With limited resources, small business owners face the
unique challenges of avoiding bad press coverage and handling negative
publicity. These challenges can seem daunting, but managing them isn’t as hard
as you think.
Preparing ahead of time makes all the difference when limiting bad press. Simple steps can be taken to lower your
risk of receiving undesirable media attention. In this day and age social media
gives everybody a voice, and even the smallest businesses are likely to receive negative publicity. Learning how to deal with this is critical to
your livelihood and longevity.
Bad Press
Fake news. We’ve seen a lot of it lately, and for a small
company it can be absolutely devastating. When it comes to bad press coverage,
being ahead of the curve is crucial. Having a policy in place for social media
usage is key. Training your employees in media relations is necessary. Every
employee has a voice that can negatively or positively impact your business.
Be forward thinking. Instead of allowing bad press to occur,
generate your own good press. Go into the community and present what your
business has to offer. Share the positive and progressive values which you
represent.
Word of mouth is also a great resource for small businesses
with a limited marketing budget. The idea here is to turn your customers into
brand ambassadors who will promote your brand to their networks.
Negative Publicity
Whoever came up with the saying “There’s no such thing as
bad publicity,” probably wasn’t a small business owner. Large firms like
Volkswagen or United Airlines have faced a boatload of negative publicity
recently. And they’ve been able to bounce back from this with relative ease due
to their extensive customer service and marketing budgets. Small companies
simply do not have these luxuries, and must use alternative, more cost
effective methods to cope with negative publicity.
Used well, social media can be a primary tool for
representing your company and responding to customer complaints. Today, over
81% of Americans have a social media presence. This is an over 3x increase from
ten years ago, and this huge market can be tapped for little to no cost.
Spreading your message through social media content or low-cost paid ads are
proactive ways to generate good publicity. However, as a business owner you’re
likely to face some sort of backlash online. Knowing how to deal with this is
very important.
Be Responsive
When it comes to responding to negative publicity on social
media, you must learn how to distinguish genuine criticism and complaints from
trolls trying to get a reaction. If the issue is not very serious no response
is necessary, but that doesn’t mean not responding is the best option. Not responding
won’t actively bring negative publicity to your company, but negative comments
from customers can spread like a wildfire online. And speaking of fire, you
don’t want to start a flame war with a customer. If you’re going to respond be
decisive, transparent, and have the customer’s interests in mind first and
foremost. Your response to it is a great opportunity to show the world what
your company’s really about.
As a business owner, bad press and publicity can be
difficult. Being prepared and knowing how to respond is essential in order to
avoid a PR nightmare.
For more information about dealing with bad press and negative social media experiences, contact Spotlight Publicity for a free consultation today.
We love your feedback and comments- please share your experiences with positive and negative publicity in the comments below.
