Description: ORM is an important part of a digital marketing campaign. Social media is often painted as the ideal platform for consistent reputation management. In this article, we discuss the
Social media for ORM
ORM, or online reputation management, is an effective method to manage the brand name and perception of a company. In many digital marketing campaigns, ORM is handled as a separate practice by specialists trained to manage the reputation of a company.
The role of social media in ORM is very crucial. Given the popularity of far-reaching social channels like Twitter and Instagram, they are effective tools for effective ORM.
It is, for this reason, social media is important for ORM. The wide reach multiplied by the interactive nature of the medium makes social media amongst the most efficient and effective channels for ORM.
In general, ORM is only used by top brands that need to maintain their status in the market. However, smaller brands can also capitalize on simple ORM principles to gain traction with a wider audience. This vision is largely informed by making use of the extensive reach of social media to reach segments of the audience that can be brought under the ambit of the company being promoted.
Do check: Work proactively for your online reputation
In this article, we will discuss a few ways social media can be used for optimizing ORM.
Use Social Media as Customer Care Service
Almost every tech brand in the market has sought to use its social media as a way to solve the problems of its customers. Indian brands like Zomato and Swiggy and others such as Netflix have built communities on social media by engaging with people who are having problems with the product or service being offered.
The advantage of using social media as a customer care tool is dual. For one, it is convenient for the customer to directly interact with the brand and resolve his/her issue. For brands, this is an opportunity to show the general audience how rapidly they resolve the problems of their customers and build upon this perception.
Take Netflix as an example. The streaming service has a lively profile on highly trafficked platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. There are many Netflix users who communicate with the brand directly on social media, sometimes even by making public posts. Netflix quickly responds to such posts and tries to resolve the problem of the user.
This line of action does two things. First, it offers an easy way for a user to interact with a brand. Instead of contacting customer service through other formal channels that take a lot of time, the customer simply has to tag Netflix and post about the problem he/she is facing. Second, since Netflix wants to maintain its perception to its audience on social media who can see the post, it quickly responds to the query and tries to resolve the issue.
This way, both concerned parties are happier and the audience too gets a better sense of how Netflix as a company cares about its customers and engages with any problems they have. From an ORM perspective, this is a great exercise for Netflix with the simple use of social media.
Do check: Social Media Trends
Use Social Media as a Community Builder
With simple ORM principles, brands can build their own community on social media. Many brands presently use social media as a tool to organically reach and engage a wider audience.
The example of bigger brands and their use of social media should serve as an example of how small brands can do the same. When done well, social media can create much faster engagement and growth than any other form of digital marketing. By creating the right content strategy to create a greater flow of inbound prospects, social media can be used for ORM as an effective community builder.
Let’s again consider Netflix as an example. When Netflix is about to release any new type of content on its platform, it creates a highly targeted content strategy for social media. Knowing how its audience would react to the content, it can build up the excitement in the general public regarding the release of the content.
This use of social media and ORM as a tool to build an engaging community is highly valuable. For a small business looking to make its mark in its niche, Netflix is a great example. There are many other brands that have successfully leveraged the reach and engagement of social media in order to build a community. The advantage of building a community is that the trust people have with regard to the brand automatically increases.
Do check: Importance of social media
Use Social Media as Trouble-shooter
There are times when a brand is facing a PR nightmare. In the times we live in, the perception of a brand can quickly turn from good to bad and finally reach an agonizing low.
This fall is very common for modern brands. ORM is the answer when such a time does come. Social media can be used as a vehicle to effectively deploy ORM. Given the massive reach of some of the most highly visited platforms online such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, it becomes much easier for an ORM specialist to implement basic techniques to manage a crisis.
For companies that are able to create a lively online community through social media and basic ORM techniques, managing a PR crisis becomes much easier. This is because staunch members of the community can serve as ambassadors themselves and help the brand build credibility again.
This is why big brands are able to recover from major setbacks. With ORM and social media together, there are a lot of possibilities within the grasp of a brand or company.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, this article covers three ways social media can be used to effectively manage ORM. The points made are especially useful for digital marketers looking to build a career as an ORM specialist. Many social media executives are also expected to carry out the duties expected of an ORM professional.
About the Author – Gaurav Heera is a well-regarded digital marketer and trainer with more than a decade of experience in the field. He currently heads DelhiCourses.in, a prime training institute best known for its digital marketing course in Delhi.
