<p>I would recommend to all small business owners that they learn to embrace negative comments from bloggers. Before social media, theses conversations were only happening in offices, homes and public gatherings. Now we have the opportunity to know where they are, what is being said and are provided the ability to respond with our own commentary. Although negative posts never seem like a good thing, they are always good to know about and pose opportunity for those that are willing to take it. This leads to the first recommendation.</p>
<ol>
<li><b>Always know about negative comments.</b> This is as easy as a Google Alert with your company name and additional alerts for names of owners or managers. This is the best way to know about all comments, including all negative comments. If you have found one negative comment on your own, there is bound to be more.<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>Is the negative comment true?</b> If it is not, then a polite reply to the blogger with factual clarification should do the trick. This will usually remedy the situation by simply asking the post to be removed. If the comment is not removed, then post your own polite, but firm response, again with factual evidence to back you up.<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>If the post is true, then honesty is always the best policy. </b>The goal is to respond in a way that owns the problem, but provides a solution to how it is being rectified. This is the new frontier of customer service...solving problems within social media. This is a major area of opportunity with negative blog comments. I have rarely seen a honest customer service initiative backfire. No company is perfect, but you can regain credibility by doing what is right to fix the situation. Also offer to take all comments through a phone number or email address. This effectively takes the negative conversation offline.<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>Thank the blogger.</b> Now you think I’m crazy. But thank the blogger for calling attention to the matter and providing the chance to openly communicate about the subject. Here is a perfect opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. The blogger can just as easily post a positive comment as they can a negative. By thanking the blogger, you are accepting their important role in the world of social media. And since you are concerned about their comments, you have also validated their role in effecting perceptions about your brand. So why not accept these new roles and try to use them to your advantage.</li>
</ol>
<p>
As a Seattle Brand Strategy Consultant, I see blogging and social networking as two of the most powerful and relatively inexpensive channels for small businesses to promote their brands. Together with SEO, Pay-Per-Click and PR opportunities, do-it-yourself marketing has skyrocketed to levels that were never before available to small businesses. However, with social media you have less control and greater risk. My thoughts are that a strong percentage of all publicity is good, as long as you have a strategy to handle the natural ups and downs. Without such a strategy, most marketers fear the lack of control, and they let it paralyze them from entering the game. If they had a strategy to handle the negative comments that will inevitably happen, they could much more clearly see the greater good that social media is providing them.</p>
<p>Marketing and managing brands online has become a must for every business, no matter what the size.</p>
2008-06-20T23:15:43Z
2008-06-22T19:59:35Z
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4-ways-to-handle-negative-blog-posts
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2008-06-22T19:59:31Z
2008-06-22T19:59:31Z
<p>Ever worry about what bloggers might say about you or your company? Hopefully it is all good. But what could you do if someone posts a negative comment? What is your brand strategy for that?</p>
4 Ways To Handle Negative Blog Posts
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2009-02-24T09:44:50Z