E-Commerce and E-Business
Technology has transformed the business landscape, especially since the start of the 21st century. No matter a company's size, technology has become an integral component for most organizations, particularly in the development of management and marketing information systems and company websites. Technology has been of great help to marketers in better understanding their customers' preferences, behaviors, and purchase trends, allowing them to design the most effective marketing strategy based on this intelligence. Meanwhile, the internet has resulted in the development of social media platforms like Facebook, enabling networking among consumers and with organizations that profoundly affect how marketers interact with their customers. The internet has also enabled the boom in electronic commerce (e-commerce) and the emergence of many online marketers, from Amazon to Etsy. This chapter discusses how e-commerce and e-business have increasingly become necessary components of business strategy and strong catalysts for economic development. However, technology continues to evolve, and organizations must keep pace to maintain their competitive edge.
Step-by-step guide for recovering from an online brand attack
These rules to recovery provide a practical approach for brands facing an online threat.
Step 1. Be prepared
No brand is immune from an online brand attack. The best brands have strategies in place to identify a reputation crisis immediately and respond to it quickly enough to stop the negative word of mouth from spreading.
Keep your brand in front of consumers by engaging in the conversation. This can be done by making use of blogs, communicating with customers, and being as open and honest as possible. Engaging in, and leading, the conversation allows you to build
an authentic voice. If a crisis hits, you will be well placed to respond in a way that is authentic.
Step 2. Act immediately!
The easiest way to solve most brand attacks is to respond quickly. A brand that shows it is listening and does indeed care will go far when it comes to ensuring a solid online reputation. Acknowledge what has been said and react accordingly.
Step 3. If what they're saying is false
If the attack on your brand is factually incorrect, send the person evidence that they are wrong, and in a friendly tone, ask them to remove or retract the entry, and offer to keep them informed of future news. If the person doesn't react or respond, add a comment to the post that it has been addressed.
Note
Cultivating a loyal community of fans can help immensely when clearing up false information. You will look much more credible if your fans back up your statements.
Step 4. If what they're saying is true...
If the mention is negative but true, send your side of the story and try as hard as you can to take the conversation offline. If appropriate, apologise quickly and sincerely, and offer to make amends.
Step 5. Keep the negative pages out of the search engines
Keeping more users from reading negative things about your brand is imperative. Knock them off the first page of the results with basic SEO and some social media pages, such as Facebook, Twitter or blog posts. Keep adding pages and links until you've forced the offending pages out of sight.