The growing number of people accessing social media on a daily basis has resulted in a hyper-connected social world, where it has become important for businesses to maintain an online reputation. Social media provides a powerful platform for companies to engage with the public in an effort to improve their image, increase sales and consumer base. However, with this extensive network among people on social media, companies also face greater risk of damaging their reputation.

Bad news tends to spread very quickly online. Negative comments or posts about a company can flare up an online firestorm and potentially ruin their reputation. Mistakes online such as responding rudely to a customer can quickly go viral spreading across multiple channels leaving the company to deal with its repercussions for many years. Once the reputation is damaged, people would not want to buy their products/services leading to significant lose in consumers. It can also dramatically decrease the organization’s value in the market place. Therefore, brand reputation can make or break an organization.

The rise of social media has impacted businesses where they need to constantly monitor and be conscious of their online content and respond suitably to public comments. They are now required to have social media crisis management in place to take appropriate actions when caught in the middle of an online firestorm.

It would be good to explore the risks that businesses face when engaging with their consumers on social media. I look forward to reading your future blog posts on this topic.