How to Handle Negative Publicity

 

How to counteract negative publicity ? How to overcome bad online publicity ? How to minimize online negative PR ? Sometimes, bad publicity is  just inevitable.

 

Even when you and your organization behave in the best possible way , you always run the risk of an unexpected  online PR disaster , that may damage your reputation , forever .

 

The first tip is : Don’t respond to criticism with posts ! Don’t argue. Never argue with the publishers of negative comments .

 

Your best choice ,  is always to apologize and move on . “no comment” is still a story.  Do not start an online discussion !   You will create new negative posts about you .

 

No one cares if you’re right if you aren’t respectable or likable in the first place.  Judge how much authority your detractors command. If they aren’t respected, don’t respond—even if their criticisms are valid.  Be careful , stay away from the public discussion .

 

Remember an important rule : If one person complains, they could be wrong. If a lot of people complain, you’re wrong.  Wake up , stop dreaming , and start improving what is wrong .  Admit that you are wrong , and move on .

 

Look at it as an opportunity. This is a one time chance to turn an angry customer into a dedicated one? Fix their problem , forever ! Direct the blame away from you., as much as you can .

 

What’s the best way to get away from a really terrible PR disaster? Outperform it in the most efficient possible way .

 

Webcide.com are world's number one agency for negative public relations , contact us for a free and confidential consultation .

 

Do not let initial negative publicity issue, transform itself into a PR nightmare.

 

Do not comment on a negative post , do not write on that webpage , because the moment you do it , you are helping that negative webpage to get ranked higher .  If you have something valid to say  you have to use a website , better if yours . A website allows you to get your side of the story direct to the public. If you have not got a website, set one up as soon as possible.  Do not let people place comments on that website or webpage .

 

There is always a good side to the negative event , look for the 'good angles' within your company at this current time of crisis  - by making these public you can ensure negative press get mixed with the positive.

 

You have to handle the media because reporters will  find the bad story with or without you, so preparing a statement for them is a must . It will persuade the media to present you in an encouraging fashion. Its not always working , but at least you tried to took control of what the official media will make public anyway .

 

In a PR crisis, communication is the key to managing it.  Strategic planning and preparation can significantly reduce the chances of getting bad press.

 

After getting a negative online publicity you need to produce hundreds of  positive PR online , in the form of articles , blogs, forums , videos ,ebooks  and more . This is the right time to emphasise some positive stories , and distribute these info on all social media .

 

We remain at your complete disposal , contact us for a free consultation !

Can negative advice nearly a product increase sales, and if so, when? Although popular dexterity suggests that “any publicity is good publicity,” prior research has demonstrated only downsides to negative enforce. Negative revision or word of speech, for example, have been found to hurt product evaluation and sales. Using a association of econometric analysis and experimental methods, we unify these perspectives to delineate contexts under which negative publicity about a product will have positive versus veto effects. Specifically, we argue that disprove publicity can increment purchase likelihood and sales by increasing product awareness. Consequently, reject publicity should have discriminating effects on established vs. unknown products. Three studies support this perspective. Whereas a negative review in the New York Times hurt sales of books by well-known say, for example, it increased sales of books that had lower prior awareness. The muse further underscore the importance of a gap between limelight and purchase occasion and the mediating role of increased awareness in these effects. 

 

A good reputation is vital to the succession of a small business. Today, with so many customers researching businesses online before they decide where to buy, a bad online revision on sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Google Places, and even your own convival media pages can do some serious damage to your reputation. In some cases, these bad online reviews can end up on the first attendant of results when nation hunt for your office. How should you respond if your reputation comes under fire and you receive a bad online review? The tips below will help you accomplish damage government the right journey, and even turn negative experiences into a positive influence for your small business. But first, obstacle’s take a look at what you should not do because there are steps you can take in response to a hurtful online review that will only make things disadvantage. What Not To Do When You Receive a Bad Online Review Deny the Problem Exists When a buyer has a complaint, insisting that they’re wrong in a public court is a build mistake.

 

Even if you’re convinced that the problem was on their end, you should acknowledge the issue. Argue with the Reviewer It’s only natural to feel hurt or angry when someone posts negative criticism about your transaction. But responding in anger could halting your reputation permanently because information stays on the Internet everlastingly. In other words, never do this. Game the System Some business owners, faced with multiple deny reviews, have paid people to write positive resurvey and counter the slam.

