Ostriches don’t really stick their heads in the sand when they are threatened. If they did, they probably wouldn’t still be around to peck at our faces as we ogle at them in zoos. (Personal experience, don’t ask.) Similarly, businesses can not afford to run and hide from disgruntled customers either.

All too often, brick and mortar companies are unaware of or purposefully ignore online feedback. This unfortunate attitude often comes back to bite them because disgruntled customers don’t go away just because you ignore them. In fact, they typically become increasingly disgruntled and start stomping around loud enough for your happy customers or future customers to start thinking twice before they do repeat business with you.

Social Media Blunders and Success Stories

Take Dell for example. Yes, we all know what it rhymes with. The reason why we know is mostly because of Jeff Jarvis, a severely disillusioned and disgruntled customer who made his opinions widely known by starting a blogstorm that almost washed away any confidence in Dell’s brand, especially when Dell refused to even acknowledge the complaints, or the underlying customer service issues that caused them.

Just as Dell is the ultimate example of what NOT to do when trying to manage online brand reputation, they are also a perfect example of how to save your butt after things have gone horribly, horribly wrong. Under the enlightened leadership of Michael Dell, the company flip flopped and instead of ignoring and bashing bloggers, embraced and included themselves in their conversation. How did Dell accomplish such a quick turnaround?

By instituting a great social media campaign

Dell started a blog. They also reached way out and joined all manner of social media groups like Facebook and started talking to people. They quit hiding from complaints and started dealing with them proactively. It worked like a charm. They found out first hand that a previously disappointed customer who has had their problems fairly addressed is a far better brand champion than a pleased customer whose story will never be heard.

A good social media campaign can help you connect with your customers, current, past and prospective, and let them know in plain English why something went wrong, what you’re going to do to fix it and why it’ll never happen again. Any marketer will tell you that nothing can replace a personal relationship. The internet has given businesses an unparalleled chance to reach out and deal with their clients on an intimate and personal level while building their online presence and brand at the same time.

Building Your Brand with Social Media

Unlike PPC and Organic SEO, a social media campaign doesn’t have concrete metrics to ascertain your ROI. What many fail to realize is that, although social media does not convert directly into sales, it impacts people on a much more subconscious and broad level, much like a television commercial or radio spot. The biggest difference between the two mediums is that after 30 seconds, your television commercial is over, whereas a post to your blog or a comment from a customer or a reply to a tweeted complaint will be around forever, increasing the overall online visibility of your brand.

Quit Hiding and Start Interacting

By being able to see what your customers are saying about you, you can become part of the conversation and actively work to reverse any negative press you might receive. If you’re open minded enough, you might realize that you actually are doing something wrong and be able to streamline your business. But most importantly, through social media, you can monitor and directly affect your online reputation and brand recognition. Do like the ostriches…that is, fluff up your feathers when you’re threatened. Not the face pecking thing.

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