A positive response to negative word of mouth -By Andy Sernovitz

April 30th, 2007

10 comments

Posted in: Blog Bash Expert Posts

Expert: Andy Sernovitz, WordofMouthBook.com

#30 of 30

We’ve all had to deal with negative blog posts about us, our companies, or causes we believe in. It’s hard to ignore … and it’s even harder to resist getting into an all-out battle of the bloggers.

Try to resist the temptation to get drawn into a fight. As they say “Never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel.” You can’t win a fight on someone else’s blog - they will always get the last word.

But you can do a few reasonable things to calm things down, and get your side of the story out there.

What you can do is participate, earn respect, and tell your story. Jump in, join the conversation, and be a part of it.

You can make sure that the conversation ends on a positive note, that your views are heard, and that you’re part of the community.

Working with bloggers is hard for many PR-trained executives because of the inherent lack of control over the situation. It’s about learning to respond and participate instead of plant and initiate. It’s no longer about managing what other people say, but letting your own words speak for themselves. And it’s about earning respect (but not necessarily agreement) from bloggers by showing you know how to participate the right way.

Five steps to dealing with negative blog posts

1. Listen carefully. Every day you should be searching for your name, company, and products on the blog search engines. You should always know what is being said about your company, and never get caught by surprise. Stay in the loop, because it’s too late to respond to a post that you discover weeks after it appears.

2. Participate. Nothing earns more credibility with bloggers than a company that is part of the blog community. Blog. Comment. Converse. Don’t be a stranger. Become part of the community. It’s too late if you aren’t already blogging when a negative attack happens. You can’t earn respect after you need it … you need to earn it up front, and build a storehouse of good will.

3. Show that you are listening. Many bloggers are (pleasantly) shocked when they find out that a company is actually reading what they write. Post a note when you read something you like. Post replies and comments when you see unfair criticism. Post an offer of help when you hear a complaint. Always identify your affiliation with your company, and offer to solve any problems. In many, many cases, this is the most important thing you can do.

4. Convert critics when you can. You can’t make all people happy all time, but you sure can try. Work your butt off to find ways to make people happy. You should be doing this for all customers, but you should work extra hard to help bloggers. There is a double payoff here: First, you’ll have the story of a happy resolution as the most recent post on the blogs. Second, much research shows that converted critics are the most enthusiastic fans.

5. Write for the record. In the end, don’t expect to win every point in every blog debate. It’s not possible. What you can do, however, is tell your side of the story. Post comments or entries in your own blog for posterity. Remember the permanent record, and write what you want history to see.

And then … move on.

Once you’ve made a genuine attempt to resolve a problem, and after you’ve told your side of the story, it’s time to let it go. You’ve done all you can, and anything else will just drive more traffic to the negative post.

The Bottom Line

If you want a good rep in the blogosphere, you need to be good. Genuinely good.

Your reputation is the amount of respect you earn, less the number of people you annoy. So choose to earn respect.

In the end, it’s much more fun to go to work each day at a respected company that is honest, fun, and treats people well. You might as well work to make that happen.

10 Responses to “ A positive response to negative word of mouth -By Andy Sernovitz ”

1. 
   Jason Says:
   May 1st, 2007 at 4:22 pm

   great post Andy! These are 5 strong tips! I will always keep this in mind “Never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel”

2. 
   Darsi Says:
   May 1st, 2007 at 4:26 pm

   All bloggers definitely want a good reputation in the blogosphere! There is a lot to learn from experts like you. Thanks for sharing such awesome tips Andy.

3. 
   Lauren Says:
   May 1st, 2007 at 5:43 pm

   Hey Andy! awesome post! I just got a copy of your book… will be reading it soon :)

4. 
   Elimar Says:
   May 1st, 2007 at 7:21 pm

   This is one of the best posts from the blog bash! Thanks for sharing Andy!!

5. 
   Make Money Online: Weekly updates 28-April-2007 Says:
   May 3rd, 2007 at 2:50 am

   [...] Andy Sernovitz, WordofMouthBook.com - A positive response to negative word of mouth [...]

6. 
   Rick Says:
   May 5th, 2007 at 12:04 pm

   … or you can get all litigious and threaten to sue them for slander and have their website shut down.

   http://www.bentcorner.com/2007/05/04/brian-bolland-the-blogosphere-and-real-estate-lawyers-that-go-too-far/

7. 
   captain flummox Says:
   September 27th, 2007 at 9:31 am

   Solid, sensible, plain-English advice. For this, the definition of “reputation” alone was a keeper. Ultimately, whether person or company, you’re going nowhere without a good one.

8. 
   bred Says:
   March 19th, 2008 at 9:49 pm

   cool site man

9. 
   malshi Says:
   May 16th, 2008 at 11:41 pm

   That’s a lot of very good ideas.

   ………………

   Malshi

   http://www.BootyCallFriends.com

10. 
    Angel Says:
    May 17th, 2008 at 4:32 am

    do you know of any companies who overcame negative word of mouth?

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