Over 72% of adult Internet users in the U.S. are currently active on at least one social networking site. It’s no secret that social media is slowly taking over the world of marketing, but what does it all mean for your brand?

Social media gives your customers a voice that they can use however and wherever they choose. And while brands have always had to worry about negative publicity, they are now forced to combat the instant and permanent effects of their consumers engaging online around the clock. Social media has the immense power to shed positive light on your brand, but if not handled properly, one negative comment, blog post or status can have detrimental effects. Thankfully there is a way to combat this negative content: brand reputation management.

A brand reputation management strategy actively monitors and influences a company’s reputation online. Companies can take steps to monitor their brand on their own or they can use one of the various tools that will search the web for brand mentions. Some services will even offer to respond to negative feedback on your behalf, however it is almost always advisable to treat each incident individually and directly.

Here are two examples of brands that have faced major backlash in recent months. One has used social media poorly (Subway) while the other is successfully rebuilding its reputation with social networking (Target).

Bad Example: Subway

Subway prides its brand on being the ‘better-for-you’ choice in the fast food world. In February, FoodBabe.com blogger Vani Hari made it public that Subway was using Azodicarbonamide (a chemical commonly used to increase elasticity in soles of shoes and yoga mats) in many of their breads. After thousands of angry customers and activists petitioned for Subway to remove the chemical, Subway finally gave in, stating “We are already in the process of removing azodicarbonamide as part of our bread improvement efforts despite the fact that it is a USDA and FDA approved ingredient.”

Did Subway listen to their customers? Yes. Did they apologize to those who were upset? No. Subway does have a Twitter account where they could’ve publicly apologized to their customers for not addressing the issue sooner. Subway also could have offered coupons to its customers in an effort to rebuild the company’s reputation. They did neither, and because of this (and the fact that I don’t think bread and yoga mats should have a shared ingredient) I probably won’t be going to Subway anytime soon.

Good Example: Target

On the other side of the spectrum, Target used social media quite well to address their recent credit card breach. In December 2013, Target announced that over 100 million of their customers’ payment and personal information had been compromised. While Target could have put the blame on their credit card management companies, they embraced the situation and apologized.

Target’s CEO released a video statement to all Target shoppers apologizing for the inconvenience and for the lack of security. This video was featured on Target’s social media networks, along with the homepage of their website. The company took to their Twitter page to update consumers about the status of the data breach, and what to do if you did use your credit card at their stores. Target proceeded to offer a year of free credit monitoring to all customers, and has contributed over $5 million dollars to a nationwide cybersecurity plan. Great job Target!

A Bullseye View

While no brand expects to face a social media crisis, it’s important to have a plan in place and to offer real, substantial feedback to your followers when a problem occurs. Consistently working to maintain a positive reputation online will help your brand avoid negativity all together. Here are some quick tips for creating a positive brand image:

• Be positive. If your company is doing something awesome, share it with your following! Your customers will love to hear the great things you are doing, and might even be more compelled to support your brand.
• Incentivize. Giveaways and promotions are fun ways to engage your following and make your customers happy.
• Ask questions. What better way to improve your reputation than to take suggestions from your customers? Start discussions and get real answers from those who support your brand. You might be surprised to hear what your customers have to say, and they can provide you with vital information to help build a better image for your brand.
• Listen. While you can try to manage your brand from the inside out, customers still play a huge role in your brand’s reputation. It is important to listen to your customers—after all, they own your brand—and they are the ones who can influence your reputation in a positive or negative way.
• Use a brand reputation management tool. There are hundreds of different services that will monitor your brand online. If you don’t have the time or resources to hunt down mentions of your company, these tools will allow you to monitor what is being said online so you can combat any negative publicity.

According to the NM Incite’s State of Social Customer Service survey, 71% of consumers who received a quick brand response on social media would likely recommend that brand to others, compared to 19% of customers who received no response. Will you be a part of the 71% and build up your brand’s reputation? Or will you let social media’s power go to waste?