Protection plans for brands have changed especially during the emergence of social media. Usually, brands are more consumer-centric now. In a published paper by Clarivate Analytics, 72% of respondents say that brand protection has gained attention with a focus on cybersecurity.
The online brand attack has the potential to cause revenue loss, reputational risk, and diminished customer trust and confidence.
The following guidelines give a realistic approach for brands who are currently experiencing an online brand attack. These steps are a mix of preventive measures, quick detection, and fast response.
Step 1: Be prepared for a Brand Attack
Any brand is vulnerable to an online attack. No one is immune from it, so always have a strategy prepared. The best companies have their own way to diagnose a reputation crisis and quickly respond. This response should be fast enough to stop the negative worth of mouth that is spreading.
Always lead the conversation with your consumers. Stay in front through engagement through the use of blogs. You can also stay in front by connecting with customers in the comment section.
For example, if your page on Facebook allows customers to post, be prepared for complaints. Try crafting a Facebook policy to avoid the kind of vitriol.
If you allow negative comments, you will face consequences. But if you completely prohibit them, you will have less engagement and productive discussions.
By leading the conversation, you are building a reliable voice around your consumers. Then, once the crisis hits, it will be easier for you to react in a way that is real.
Step 2: Step Up Immediately!
As mentioned, you need to respond quickly when a brand attack occurs. This is the fastest and most convenient way to control the crisis. It shows that your brand is always listening and concerned about sentiments. This will be useful in attaining your online reputation.
Thoroughly read what was said, acknowledge it, and react accordingly.
Step 3: What to Do if the Online Brand Attack is False
Flostrand, Pitt, and Kietzman (2019) state that fake news is increasing especially in service brands. Brand management is needed for improving fake news mitigation strategies.
Make sure to send the consumer evidence that they are wrong if the criticism on your brand is improper or inaccurate. But do it in a friendly and approachable manner.
First, try to ask them to withdraw or recant the entry. Then, tell them that you will inform them of future news. If they do not respond to you, add a comment.
Flostard, Pitt, and Kietzman also agree that practitioners should be more adept with tools like fake news blacklists
Step 4: What to Do if the Online Brand Attack is True
If the negative feedback is true, do not miss this opportunity to tell your side. You want to persuade them to take the conversation offline. Try to apologize and make amends as well.
Unfortunately, this may be hard to resolve if the case is a collaborative brand attack. Rauschnabel, Kammerlander, and Ivens (2016) state that a collaborative brand attack is when internet users attack brands collaboratively. According to them, it is much worse than traditional brand crises.
Step 5: Do Some SEO Work to Remove Negative Feedback from SERPs
They say “a stitch in time saves nine.” This means it’s better to be proactive and prevent vitriol than resolve it when it’s already there.
The last step to combat brand attack is to keep adverse pages out of the SERPs. Doing so will keep your consumers from reading the negative statements being said about your brand.
First, monitor new domain registrations for those which may be used in a brand attack. Suspicious referral links must also be looked out for. If you have previous offenders, always monitor them because they might attack your brand again.
Make sure to knock these pages off the first page of the SERPs. You can do this with basic SEO and some pages on social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.
The easiest way to do this is by adding pages and links until they are forced out of sight. These offending pages will be gone in no time!
SocMed Risks & Challenges
Any socmed game plan must be accountable for the risks of collaborating in an online platform. They must always employ a specific protocol for handling these risks.
Take note that mistakes on the internet are not easy to recover from. It will take a long time!
Risks of SocMed
No One Cares
This is particularly true if you are creating a community from nothing. Getting your desired traction will surely be challenging in the beginning. That is why you must understand the landscape of the channel where your market is.
Interact in channels where your target market are. You also have to be where customers are happy to hear from you.
Unhappy Customers Thrive in Social Media
Social media is for customers who are unhappy. It is where they are free to post critical comments.
But remember, even if the only feedback you’re getting is negative, it’s still better than no feedback at all. At least with a negative comment, you have the opportunity to improve.
Social Media Requires Ongoing Attention and Tracking
Social networking sites may be free and accessible, but you still need to invest a lot of time and resources in your strategy.
Without effort, you won’t succeed. Take note of your objectives for using social media, as well as your budget. You also want to consider the budget and time required to meet your social media goals.
The Campaign May Sometimes be Unmeasurable
Social media may sometimes be difficult to measure, depending on the channel and your campaign. This doesn’t mean that your campaigns are a failure. Try not to expect a solution or success right away after employing your social media strategy.
First, you need to measure things that are actually measurable. Then, do your research in case studies about these aspects. Doing so will help you turn your investment in social media into revenue for your company.
© Image credits to Pok Rie