 

This is not only a bad idea, but also comes with the very likely possibility that you’ll get caught. Some consumer review sites, like Yelp, have systems in place to warn readers of suspected paid reviews. Do Nothing While a few negative comments are manifestly the work of people who just like to smack nasty things, for the most part, ignoring bad reviews in the hopes they’ll go on is a poor strategy. It hurl a message that your business doesn’t care when people have negative experiences. What To Do When You Receive a Bad Online Review In management to take action against negative online reviews, you have to be aware of any that exist. It’s important to monitor your social media pages and respond to regard there. But you should also check out major consumer retrospect sites like Yelp to see what people are saying about your small concern. The simplest way to do this is to obstruct up a Google Alert for your business name. You can also manner a free tracking tool like Social Mention to keep up with online reviews.

 

If you find any less-than-stellar revision: Take an Objective Look If the retrace or comment is obviously not serious, or if the poster is second-hand anger and abusive talk, your choice option is probably to overlook it. If possible, have it remote. Most consumer review sites offer a way to layer or report reviews that violate their terms of service. Respond with Tact  When betake a negative revise, keep it professional. Passive-aggressive or sarcastic comments will only fuel the flames.

 

You can wish to respond privately (useful when you disagree with a reviewer’s take on a situation) or publicly, which helps to exhibit to other readers that you’re addressing the proposition. Apologize and Ask for Input Most often, the best response to an upset customer is to say you’re sorry without qualifying the apology to redirect the fault toward the reviewer’s feelings. Admit that a mistake was made, and ask what you can do to resolve the situation. Most importantly, keep it consistent. When you actively respond to negative online feedback about your small business, other potential customers can see that you’re involved and that you care concerning your customers.

 

There's a big difference between a smudge campaign and one or two people writing vile reviews circularly you on the Internet. While it isn't a pretty fact, the guise of anonymity sometimes leads people to sample very stupid or even downright prejudicial things out of spite, ennui, or just trying to give you their distribute of negative publicity. A thirty-backer skip to any YouTube video is indisputable to show you how people can be when they don't have to face any consequences for their actions. So if you see a comment or two saying how awful your business is, skirmish it off. Or better yet, respond directly to the one who left the comment and see if there is any way that you can help them through their problems.

 

By showing that you're a flexible business owner, you're likely to triumph over more people who will admire your heart and dedication to customer contentment. However, if you're pretty sure that you're being harassed wrongly, it's tense to take a look at other options. Think you're the target of a smear movement, but not entirely stable? Here's a few ways to get a improve insight into the veto publicity. How frequent are the negative comments coming in? If you find that these comments are suddenly flooding in over the course of a few hours, chances are you're the tatter of a daub campaign. This can also help you pinpoint exactly what you may have done to bring on a smear campaign.

 

Do the comments seem strangely similar? Are they all pointing out a similar experience? If you find that a division of comments seem to point out a problem that shouldn't logically happen over and over, or even the exact same station, these people might have been coached to point out something. Do the attacks seem careless personal, attacking your character rather than your employment? Smear campaigns are often sketch to attack a limited person—usually the owner of a business—and may host personal notice such as phone numbers, addresses or other personal information.

 

If you can check the profile of the people leaving the negative comments, look to see how many other observe they've port, as well as the age of their account. Most smear campaigns boast a violent number of first-season commenters, with accounts less than twenty-four hours old. Realize that you may have inadvertently done something to bring on the smear campaign, and pinpointing it will be entirely crucial to portion to clear your name. While you may have not done anything wrong, it's possible that you have unintentionally offended or opposed someone else. Take your time and figure out correctly who you stumble and why whatever you did bothers them so much. Now that you've pinpointed the cause, it's time for damage counteract.

 

Start by being proactive, ready to compare bad publicity head-on. Appoint someone on your team who will speak on behalf of the assembly in the event of negative publicity — HR, supplies or PR professionals are normally best dress for this business. Put procedures in place for how employees should respond. You could also draft some templated responses, though you will want to tailor them to fit each motion of negative limelight.

