Managing online reputation can be easy or difficult.
How so? Simple: It’s easy if you do it right, and it’s absolutely difficult if you
do it wrong. Sadly, there are still several businesses out there that do things
the wrong way, all the while thinking that they’re on the right path. Here are some
of the worst things a business could do when managing its online reputation or
image:
Writing
rebuttals with an “attitude”. Who likes being seen in a bad light by someone you
don’t even know personally, right? However, while simply explaining your side
of the story to save your image in a personal or social situation will most likely
work, defending your business against negative feedback requires a more careful
and professional approach.
Deleting the negative
comment. When
someone writes something negative (especially if such is untrue or unfair), deleting
the comment/suggestion from the thread and pretending it never happened is not the
best way to go. Businesses should never run from negative things a customer says,
but should instead use these types of feedback as either an inspiration to
improve the weak areas of their enterprise, or as a chance to address any
confusion or concern of the customer.
Don’t accept spam
without checking it first. Not every positive comment is useful. Several spammers are sneaky enough
to say nothing except “good post” or “I like this,” and have nothing else to give.
Such spam comments (although positive) can actually make your business look
bad.
