Contain the Wildfire of Negative Publicity Without Getting Burnt

Enter a war you can definitely win! The war on negative publicity! Find out how to combat negativity online and emerge more triumphant than ever before!

Hello everyone! It is my weekly blogging time and I am more than happy to report for blogging duty because I have yet another interesting topic I am thrilled to discuss. I hope you enjoyed my last creative contribution, which dares you to be different and urges you to start thinking outside the traditional marketing box. Today, I am going to focus on something equally important, which often terrifies marketers, CEOs, and members of the Board of Directors. Yep, as you might have guessed, I am talking about negative publicity, which threatens to shake the foundations of a company, to jeopardize its sells, and to taint its impeccable or not so unblemished reputation. Indeed, when it comes to the online world, the domino effect is applied. A single negative reaction can unleash a virtual tsunami of negative comments and lead to a corporate crisis. If you want to know how to avoid that scenario and learn how to emerge unscathed or more triumphant than ever, just read on.

The great Oscar Wilde argued that the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. Many years later, Madonna took this piece of advice and went on to create history by proving that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Indeed, I can come up with multiple cases in which bad publicity has done more good than harm. Just look at all the rock stars! Yet, I am going to take a different course and I want to chip in on how to handle negative publicity and why we should learn to deal with it, and even consider it an opportunity to shine through and stand out. Good understanding of this matter can save you a lot of trouble and put an end to some of your darkest fears. In fact, some of the big companies are still reluctant to jump on the social media bad wagon because they are really afraid of becoming easy targets or being flooded with negative comments. Yet, the “speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil, read no evil” policy no longer works. The very fact that you ignore negative publicity and you do not take any relevant actions to respond to justified or unjustified attacks, does not mean that they are not there. At the end of the day, you are the one to lose by failing to nip all the trouble in the bud. As I already discussed in some of my previous articles, you have to be social, you need to tweet, to re-tweet, to Share, and to Like. You need to reach out to your audience, you have to engage your marketing personas and have to rock'em all. Nonetheless, the palpable fear that somebody will rip your apart and say very bad things about your products and services hovers in the air. Yet, you should not be so scared. The world is full of people and you cannot possibly please them all. There will always be somebody who does not like the things you do for one reason or another. Yet, this is not the end of your corporate or entrepreneurial adventures and efforts. It is just a minor obstacle on the road to success. Indeed, if you handle negative reactions properly, you can win extra fans, friends or customers and you can turn a possible corporate disaster into a success story. So, let’s examine a couple of scenarios and appraise your chances of eliminating negative feedback and emerging triumphant.

On the Verge of Disaster

A few years ago, my PR professor argued that corporate crises are the ultimate litmus test for your greatness. Indeed, a company proves how good it is when times are tough. Its response to a crisis, its preparation to go to great lengths to set the wrong things right, its determination to come clean and tell the truth are some of the factors that help a business retain its old customers and attract new ones during a stage at which its corporate fabric seems to be falling apart because of a faulty product or a company-related accident. Whereas those conclusions were drawn some four years ago and the technological advances have radically changed the rules of the PR and marketing game, the aforementioned factors ring more true today than ever before. The only difference is the context in which actions should be taken.

Before I go any further, I need to define certain critical parameters. First and foremost, it should be noted that we are human beings and we are prone to make mistakes. This premise is not an excuse, but a form of justification why sometimes we happen to overlook certain things. None of us is immune to it, so we have to do our best to deal with our flaws.

Often, despite our best efforts, we develop products and/or services that have certain faults. Even if they are error-free, there is absolutely no guarantee that everyone will like them. Indeed, we might have missed something by a long shot or we might have not considered an element that people would have loved to see. The possibilities are endless. At the end of the day, we should concede that there is always room for improvement and if people reach out and provide us with constructive criticism, we should take a note and acknowledge that they are right. Hence, if people publish somehow negative, but right on target comments, you should not react violently and brush off their conclusions. On the contrary, you should use every opportunity to thank them for their feedback, demonstrate how grateful you are as they have helped you provide a better product and/or service, and acknowledge their valuable contribution. Thus, you are literally engaging your audience and you are proving that your are listening to their concerns and you are interested in their say. By being responsive, prompt, frank, polite, and attentive to the needs of your customers, you can shine through, you can avert a possible disaster, and you can turn all the negative publicity into a springboard for success. Consequently, you should respond to tweets, Facebook messages, LinkedIn comments, forum messages, etc. The more active you are, the better. Every negative reaction is an opportunity to prove how good you are and how much you care about your customers and prospects. Sticking your hand in the sand or being rude will not get you anywhere.

Whereas there are extreme cases, such as the Decor My Eyes company, in which negative publicity actually helps generate lots of traffic, plenty of inbound links, and hence a better page rank in Google, I strongly advise you against even considering such tactics. Not only are they illegal, but they can also get you in a lot of trouble. Instead, do your best to resolve consumer queries quickly and efficiently. Most of the people will appreciate your efforts and your honesty and they will praise your diligence and responsiveness. Moreover, your actions will further boost your credibility and strengthen your reputation. Try it out for yourselves and get back to me later to notify me of the results.

Negative Publicity That is Not Worth Defying

Whereas I urge you that you respond to negative reactions and you try to resolve consumer queries or tackle possible problems, there is a certain type of comments you should really ignore: those of trolls.

Contrary to popular beliefs, trolls online are not mythological creatures that dwell in isolated mountains, rocks, and caves. They do not hail from Norway either. Instead, they are real people who publish inflammatory, insulting or off-topic messages for the sole purpose of provoking other users into a desired emotional response. Annoying.

Trolls come in many shapes and sizes and you can easily spot them, as they are usually lurking behind extremely provocative comments, which are far too extreme to even slightly resemble any form of constructive criticism. Indeed, a troll would aim at fanning the flames of a conflict and insulting your brand and/or other users. The trolls are usually anonymous or they have fake names and/or profiles. They thrive in sites such as Hacker News, forums, Twitter, Facebook, and even LinkedIn. They love to troll around your blog. They always try to annoy you and make you respond in kind. In that case, the only thing left to do is not to engage at all. There is no point in arguing with such people as they are not here to establish a dialogue or to engage in a productive discussion. Hence, do yourself a favor and do not get your hands dirty. As my mother loves do say, you should never wrestle a pig. You both get all dirty, and the pig likes it. The bottom line is that trolls are not worth your time and your efforts. Indeed, the best medicine against trolls is to ignore them. If they do not get the attention they are craving for, they tend to leave you alone.

If you are not sure whether somebody is a troll or a very angry customer, try addressing his or her concerns and see what happens. If the insulting rhetoric persists, you have a troll. Yet, you already have a magic vial full of indifference that works against trolls. In a matter of days, the famished for attention trolls will leave your corporate realm with his or her tail between the legs. In the mean time, keep on responding to the queries of your real customers and show the trolls that they will not get a piece of your mind. This anti-troll recipe works all the time. As we love to say at Rock & Code], it’s been tested on trolls.

Thanks a lot for your time. I hope you find my article interesting and useful. I will be very glad if you decide to share your experiences involving negative publicity and tell us how you managed to sway people’s perception by being cordial, responsive, concerned, and genuinely interested in resolving the problems of your customers. The ball is in your field, so it is your turn to tell us how you handle crises. In the mean time, stay tuned to our rock steady frequency for more tips and tricks. See you all next time when I going to discuss the issue of staying focused on the things that truly matter.

In the mean time, have fun and rock on!