Most companies are now aware of the need to monitor their brand’s online presence.  There have been many dire warnings about the dangers of negative conversation and how it can spread through social media and other online channels.  But what about when people start saying good things about your business or spreading the word about how great your latest campaign is?  It’s important to keep track of these conversations as well, and be prepared for their impact.

A couple of days ago, Yuval Zukerman posted an article about TGI Friday’s overly successful Facebook campaign.  This isn’t the first time a company has promised free food only to find that the Internet amplified the promise beyond their wildest dreams. In May of this year,  Oprah Winfrey directed viewers to a website where they could download a coupon good for a free meal of grilled chicken at KFC. News of the coupon spread virally, and KFC outlets quickly ran out of supplies and were faced by angry customers, sit-ins, and even lawsuits.  The lesson here seems to be, think about what you’re doing before you start a campaign that may get more viral than you anticipated; after all, it’s pretty hard to control a virus.

But what about the impact of unpaid communication about your business? I noticed an interesting sign in a garage last week. It read: “Please stop posting positive reviews of our garage on Yelp.com.”  In fact, there were copies of the sign posted all over the office and outside in the parking area; this was clearly a message that the owners wanted to communicate.  Intrigued, I asked the owner why he didn’t want positive reviews on Yelp.  He told me that personal referrals were great: when someone gets referred by a friend or family member, they generally just bring their car in and unless they have a very negative interaction, they end up using the garage. However, Yelp users will call up and spend a long time asking questions; and often they end up not bringing their car in. Presumably, they are patronizing another well-Yelped establishment.  Unlike a personal recommendation, which would generally refer to a single establishment, a visit to a site such as Yelp.com or Tripadvisor.com can yield a dozen or more potential vendors, only one of which will eventually get the user’s business.

A good deal has been written about tracking your brand in the social media to ensure that there aren’t negative things being said about you. Now it appears that you also have to be careful to make sure that there aren’t claims or promises that your company is either unable to stand behind, or would find economically disadvantageous.   A few free meals or an hour or two spent with a few potential customers can be an effective way of getting your brand out there. However, with the multiplier effect of social media, the costs can spiral out of control, while the benefits do not scale similarly.

I spoke to the garage owner about what, if anything, he was doing to deal with all the phone calls generated by the Yelp reviews. He said he was just trying to make the reviews stop. However, that may not be a sufficient strategy; eventually, he’ll need to figure out some way to get information to interested potential customers without excessive drain on his staff.

It’s in your best interest to keep on top of what your customers and potential customers are saying about you, positive and negative, and be prepared to handle the response.