What can one comment on Twitter do to your brand? Surprisingly, a great deal. Social media plays a vital role in how people perceive your goods or services.

Depending on how well connected your brand is, a positive comment from someone with a strong online presence can instantly catapult your sales figures, while a negative comment can diminish your reputation.

A great way of monitoring this is to use a free app such as Tweetscan which allows you to type in search terms relating to your brand. It then produces a list of all the comments on Twitter that use that term, and updates the list every minute or so. Trackur, Thrive, and Sprout Social also offer excellent monitoring tools that help break down followers into demographic groups.

In addition to monitoring what people are saying, it’s important to keep up a dialogue of your own. Brand management is not merely a game of intervention, but one of creativity, too. Even smaller businesses and brands should maintain an active Facebook and Twitter account.

Generally, a daily post is the best way to engage followers and “friends.” However, effective brand management should portray the company as a capable, strong, unified entity. The posts should be consistent and shouldn’t be too blatantly commercial or self-aggrandising. Links to press releases and other approved outside articles generate positive word of mouth among online followers, and make your brand appear well liked.

If someone does post a negative comment on your website or an unfriendly mention on Twitter, there is a certain protocol. First, you should make an effort to respond as soon as possible. This makes you and your company appear engaged and concerned.

Secondly, don’t fight fire with fire. Diffuse the comment gently by either providing facts to contradict the statement or offering some kind of gesture of assistance. And finally, always follow up.

When managed correctly, social media can provide an excellent platform in which to demonstrate your expertise and strong commitment to customer care.

About The Guest Author: Lucy Hunt is a business and marketing blogger on behalf of Brandworkz, who specialize in digital brand asset management software.