Ever wish you could be a fly on the wall and listen in on people’s conversations about you? Twitter gives you that ability in real-time. And now that Twitter feeds are showing up in search engines such as Google, it’s now more important than ever to monitor your brand or product name. Celebrities do it all the time. Let’s look at a few examples so you can see how to apply them to your business.
Kim Kardashian
The reality show vixen was rumored to have killed her dog after allegedly finding out that her boyfriend, NFL star Reggie Bush, cheated on her. She immediately addressed the rumors on her Twitter:
What we can learn from this: Timing is everything. Around the same time the rumor hit the media, Kardashian immediately denounced it on Twitter. By acting fast, she was able to make all of the other sources out there claiming she did harm her dog look less credible. If someone says something negative about you or your business, don’t wait too long to address it. The longer you wait, the more out of control the rumor can spin.
Wyclef Jean
Musician and founder of Yele Hati Wyclef Jean was accused of having an extramarital affair and misappropriating funds from Yele Haiti to an alleged mistress. Jean took to Twitter with a special message for those fueling the gossip mill. Sure, he could have defended himself in a more eloquent manner but this is a good example of how someone can use Twitter to share their side of the story:
What we can learn from this: Just because Twitter gives you a voice does not give you license to miss-communicate. Jean calling his accusers names can make people question his validity. Remember to be kind to your critics, even when defending your business or brand name. Stooping to their level will only lose you cool points with your fans.
Michelle McGee
A tattoo model more famously known for causing trouble in the marriage of Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock and her husband Jesse James did not even have to defend herself: one of her fans did it for her and she re-tweeted it so it would show up in her Twitter feed:
What we can learn from this: After looking at Michelle’s Twitter profile , this was her only defense in reference to the adultery allegations – and it was not even directly from her. It was one of her own followers that did the Tweeting. One of the best ways to save face is to have your followers do it for you. It comes across as more genuine when other people are promoting a positive image of you.
Keeping your fingers on the pulse of Twitter and using it to effectively monitor your brand is a great way to defend your online reputation and find other opportunities for successful public relations.
