Every company knows how valuable the brand image is to its core business. But a lot of companies forget the importance of protecting that image online, which can make it an ideal target for online scammers, counterfeiters and fraudsters.

Since the Internet is such an important and effective tool, it’s vital to take protective measures and develop an Internet policy to uphold the organization’s image; not doing so could be extremely damaging. Many fraudsters linger on search engines, and social networking and eCommerce sites. Commonly, scammers ‘hijack’ brand terms and redirect traffic to illegitimate or competing sites. They can also misrepresent your brand on social media sites, hijacking your logo unlawfully to gain credibility. Ultimately, this impacts your bottom line and devalues your brand.

These are five steps you can take to protect your brand online:

The social media landscape can be daunting for anyone, especially for marketers. Attracting distracted consumers’ attention and keeping them engaged with your brand can be time consuming. Here’s a cheat sheet to get you started:

Don’t sell: Social media platforms aren’t your company’s website or brochure. It’s not a place to sell to your targets. Be genuine, helpful and fun.

Offer something more: Share information that is unknown and unique about your company or the industry e.g., a sneak preview of product launches, trade tips, new regulations, product images and videos, etc.

Make them feel special: Indulge your community with a special deal on your service and products for a limited time.

Listen to them: Conversations should be two-way. Allow your audience to engage with you and share experiences. Read what they have to say about your organization on Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor, etc.

Respect their feedback: After listening, take action to make changes as needed, otherwise just say thank you. Let them know that you are listening.