The day you open your business you become vulnerable to the good and bad publicity you can get from either satisfied or dissatisfied customers. That is the price you pay to run a business. It happens to everyone regardless of what you do. Hopefully you are doing your best to please your customers and following through with the expectations you have given them. But when the unthinkable happens and you find a negative remark, blog post or complaint online there are steps you want to take.
Here are some of the “Do’s and Don’ts” of Managing Your Business’ Reputation Online.
Lets start with the Don’ts:
- Don’t Panic. I know that is easier said that done but the last thing you want to do is lose your cool and try to retaliate. There is no reason for that. It often causes more damage than good.
- Don’t immediately focus all your attention to the negative information you have found. It is important for you to have a plan or strategy. If you focus all of your time, money and effort on clearing your name then the rest of your business will go down the tube.
- Don’t admit anywhere that you are wrong. Admitting any wrongdoing is not going to get your complaint removed from search results, blogs or forums. It can also cause further trust issues with existing or potential customers.
- Don’t take your first negative publicity as a sign that your business is a failure. People that feel that have been wronged in any way are more likely to post the negative information about your company but chances are you have got 100 happy and satisfied customers for every one unhappy customer. Remember, you can’t always please everyone.
Now the Do’s:
- Create a plan of action. If you notice a couple of negative reports or complaints listed on the first page of search results you have got to find a way to push them off the first page and get them as far down the results as you can. A few really great ways you can do this are by submitting a Press Release to various PR distribution sites such as PRWeb.comm, PR.com and PRnewswir.com.. You can start a new blog that is about your company’s products or services. Make sure you share the good information about your business such as favorable stats or testimonials. Join forums related to your niche and contribute useful, relevant information.
- Use social networking as a way to build a bigger and better network. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, StumbleUpon and Digg are great because they such a deep user base. If you can get some buzz going about your business it will go a long way. People love to refer sites that are useful to them so make sure you have information that appeals to your target audience.
- Do your best to resolve the issue with the dissatisfied customer. Sometimes it can be tough if they make the comments anonymously but do your best to find out who they are so you can take care of their concerns. If you try to reach out to them and resolve the issue publicly it shows that you are persistent and take your customer’s satisfaction seriously.
- If your business is in the position to get certified through agencies like the BBB it can be beneficial to your credibility to potential customers.
Those are a few ways that have proven to be effective for me.
Just remember that in order to get those negative search results out of the spotlight it will take some time. It will not happen over night and as with everything it will take some consistent effort.
I realize that some cases may be so severe that it may be in your business’ best interest to work with a company that specializes in reputation management so you can continue to run your business and do what you do best.
Jeremy Martin is an Internet Marketing Consultant based out of Utah. He currently runs a blog at SimpleFuzz.com where he talks about his two passions: SEO and Social Media.
Also some of these social sites like Twitter and linkedIn tend to rank well in the SERPs so these can also help you to take up more front page Google real estate. (in order to push the negative content off the first page) ;-)
I’m not sure I completely agree with your points here. While having positive sites rank higher should be a goal, it shouldn’t be your strategy for dealing with dissatisfied customers.
You should respond to them and help alleviate their problems. I have often found that this strategy works quite well. Usually a calm, even-handed response that tries to understand the problems of the complaint and address them appropriately can elicit a cordial response.
I’ve used this tactic to even turn people around and turn bad press into good.
I’m also not big on that “don’t admit you’re wrong” point. If you are wrong, then you need to come clean. The complainer probably isn’t a moron, and neither are the people who stumble across this page. Business today is about transparency and accountability.
If you can’t provide a response with an appropriate mea culpa then you need to hire some one who can or question why you are running a business.
Don’t just ignore a problem like this and try to bury it. Address it and ask yourself how you can prevent it in the future.
@Gerald – I agree. Thanks for the comment.
@Adam – I couldn’t agree with you more about trying to resolved the issue with the upset customer. It is your responsibility to make sure that everyone has a satisfactory experience.
When I say that it is extremely important to get those negative listings off the first page, I am referring to sites like RipOff Report where they dominate the first few spots of SERPs. Even if you have resolved the issue with the customer, the results will stay there and even though you you have cleared your name, the links are still there.
I like the points you made though. Thanks a lot!
@Jeremy Excellent point, I should have remembered that this is a Search Engine blog! Great discussion, keep these blog posts coming.
The power of a prompt, sincere apology (and appropriate make-good)should never be underestimated. Often, if the criticism has substance, it’s the best way, by far.
Can turn a hostile into a loyal fan.
Shel Horowitz, award-winning author of Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First
Your article brought up a a few very valid points, but I disagree about not admitting a mistake. Bernie Borges evangelizes on transparency in social media marketing and the importance of building relationships with customers. How many people do you really like that never admit when they are wrong? Honesty, coupled with sincerity well delivered can go a long way in building a positive outcome from a negative experience.
Great tips Jeremy. I run a company that specializes in online reputation management and monitoring, from what we have learned from experience is that early detection of potential problems is key and once they are out it is next to impossible to do much. The industry is pretty complex and I am glad you said that it takes awhile for results in search engines to be knocked off the first page because so many small firms are promising people things that can’t be done and are taking their money. Also with Google’s new algorithm they like to have at least one opposing view so that makes it even tougher. In my opinion if a company is medium sized or larger they need an online reputation management company for their expertise but if they cannot afford it they need to look over this post to see the basics of what they need to do. With small companies engaging your customers is key as well as using common sense when on the internet.
@Shel – Thanks for the info and comment.
@Billie – Great points. Thanks for the comment.
@Brennan – I agree, everyone should know at least a little bit about rep management. I guess with the different SEO tactics, we all do to a point. Thanks for the comment.
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@Jeremy – Great tips. I like the emphasis on the overall plan.
@Adam @ Shel @Billie – you are right on. My only disagreement with the above was never admitting you’re wrong. As my old boss used to tell me, you only have two chances to make a first impression: the first time you meet someone and the first time you screw up. Admitting a legitimate mistake and resolving the situation often turns a non-vocal client into an active advocate.
Good advice overall. However, I think if you’re wrong or make a mistake, I think it is wise to own up to your error. Businesses are run by humans and humans make mistakes. Customers will forgive you and see you in a more transparent manner–building trust.
Thank you for yet another informative article.