Branding gone wrong, negative marketing how to cope
With the advent of mobile advertising and social media, it is almost impossible to stop bad news from spreading. It can transform small disagreements into organizational problems. For small to medium-sized businesses, a bad reputation can have a profound effect on business outcomes. In order to build lasting trust between customers and to set the stage for building reliable product support, it is important that there is a framework for negative feedback on social media - before it explodes into a major fiasco. Here are a few suggestions to cope with negative marketing.
Be prepared
The time to write a disaster management plan is not at the time of the disaster, and the process of writing a policy to respond to incorrect information is not when you are sad and injured after being hit hard by PR. Use the time to do the usual procedures for managing a negative stream, considering everything from the creation of national news to the unpopular reviews online. Find out who will contact the media and the public when necessary, and how that person will get guidance on what to say. Don't forget the social media in this, letting the wrong person speak on behalf of the company on Facebook and Twitter can help small complaints spread.
Know Your Facts
If you receive incorrect information, respond as early as possible with the correction - but make sure you are right. If a negative story based on misconceptions about your business appears in local newspapers, inform the reporter, firmly but humbly, what is wrong and what evidence you have. Good journalists don't like to make mistakes, so if they make a mistake they may follow it or correct it.
Engage with critics
Many businesses have customers complaining about their products or services on social media, even if the complaints are justified. Instead of letting ideas grow and gather strength from the community of others who provide unity, step in. Offer to fix the problem if possible or refund. Then try to take the conversation offline. Use direct messages on Twitter, communicate privately on Facebook, and otherwise exclude chat in the public domain.
Admit your mistake
If you receive bad publicity because you or your business has done something wrong, admit the mistake, apologize and offer to fix it. Refusing only adds to the story and encourages people to question your motive. Ignoring bad publicity won't make people forget about it. If you own the mistake made by you or your business, however, there is little you can talk about, it is quickly over, and your business get a chance to continue.
Know when and how to get involved
Responding to incoming posts, both compliments and complaints strengthens the brand's relationship with its customers, but comments having hate speech (racist, sexual, or otherwise aggressive comments) may require a brand's response that clearly means that language is not acceptable. Show your audience by posting a statement of what violates your online community policies in your bio or about me section.
Know your audience
To overcome a problem, brands need to know which consumer groups are directly affected by their mistake. Bad publicity for brands is becoming more common these days - open customer reviews, feedback, and communication posts can be viewed by everyone. But for brands to respond accurately to bad publicity, they need to know the difference between major problems and one negative experience.You just have to recognize the real problem that deserves your attention as a brand.
Give It Time
All products go through times of crisis with negative information. But if they deal directly with the problem, open up communication lines with consumers, and remain honest, the products are likely to recover in the worst possible conditions. And over time, those defects often fade. While it is important to deal with any negative information, time indeed heals all wounds. If you take the right steps to fix a problem, eventually people will get over the mistakes made.
Go to social events.
Attending public events can enhance your brand image. If you show that you care about your community or social cause, you will also get a positive response from the general public.
Turn your existing customers into product ambassadors.
Hire your loyal clients as ambassadors for your companies. The public is more receptive to comments from other customers than brands. Include their good reviews of your advertising and social media content. As you do so, continue to make sure you connect with your audience.
Investing in your customer experience starts with listening. And what better way to understand what your customers need and want than to respond to it? Negative feedback provides an opportunity to demonstrate your product's commitment to resolving any issues openly and empathetically.