You may have heard of the saying that bad publicity is better than no publicity. Most businesses receive a certain number of negative comments no matter how good their products or services are. One should not worry about thinking that a negative feedback will ruin the hard work. Public hosting of comments on various platforms has given consumers the freedom to express their thoughts and feelings without any restrictions.
While some businesses choose to ignore them, some go on arguing with the customers making the situation worse. Negative comments can scare away potential customers and ruin your reputation in the market. Companies need to learn how they can use negative comments to boost the positive image of their brand. Here are some tips to address negative feedback properly:
1. Keep track of your online reputation
Before you can use your negative comments to create a positive brand image, you need to keep track of what people think about your brand in the first place. With regular investigation, you will find the negative feedback as soon as they are posted. You can also set up Google Alert so you can be notified when someone mentions your brand name anywhere online. It will make your monitoring process easier.
2. Show empathy
Do not get triggered when you see a negative review of your product. Learn to believe and take criticism without feeling unjust. Don’t take it personally. Maybe the customer has really faced the problem they are complaining about. Acknowledge their problem express your empathy towards the situation. Respond to them with compassion, which is the best way to handle the situation.
3. Don’t delete negative comments
Most businesses do the grave mistake of deleting a negative comment as soon as they come. A customer writes negative comments when he or she is utterly disappointed by the products or services they bought. If you simply delete their comment without offering them solutions, it will anger them more. In turn, they will post negative things about your brand on various other platforms and tell their friend about their bad experience. Also, only good comments will make it look fake and not genuine to the potential consumers.
4. Reply fast
Global digitization has left the world to become overly impatient. Especially the youngest generation wants everything in the blink of an eye. If they post an online complaint, they want answers fast. It is important that you address every single negative comment. If you avoid them and only answer to the positive one, Gen Y will be watching. The faster you reply the better image you establish in their eyes. You will not only be able to cool them down but make sure they know how much you value them.
5. Accept your mistakes
Running a business is tough work. It is alright to make a mistake and it is also alright to accept it. Many fail to admit their errors and blame the consumers instead. It can make you look like the bad guy in the eyes of your customer base. The best way to handle the situation is to find out what actually happened and accept your mistake if you are the one to blame. After you admit that you were wrong make sure to offer effective solutions as soon as possible to win back your reputation. You can offer additional discounts and gifts as a way of saying sorry.
Negative comments will not bring a disaster for your company if you handle them correctly. You can even benefit from them by using them to your advantage. Follow the above-mentioned tips and easily get your lost reputation back.
