that Twitter is a platform that is all about continuous conversations.
Knowing and applying social media etiquette is crucial for all businesses that are using social media. Social media undoubtedly is a platform that provides opportunities for companies to build their reputations, however, if not managed well the reverse can be true.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-rampton/online-reputation-management_b_4178234.htm Nonto Masuku is an executive partner of an image management firm
