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Victoria Petron
Dr. Lance Cummings
Informal Report MP2
ENG 312
February 19th, 2016

Realties & Social Media Use: Advantages and


Response Strategies

Introduction
The emergence of social media has increased the amount of direct communication between
businesses and the public. Advantages of social media include the increase of convenience for
communication with customers and an additional venue for marketing and advertising.
Businesses can now reach out to a segmented audience that had been previously neglected
(Khang 630). A realty company should also learn to recognize and prepare for the possible
disadvantages of social media in order to protect their audiences trust in their brand.
First, a realty should understand that exposure on social media puts the business in vulnerable
position. Consumers are empowered by the ability to freely post their opinions and experiences
online. Negative consumer posts can cause permanent reputational damage to a business,
therefore a realty who uses all available social media can work to remedy to remedy such
situations efficiently (Horn 198,201). Learning how to respond to negative situations on social
media begins should begin by a realty becoming familiar with the three main sources of threats,
the customers, employees, and the corporate entity itself (Horn 193). This report recommends
that a realty obtain knowledge on these specific threats in order to effectively manage social
media.
Customer
Social media gives customers a platform to, confront companies with their social, ethical and
commercial responsibilities (Horn 196). Consumers have the power to portray a realty as being
immoral, and its realtors as dishonest through online discussions and feedback.
An example of a customer threatening the reputation of a realty can be seen in Figure 1. The
last two consumers to post feedback on Network Real Estates website have depicted negative
experiences with the realty. Instead of creating an effective response, Network Real Estate has
neglected to respond at all. A lack of response may be just as damaging to the Network Real
Estates reputation as the negative feedback is. Guffey and Lowey state that, Credibility suffers
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when a public figure delays an


apology and responds only after
causing an outrage (198). Responding
to the negative feedback with an
apology and invitation to contact
them could help positively impact the
perception of future viewers.

F IGURE 1 NETWORK REAL ESTATE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK

Employees
A second threat to businesses comes from both current and former employees of a business.
Employees who have access to post on behalf of a business on social media may not be
specially trained to choose the appropriate rhetoric for a posts content or replies to customers.
Futhermore, employees who have not signed contractual agreements can post sensitive
information about a company on their personal social media pages without legal repercussions.
Employees expressing dissent via private online accounts might lead to decreased consumer
trust in the company (Horn 198). In the case of a realty, independent agents who post
company related content outside of an organization put both their personal and workplaces
reputation at risk. Stakeholders in the realty such as clients, financial institutions, and
community organizations that the realty sponsors can also be negatively affected (Horn 198-
99). Similarly, an employee that publically posts content that the audience finds offensive can
lead to misconceptions about the values
of both the agent and the realty.
Corporate
The final source of potential social media
threats is that of the corporate entity
itself. A lack of organization and effective
response strategies fails to neutralize
threats and hinders advertising and
marketing campaigns (Horn 201). If a
realty has not trained employees
properly on how to use rhetoric that
reflects positively on the company,
opportunities such as appearances on a

F IGURE 2 CORPORATE THREATS ON SOCIAL MEDIA


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popular news channel can have negative consequences.


In Figure 2, Kevin McCoy of Network Real Estate is shown speaking on WECT News Business
Break segment. Although the realtys affiliation with WECT News can draw public attention,
what he says on their behalf may negate the realtys effort to build community. This Facebook
post was intended to help increase brand awareness and ethos, or the credibility of the realty.
The intention to communicate a unique experience for a client by providing one, specialized
agent with whom a client can build trust was not accomplished. In the embedded video,
McCoys verbally stated that their realty does not use a team effort strategy when it comes to
a specific client. While speaking on behalf of Network Real Estate, his message implicitly
insulted strategies of other realties and displayed a lack of planning on the realtys part.

Recommendations
Based off of the potential threats outlined above, a realty can:
Enact feedback guidelines for social media
Introduce new policies that ban employees from posting about the realty on their
personal social media pages
Hire consultants or employees who specialize in social media marketing and monitoring
Train existing employees to create content that utilizes the rhetorical appeals in order
to minimize the risk of using social media

Summary
A realtys public image is a top priority, and social media use can be advantageous to building
community. It is equally important, however, that a realty obtain knowledge and experience in
dealing with negative customer feedback, employees on social media, and a companys ability
to create and manage content. Network Real Estates use of social media to gain followers has
been advantageous, however failing to respond to negative feedback hurts their reputation.
Additionally, their segments on WECT News demonstrate a lack of organization and effective
communication of ethos. Realties can market themselves and build a brand through memorable
advertising such as news segments (Dibb 187), but when not done correctly, this type of
advertising can prove troublesome for the reputation of the realty. Through completing the
recommendations this report outlined, a realty can minimize risks while enjoying the interactive
communication and benefits of social media.
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Works Cited
Dibb, Hayan, Alhaddad, Abdullah Awad. Determinants of Brand Image in Social Media.
Internal Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management, and e-Learning 5.4 (2015):
180-190. Web.
Guffey, Mary Ellen., and Dana Loewy. Essentials of Business Communication. Mason, OH:
South-Western/Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.
Horn, Ines Schulze, et al. "Business Reputation and Social Media: A Primer on Threats and
Responses." Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice 16.3 (2015): 193-
208. ProQuest. Web.
Khang, Hyoungkoo, Ki, Eyun-Jung, Ye Lan. Social Media Research in Advertising,
Communication, Marketing, and Public Relations, 19972010. Journalism & Mass
Communication Quaterly 89(2): 279-298. Web.
Network Real Estate Facebook Page

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