No one talks of the dark side of digital social media, even though that’s the single major reason for nervousness among decision makers. 
What should we do when critics pan our products or services on Facebook and Twitter? That’s the question doing the rounds these days. Social networking and social media platforms have put negative opinion makers on steroids. Not only do their complaints travel faster, they can grow and grow till mainline media picks it up as happened with Lemp – destroying the reputation of a global chain in Gurgaon, and also the credibility of a major dining deals website, which carried positive ratings and reviews of the restaurant.
Social media allows consumer opinions to spread far and wide quickly. Word of mouth and social search are two powerful reasons to manage your social media reputation. When a crisis hits a brand, the chances are it will play out, over social media. Consumers are as likely to turn to Facebook, Twitter and forums to find information as they are to a brand’s website. Therefore, it is extremely important that companies monitor mentions of their brands, products, and services in order to respond swiftly to any negative circumstances.
At Digiqom, we started our journey of enabling brands and causes to engage with communities, by first listening to what gets shared first. And those words, expressions in 140 characters, are what build or destroy a reputation in nano-seconds. We have a well- established process, which we have built upon over the years, to enable brands with their crises management handbook.
We have taken care of the customer care and brand communications divisions of a major global telecom operator, through training, and practice fire drills, to build the capacity of managing information, and engagement, when the rants begin, and how to douse the flames, before they burn at the reputation of the house.