Reputation management in social media in the corporate communication process: A research on telecommunications companies

This study examines the corporate reputation of telecommunication companies in Turkey during and after the earthquake by comparing their X (Twitter) posts. Corporate reputation is critical in today's business world. A strong reputation determines how companies are perceived by society and affects their long-term success. Corporate reputation is a reflection of core values such as reliability, honesty and social responsibility. Having a positive reputation provides a competitive advantage in the telecommunications sector. In unexpected situations such as the earthquake period, social media platforms have become an important tool to quickly disseminate information and inform the public. Therefore, social media plays an important role in the reputation management process. Social media platforms are powerful tools that enable companies to interact directly with their target audiences and shape their corporate reputation. This research is based on the analysis of a total of 262 posts made from the corporate X (Twitter) accounts of telecommunication companies in 2023. For this purpose, content analysis method was used. In the content analysis based on Fombrun's Reputation Quotient corporate reputation scale, the posts were analyzed under six different headings. The data obtained enabled the evaluation of the companies' social media activities and sharing strategies during and after the earthquake. The results revealed that Turkcell's activity during and after the earthquake period differed significantly from Vodafone TR and Türk Telekom. During these periods, Turkcell continued to post about the earthquake consistently and within a set schedule, emphasizing its efforts to provide continuous support to the community. On the other hand, the fact that Vodafone Tr, an international company, posted less on social media during the same periods was evaluated as a deficiency in providing the expected support, especially at the most sensitive moments of the society. Türk Telekom's sharing strategies were observed to be less than Turkcell's and it was determined that it was not effective enough after the earthquake period.