SmartBlogs on Social Media

Brand discussions — both the positive and negative ones — move fast in social media. The great social media teams out there are working hard to keep up with both.

At our recent BlogWell conference, UPS’ Corporate Public Relations Manager Debbie Curtis-Magley shared her experience defending the UPS brand online.

She offered some great tips on how to protect yours:

• Respond quickly. After the earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, a rumor quickly started on Twitter stating UPS was shipping care packages to the country for free. Within an hour of spotting the rumor, UPS put up a blog post correcting the rumor and letting customers know exactly what was going on. The company also reached out to people tweeting the rumor and directed them to the post.
• Redirect the conversation. When a competitor launched a campaign attacking UPS over new industry legislation, it sparked a lot of conversation online. But instead of just pointing to its own content, UPS used the opportunity to point to third-party websites that offered a balanced view on the issue.
• Build a credible voice online. UPS took on a big role when it became the shipping company used in the 2010 launch of the iPad. But excited customers turned to anxious and frustrated customers when UPS’ tracking methods were confusing them. But because UPS already had an established online voice, the company knew how to reach out and ease customer concerns before a larger issue developed.

Watch Curtis-Magley’s case study: