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Have you checked on Your Brand Lately?

Posted by AriesGDIM / Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah in Branding, Facebook, Facebook Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

It is one thing to have a website and set up your social networking pages, it is another to keep track of these pages in order to safeguard your Brand. Just yesterday, someone on Facebook decided it would be nice to use one of my company logos as their profile picture. Concerned that people would think this person was either the owner or a representative of my company I immediately contacted them and informed them of their copyright infringement. I then nicely requested that they remove the image from their profile and refrain from using any images related to my company or any of my company sites for their own personal use. I was hoping for an understanding response, something like I am sorry I was unaware of your copyright and I will remove the image immediately. Well… that was not the case… instead the response was very negative and unfortunately, they “unliked”my business page. Considering how bad this could have gone, I don’t mind losing (1) “like” to safeguard my company Brand and reputation.

Safeguarding your company Brand image is a little more difficult than keeping tabs on what is being said about your company. Social media monitoring is important when trying to manage your Brand. Knowing what is being said about your Brand as soon as it is said and responding (especially when the communication is negative) is imperative and potentially detrimental to your company reputation if you ignore it. Quick responses show customers that you care; joining in on their conversations will help build relationships between your customers and your business. Social Customers are a given in today’s world. They learn, buy, and research on the Internet and usually don’t respond to inbox spam. You will find them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms; so when they aren’t happy with your business where do you think they will complain? They will complain on the very platforms we all use everyday to socialize. These new social customers expect your company to listen and engage with them in a social environment. Many companies are now handling customer service claims on Social Media platforms. Check out AT&T U-verse on Facebook. There are several social media monitoring tools for the “do it yourselfer’s”.

SproutSocial

Seesmic

TweetDeck

Google reader

Rock Melt

Godaddy’s Social Visability®

The key is to use the tools above to monitor social media channels for all mentions of your Brand, your advertising campaigns, and reactions to your posts. When these mentions take place join in on these conversations. If your company has erred in some way, do not sweep it under the rug and ignore it. The Internet never forgets and your error will always be there for anyone to search at any given time for years to come. Don’t believe me, look at United Airways blunder when they mishandled and destroyed a band members guitar. United Airways chose not to respond when the band requested a reimbursement for their destroyed equipment. The band wrote a song and created a video aboutUnited Airways destroying their guitars. The video is still getting hits (currently over 9 million) and of course United Airways decided, since their Brand was being drug through the mud, that they should now step up and settle the claim but the damage had been done. If you have mishandled a situation, it is best to admit your wrong doing, as well as your plan of action to rectify the situation. We are a very forgiving culture, so it is important to create a history of caring with your Brand. Own up to your mistakes and show customers you want to make the situation right.

If you are a new business owner and are unsure of how to track your Brand, you should contact an Internet Brand Specialist or Internet Marketer. Ensure that the professional you chose has an in-depth understanding of Branding on the net. Ask for their client list and links to social media sites they are currently monitoring. See if they are responding to issues within a 24-hour period and pay attention the language they use in their responses. It is often hard to check the growth of a Brand but you will know how successful that Brand is based on the customer responses on their social media pages or blogs.

Social media monitoring takes time, you need to be willing to dedicate your attention to your mentions as well create posts that generate discussion on a regular basis. If this is not something you feel you have time to do…. hire a professional. A successful Brand is a key component in ensuring a successful company.

If all this seems like it is too much for you… my contact information is below. AriesGDIM is ready to start monitoring your brand today.

~AriesGDIM~

Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah

Creative Marketing Director

317.345.4182 Office

866.412.3818 Fax

tami@ariesgraphicdesign.com

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© 2011, AriesGDIM / Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah. All rights reserved. Copying and reblogging (reposting) this blog or the use of the blog post images are NOT permitted without direct permission of AriesGDIM..

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