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Bad publicity happens to the best of us. Even the most highly reputable companies experience adversity at some point. Like they say, it’s just a part of doing business. While we can’t control every negative experience that comes our way, we can learn to effectively manage and respond to these storms. In fact, how we handle these situations can often lead us to greater things including better customer service or more efficient ways to run day-to-day operations. Your company can not only survive these storms but learn to thrive from these difficult times.
Below are 7 tips to effectively surviving a bad publicity storm:
1. Be Proactive – Before a bad publicity storm hits your business, identify potential problems that could arise. Be proactive by offering your customers quality products and great service to avoid negative criticism in the future.
2. Avoid Negative Online Interaction – While it may be tempting to defend your company’s name when critics post online, resist the urge to respond using negative undertones. And by all means, never resort to using profanity or partaking in name calling. This is a surefire way to ruin your reputation.
3. No Response Can Work – If someone’s criticism is completely outlandish or unfounded consider not responding at all. Engaging in this type of PR can draw more attention to the claim then just leaving it alone.
4. Look for the Learning Opportunity – Is the bad publicity warranted? Maybe an employee did screw-up or a manager made a wrong decision. If a customer’s complaint is valid, make it right and learn how to avoid it in the future. Of course, it never hurts to share with others how you are making the wrong right.
5. Outperform Going Forward – Negative publicity can quickly be underscored by positive reviews. Step up your game to win customers back. Which will they value more – a stellar customer review written last week or a complaint from 3 years ago?
6. Apologies Help – Take a lesson from notorious celebrities and apologize if your company was in the wrong. Saying you’re sorry allows you to take responsibility while also giving you and your customer permission to move forward.
7. Be Truthful – One of the worst ways to handle bad publicity is by lying your way out of a crisis or not fully disclosing the extent of the problem. While you can keep some things close to the cuff, important aspects of the issue should be brought to light.
Don’t let bad publicity hold your business back from reaching its true potential. Partner with an experienced marketing team who cannot only manage your brand but help it to grow. Grand Marketing Solutions is a firm dedicated to helping our clients maintain a positive reputation using proven strategies for brand management. We will work with you to always showcase what sets your company apart from the rest.
Contact us for more information or to schedule a consultation