 

When baneful publicity turns into a full-blown crisis, you need to wages a trade PR firm to handle the fallout. They are experts at responding apropos to bad publicity, and it pays to have them on your side when everyone else is against you. Little things preference negative online reviews sir’t warrant this advance, but when your blunder goes viral, procure in the experts to help you set things straight.

 

Negative publicity not only has lasting consequences for your corporation, it can negatively affect your ability to recruit top talent. In fact, 71 percent of professionals in the US wouldn’t apply to a assemblage experiencing negative enforce, according to a low retrospect. And 61 percent of companies who reported undergo negative publicity say that fewer thrust offers were accepted, fewer employee referrals were given, and the count of job applicants decreased as a result.

Companies understandably try to quash contradict publicity, but our analysis suggests this isn’t always the best tactic. When an established brand is at stake—or in a product category, such as cars, where advertising budgets and pre-review awareness are generally high—it’s lively to require an effort to edge bad press.

 

But if the negative publicity seems likely to increase brand awareness, smaller or uncharted brands would often do better to let it go. They might also consider undertaking potentially controversial moves to advance their visibility. If a risky tactic gets a bad response, the attention might nevertheless increase product notice and at the end of the day boost sales.

 

The time to write a crisis care plan is not during a crisis, and the contrivance for writing a policy for accord to bad publicity is not when you’re saddened and grieve after a bad PR clash. Be forward-looking. Take advantage of a calm period to draw up standard operating procedures for manipulation negative publicity, considering everything from an exposé on the national news to a nasty online survey.

 

Figure out who is going to be the liaison with the media and pubic, if required, and how that person will get the guidance on what to say. Don’t forget social media in this analysis -- having the erroneous person speak for the fraternity on Facebook and Twitter can aid a small complaint go viral. When your business finds itself extremity to respond, everyone already should know their roles.

 

Be Prepared The age to write a crisis management plan is not during a crisis, and the device for document a wit for responding to bad publicity is not when you’re saddened and hurt after a bad PR hit. Be proactive. Take advantage of a calm period to draw up standard operating procedures for manipulation negative spotlight, estimate everything from an exposé on the national news to a nasty online review. Figure out who is going to be the interrelationship with the media and pubic, if required, and how that person will get the guidance on what to smack.

 

Don’t forget social media in this analysis -- having the wrong person speak for the company on Facebook and Twitter can help a small complaint go viral. When your business colonize itself needing to respond, everyone already should know their roles.

 

Negative reviews can benefit your business. If every review is positive and abounds with four- and five-star ratings, powerful customers could become suspicious, feeling that the reviews are “manufactured” rather than being left by real customers. As paradoxical as it sounds, the fact that negative reviews appear can contribute to building deposit, rather than diminishing it.

 

 Many prominent companies have sites such as RipOffReport.com, ConsumerAffairs.com, and Pissedconsumer.com showing up for their own name, in the pry into engines. Some territorial businesses have a resurvey site, such as Yelp.com, that shows up for their business name and that lists disprove reviews posted by competition, former employees, or angry customers.  Whether or not negative publicity for such companies is based on fact is irrelevant to search engines, who rank search results primarily off the amount of incoming links, and websites, who are protected by the Communications Decency Act of 1996, allowing them to post user generated content without being held liable for what is said.

To combat negative reviews, some businesses have taken advantage of the system, by favoring customers with absolute experiences to debt on place such as Yelp.com, Google Places, and Yahoo! Local.

 

To combat sites such as ConsumerAffairs.com, or forum posts with negative publicity, companies have created their own websites, in an attempt to outrank them for their own company name. Review posting and website creation, are just some of the tools businesses use to contrive their online reputation.

 

The full tool kit for online reputation management is presented below:

“The best way to control bad reviews is to take a proactive approach with reputation management via search engines. Businesses should create profiles online in as many places as possible, alike social media channels, directories, etc., and optimize these profiles for try engines. That way, these destinations can essentially ‘take over’ the first page (or more) of search results if someone searches for your brand in Google, and any bad distress or negative reviews will be pushed to the backer or third page.”

