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How Companies Track Brand Reputation Across Social Media Sites

Introduction

What is brand reputation monitoring?

The practice of online reputation management is no longer just concerned with fixing issues when they arise. It has evolved to become a process that involves creating and building trust, credibility, and relationships with the public.

Brand reputation monitoring refers to the process through which companies monitor their brand reputation online. This involves tracking all online conversations concerning their brand name on various social media sites and online forums where customers share their opinions and experiences regarding different companies.

The process of brand reputation monitoring involves several key activities:

• Monitoring brand mentions in real time on various social media sites, forums, and support sites.
• Engaging with customer feedback, both positive and negative.
• Correcting misinformation regarding the company before it goes viral.
• Monitoring trends and changes in the perception of the brand over time.

Companies make use of various tools for tracking brand reputation online. These tools often combine social media monitoring, analytics, and listening capabilities to help companies monitor brand mentions wherever they occur online.

The process of brand reputation monitoring has evolved significantly over time and involves various activities aimed at creating a positive perception among customers regarding the company’s brand. For example, Duolingo, an online language-learning company, was previously known as “the owl app.” However, through effective reputation management and online engagement with internet users, the company was able to build a positive reputation and become an internet personality.

The process of online reputation management involves a combination of various practices, including social listening, customer service, communication strategy, and cultural understanding. When done well, it becomes an incredibly powerful tool for building brand reputation and customer loyalty.

 

Table of Contents

• Key areas to focus on to improve your brand’s online reputation
• Monitor All Relevant Channels – Not Only Review Platforms
• Build Credibility Before a Crisis Happens
• Track Sentiment and Audience Changes Over Time
• Involve the Right People Internally
• Conclusion

Key areas to focus on to improve your brand’s online reputation

Improving your brand's online reputation is not a one-time exercise. On the contrary, it is a continuous process that requires attention to a variety of aspects of your brand's communications and interactions.

The following areas are of major importance in building a brand's online reputation.

 

Monitor All Relevant Channels – Not Only Review Platforms

Monitoring your brand's communications across all online channels is vital for gauging public opinion about your brand.

In most cases, customers do not limit their communications to only review platforms. Thus, a brand's communications can be seen in a variety of online channels such as:

• Social media posts
• Comments on videos
• Forums and online communities
• Blog posts and comments
• Articles in newspapers and magazines
• Messaging apps and social media chats

Sometimes, a brand's communications can spread like wildfire. A comment or post can start innocently and end up going viral. A video, a meme, or a comment from an influencer can easily change public opinion about a brand.

For example, a simple experience in a Starbucks coffee shop spread like wildfire after a customer repeatedly received the wrong coffee. Even though it was a simple experience, it started a conversation about brands and their ability to provide a consistent experience for customers.

This example illustrates how a brand's communications do not always happen on review platforms. On the contrary, they happen in real time on social media and online communities.

Being able to respond to all these communications is essential in building a brand's online reputation.

 

Build Credibility Before a Crisis Happens

Crisis situations cannot be handled effectively if trust does not already exist. Trust cannot be built during a crisis; it needs to be built before a crisis occurs.

Brands that handle crisis situations well always have a history of transparency and effective communication. Their consumers know their values and believe in their intentions.

Outdoor apparel brand Patagonia is a great example of this. The company has earned the trust of the public by being vocal about its environmental causes over the years. Therefore, the audience does not perceive the brand's messages as purely promotional.

Other daily activities that build brand credibility include:

• Sharing the stories of the audience
• Highlighting the contributions of employees
• Being transparent about changes to products
• Being transparent about mistakes

These activities build the brand's reputation.
Brand reputation is not something that is built to be defended. It is something that is built over time.

 

Track Sentiment and Audience Changes Over Time

Brand reputation is something that is constantly changing. What the audience wants from a brand changes over time. New features are added to technology platforms.

For instance, when Instagram added the short-video feature called Instagram Reels, the audience complained about the introduction of videos to the social media site. In fact, some brands experienced negative brand sentiment from their audience because of the brand's speedy adaptation to the new changes.

Therefore, it is vital for brands to track sentiment changes over time.

Sentiment analysis is an essential tool for companies. It helps brands answer key questions like:

• Is the audience becoming more positive or negative about the brand?
• Are there recurring negative sentiments about the brand's products?
• Is the audience developing new needs?
• Is the audience changing because of new industry trends?

To understand reputation trends, it is necessary to look at both short- and long-term audience sentiments.

 

Involve the Right People Internally

Brand reputation management is not solely the responsibility of one team within an organization; it is a collaborative process.

Every interaction a consumer has with a firm, whether it is through consumer relations, product development, or social media engagement, contributes to how they perceive a brand.

There are several internal groups within an organization that contribute significantly to maintaining a positive brand reputation.

Customer Support Teams

These groups often notice patterns of frustration and issues that consumers complain about before they become large-scale problems.

Product Teams

These groups can help consumers understand why certain changes were made and can help alleviate some of the confusion and frustration consumers have over new product features and updates.

Social Media Teams

These groups are often the public face of a brand and handle consumer relations on social media.

Leadership and Executive Teams

Their communication style and transparency significantly contribute to how consumers perceive a brand as trustworthy.

Rather than leaving the management of brand reputation to one department of the company, successful brands are those that share the responsibility across the organization.

 

Conclusion

Brand reputation is an integral part of the digital age because of the conversations taking place across social media platforms, online communities, and media outlets. Because the nature of these conversations can have an immediate impact on how consumers perceive a brand, brand reputation tracking is an essential part of the digital age.

Tracking brand reputation is not merely about paying attention to negative reviews. It is also about listening to the conversations being held by the audience, engaging thoughtfully with the audience, establishing credibility by being transparent, and paying attention to how the audience is shifting over time.

Brand reputation is not something that is built by one announcement or marketing campaign. It is something that is built through the conversation between the company and the audience. It is the companies that listen well to their audience and have the ability to maintain an authentic conversation that build the strongest relationships.