HOW TO: Avoid a Social Media Disaster

Here's some good tips on maintaining a good image in the social media platform. This is really dependent on which industry you are in since some industries need more damage control compared to others. If you provide a service (especially technology) then I suggest you really need to plan things out. When I handled Ayala Malls, one of the biggest malls in the country, I told them not to be scared of social media since I didn't expect there to be too many complaints or negative stuff that will be posted. Ayala is one of the most reputable companies here in the Philippines anyway.

One of the suggestions in the article I'll be linking is to learn from great examples. I think it's easy to find case studies on the internet but it's also good to observe what other companies are doing. You can look at your competitors and other companies who are considered first movers to the social media space. I always suggest to observe the following corporations and see how they handle their social media accounts:

1. Smart
2. Globe
3. Sun

You'll learn a great deal on how they handle complaints.

4. Starbucks Philippines
5. San Marino

They have a lot of online Facebook promos. San Marino is surprisingly active unlike their counterpart Century Tuna (I may not have visited their FB recently though).

Off course I'll have to include Ayala Malls in the mix being an account which I handled.

Anyway here's the quick list from the article on how to avoid a social media disaster:

1. Create a social media policy / A community management plan
2. Have an escalation plan
3. Plan for the worst - expect the best
4. Respond quickly, personally and directly
5. Don't play the blame game
6. Observe and learn from other companies including your competition (I added this)

Here's the link to the complete article.