 

If you’re getting bad publicity because you or your business did something wrong, receive the mistake, apologize and offer a plan to establish it. Denial or stonewalling only prolongs the story and encourages people to question your motivation. Ignoring bad publicness won't make it go away. If you own the mistake, however, there's less to talk nearly, it's over more quickly, and your transaction and its critics get the chance to move on.

 

Confess If you’re securement bad publicity forasmuch as you or your business did something wrong, admit the mistake, apologize and offer a plan to fix it. Denial or stonewalling only prolongs the story and encourages populate to question your motivation. Ignoring bad publicity won't constrain it go away. If you own the mistake, however, there's less to talk about, it's over more quickly, and your business and its critics get the chance to move on.

 

Sometimes, bad spotlight is inevitable. Even when you and your organization act responsibly, you always run the small risk of an unexpected PR disaster. In the information age, bad publicity can reach the masses before you can even bank a fortify. The only thing worse than having your appearance tarnished in the inn light after you’ve done everything within your power to protect yourself is to find out you’re the one who caused the disaster.

 

For every rogue employee saying something stupid to the media, there’s a poor senior-level decision being made.

 

That doesn't mean that you should call in your lawyers at a moment's advice. In fact, chances are that a pettifogger probably isn't going to be powerful to help you. The anonymity of the Internet makes it hard for a proctor to make any move, and many online jurisdictions tend to blear the line between bestow free speech and frustrate libel. Your first course of action should be to see if you can contact the owner of the website (such as Google Reviews, Amazon or Yelp) and check to see what its course on removing insulting revise is. Many of these websites are happy to review individual conjuncture and remove any smear comments, so definitely look into what is available to defend both you as a business and future customers. Keep in mind, though, that by having a company listed on review websites, reviewers technically have the right to post both positive and negative reviews about you.

 

Immediate Damage Control Defamation—or the act of stating disadvantageous information or lies with the intention of hurting someone's reputation—is illegal in many countries, so you should know that technically the law is on your side. That doesn't mean that you should call in your lawyers at a moment's notice. In fact, casualty are that a lawyer probably isn't going to be able to support you. The anonymousness of the Internet makes it powerful for a lawyer to companion any move, and many online jurisdictions tend to blur the line between allowing free speech and preventing defame. Your first course of action should be to see if you can contact the occupant of the website (such as Google Reviews, Amazon or Yelp) and check to see what its policy on removing abusive reviews is. Many of these websites are ready to review individual cases and remove any smear animadvert, so definitely behold into what is available to protect both you as a business and futurition customers. Keep in courage, though, that by having a company listed on review websites, reviewers technically have the right to post both positive and negative revise about you.

 

Your first course of action should be to see if you can contact the owner of the website (such as Google Reviews, Amazon or Yelp) and counterbalance to see what its course on removing abusive reviews is. Many of these websites are happy to review separate cause and remove any smear comments, so definitely look into what is usable to protect both you as a business and prospective customers. Keep in mind, though, that by having a company listed on review websites, reviewers technically have the right to debt both positive and contradict reviews about you.

Some business owners, faced with multiple contradict reviews, have hired people to write certain revisal and calculator the impact.

 

This is not only a vile idea, but also comes with the very alike option that you’ll get caught. Some consumer review place, like Yelp, have systems in stead to caution readers of suspected paid reviews.

 

Good survey, as hope, increased sales across the board, with gains from 32% to 52%. For books by established authors, negative reviews caused a drop of concerning 15%, on average—also not surprising. But for books by relatively unknown authors, bad revisal caused sales to rise, by an average of 45%. This held even when the criticism was outermost: After one particularly scathing review, for instance (“the characters do not have personalities so much as particular niches in the stratosphere”), sales more than quadrupled.

I think most people lean to one extreme or the other. Either they overjump indirect limelight in hopes that it will go away, or they respond with guns blazing. They would have far better results if they just waited until they were calm, and then reply in an intelligent manner. Your article definitely gives them a step by step guide on exactly how to handle it.

Outstanding exhortation Lisa. I think most people lean to one final or the other. Either they ignore negative publicity in hopes that it will go away, or they respond with guns blazing. They would have far promote results if they just defer until they were calm, and then responded in an intelligent mien. Your article definitely gives them a step by step guide on exactly how to handle it.