Any publicity is good publicity sounds good, but in reality, that is not true, especially if you run a business. A negative press can actually affect your sales exponentially, which is why there are different plans you need to implement to deal with it.
- Do Not Directly Engage:
Commenting on such bad press publicly or online portal can start a war of word which can get out of hand pretty soon. It is better not to engage much. If you have a side that explains any confusion, you may make that clear and just take a step back. The readers can judge on their own what they want to believe after hearing your side of the story, too.
- But You Should Definitely Listen:
If you find one bad piece of press, it may be wrong, but if you see several negative comments, you need to take a closer look at the reason why. It is ok if your rating is consistent and just one angry person bursts up on social media. But if you find many such people engaging in such negative publicity, there could be something really wrong you have neglected. Take this as an opportunity to dig deeper and figure out any issue in the company to rectify it as soon as you can. This will help in the betterment of your firm.
- Take Ownership if Necessary:
Sometimes it can be easy to ignore the negative press and conduct business as usual, but it may only showcase that the company does not care. This will further become more negative publicity for you. If there is a genuine mistake, take ownership and promise to do better. This will only reflect the credibility of the company.
- Make It an Opportunity:
Any company can make mistakes, but very few actually try to fix them. If an angry customer complains about your services, you can turn around this situation by engaging with them one to one to fix their problem. This way, you will not turn to gain one customer’s trust but turn around the entire situation in your favor.
- Try Removal of the Article:
There are several methods to get rid of the negative press itself. We are talking about negative articles published against your company. If you are interested in doing that, you can try a few methods to remove news article, or if you are ok with spending some capital, a lawyer can help you with the process.
The Bottom Line- Be transparent:
Transparency goes a long way, especially in business. Any customer associated with you will appreciate your company more if you offer transparent policies. Any negative press will affect your company’s reputation if you are open about everything to your customers. Accepting your fault if the company is liable also showcases the courage and the will to rectify anything negative that always attracts more customers. You may wish to establish a company with an impeccable name in the market, which can only be achieved by transparency and willingness to make your company better.