Protecting your brand reputation through social media

Posted by: Meetu Mirpuri, Client Services Director 16 Jul 09 - 11:43AM | Recruitment | Search Marketing | World Wide Web

Many recruitment firms are still under the impression that to operate online all they need is a great recruitment website that has been properly optimised for search engines. This might have been the case a few years ago however social media has added a new dimension into the marketing mix.

Traditionally the best form of marketing has always been word of mouth (WOM), social media gives people an online voice allowing them to spread their own message about products and services that they like and trust.

According to Nielsen Global Consumer Survey: 90% of people trusted recommendations from people they knew and 70% trusted consumer opinions posted online. These figures support the view that in order to protect your brand reputation you need to include social media as part of their online strategy.

As with any marketing activity you need a clear long term plan outlining the objectives of using social media as an acquisition or retention strategy.

The 3 key questions to consider when planning your social media strategy are:

Who is the target audience?

This is discussed in more details in the article Getting to know your client. Companies need to define their target audience and understand as much as possible about them.

What social media channels will you use?

There are so many different social media channels ranging from large generalist networks like facebook and linkedin through to small niche communities. It is important to identify the key networks that are related to your target audience and build trust.

What are you giving your target audience?

Social media networks are there to share information if you want to influence a community and build their trust you need to build a reputation as a knowledge source and create a brand personality that people can relate to. This requires ongoing time and dedication to keep the online brand alive.

On a final note it is important to understand that social media is a double edged sword, unlike other forms of digital marketing firms are not incontrol of their brand reputation - wheather you take part or not your core audience could still be talking about you.