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When Bad Press Happens Online
September 14, 2007
One of the golden rules of public relations is having good press - you already know that. One of the worst things that can happen is to have bad customer service and have someone write about you online. That's equal to taking out a huge billboard in Times Square (or in the middle of your town) because of the volume of people that will see it.
I discussed this topic during a retail seminar in Las Vegas and some of the attendees went up to their hotel rooms and Googled themselves. They received a huge shock. Not only were current customers unsatisfied, they wanted to warn any new potential buyers from shopping from that company. If you think about it, more than 68% of your customer base, both current and potential, look you up online. If they're wary about shopping online, or they want to find the best company to buy from, they're going to read all the reviews they can.
Here's what some people are saying:
Music123 (100% negative reviews the week of September 9, 2007)
Dreamtime Baby (ouch)
Best Price ATVs
Periodically,
Google yourself (and
dogpile yourself) to see what people are saying about you online. Rule of thumb - if others are unhappy, they love to share their misery.
What to do when it does happen to you?
- Contact the disgrunted customer and ask how you can make it better
- Once the situation is corrected, ask them to please write a positive review about the experience
- Monitor it to see if the tone improves
- Remember - no matter what, the customer is (almost) always right
Posted by Suze Bragg on September 14, 2007 | Comments (0)
