Don’t let negative reviews destroy your online business reputation! Everyone has heard the phrase, “any press is good press”. Vanna White has been credited with this statement. But, does this sentiment still hold true? Nowadays the inclination seems to be along the lines of, “bad news travels fast”. People now have an easily accessible venue to read and write reviews about you and your business. Unlike yester year, when the press was limited in range and the reach of your bad press was easily managed, anyone and everyone have courtside seats to your businesses lowest moments.
Let’s face it, no person and no business is without moments of failure. Although the following statement is obvious, it is often ignored – you have to make right your wrong. Keep in mind the following steps can help you manage your negative reviews and business press:
- Have a person on staff or contracted whose job it is to monitor your businesses web presence. Keep yourself in the loop. You’ve got to know what is being said about your business. When negative reviews emerge quickly tend to the issue!
- Have a strategy for dealing with negative feedback. Prepare for possibilities. And when it happens, determine which comments and reviews are most damaging to your reputation and get a response out that will show you are taking their concerns seriously!
- Listen to what the review says. If people are taking the time to write down their “beef” with your business, take it seriously. Acknowledge the problem, address the issue and present a solution.
- Be professional! People looking at the reviews of your business will see the negative review but they will also see the professional way your business handled the problem.
- Inundate the web with your positive SEO content. Use articles, press releases, blogs, white pages, videos and social networking to drive the negative press to the bottom of the search. Keep the positive content new and fresh.
The bottom line is, “any press can be good press”, if you follow the 5 steps above. Learn how to optimize your damage control and use these opportunities for creating positive feedback. So for now, I guess Vanna White is still right!
You don’t have to tackle this alone, Witmer Group can help you monitor your online presence and create positive SEO content. For more information contact us now.