No online webmaster or blogger can claim that he has never been at
the receiving end of a negative feedback, a bad review, all in all, some
negative publicity. Although you do your best by following a
professional approach and being approachable, you
can still get some bad publicity even when you’re not really at fault.
It can be due to a misunderstanding, a difference in opinion, or
anything else.
Your reaction should depend upon the type of comment and who said it
and where and what will be the effect of the comment on your reputation.
You can hire a good SEO services company or a SMO service provider to
deal with such issues on your behalf on a regular basis. Or, here are 3
tips to professionally handle the negative publicity:
1. Ponder It
It is human tendency to react to any negative comment with offense or
defense. Although this is a natural reaction, curb your tendency and
think about your actions before you retaliate. Ponder the comment and
look at it from the point of view of the other person.
Ask yourself about the validity of the accusation and try to think
about it from a neutral point of view. In most cases, your personal
opinion will be biased while the critique’s opinion is from a completely
opposite point of view. You will need to place yourself in the other
person’s position and think about the issue. The chances that you were
misunderstood are high too. So, be patient, calm and take time to
re-explain the issue.
2. Ignore If You Can
You don’t have to respond to all negative comments. Sometimes you are
better off ignoring them. But that depends upon how the comment will
affect your reputation.
In case you think it is necessary to respond, strategize where you
meet the critique personally to sort out the issue. This way you can
actually rectify the problem that has been mentioned (if it is true) and
then ask the person to retract his comments.
But before you respond, think over the validity of the criticism and
then act accordingly. In case you accept the problem, try to post an
online entry acknowledging it. Make sure that you are not being overtly
defensive. But if you choose to dismiss the comment, then you can post a
comment with your perspective. Take care not to get personal or
vengeful with your replies.
3. Get the Benefits from Negative Publicity
“All Publicity is good publicity” and you can put this saying to
practical use. Use negative publicity to your advantage. Make a stronger
case for your point of view. Rest assured that you will draw a number
of new visitors (a fair percentage of which will turn into fans) because
of the negative publicity.
The first thing to remember when handling negative publicity is that
you can’t control the thoughts or beliefs of others. Getting aggressive
and resorting to personal attacks won’t help the situation in any way.
Brenda Lyttle is a SEO expert with over 5 years of experience under her belt. She is a contributor for the website, SEOMiracle.com.