Business owners work hard to make sure their company’s name and reputation remain positive. Unfortunately, bad reviews and other problems can emerge that are capable of harming a good commercial brand. In some unfortunate cases, a business might suffer the ill effects of a targeted smear campaign. Don’t sit back idly and let a smear campaign hurt your company. Take a few proactive steps to remedy the situation.
Act Immediately
The longer you allow a smear campaign to continue, the more damage the attack does to your enterprise. Even a day is enough for negative comments about your business to spread. Some executives take the attitude that they shouldn’t respond because doing so might make things worse. That’s possible, but saying nothing also brings with it the potential for the situation to rapidly worsen. Damage can snowball. Company revenues could fall if you don’t deal with a smear campaign right away. Even a three-star instead of a five-star review can influence buyers, so you can’t let your metrics get too low.
Determine if Libel
No one gets carte blanche to say whatever they want about you and your business. When commentary and reviews cross the line into libel, legal remedies exist for you to seek damages. With that said, libel isn’t always easy to prove in court. You must speak with an experienced libel lawyer to determine if you have a case. Winning a libel suit could fix some of the damage your company has endured. Even if it doesn’t completely restore your reputation, winning a suit could recoup some of the money lost.
Publish Positive News
Not every positive item about the company must be a review. Sending out a press release detailing the company’s community or charitable work may reap positive rewards. Publish a blog highlighting the overall positive history of your business. You want upbeat information about the company circulating. These positive perceptions could overcome the negative ones.
Soliciting positive reviews from customers may become a necessary step, but your priorities and those of your customers are not the same. How do positive reviews find their way into print and online venues when customers aren’t writing enough of them? Try to engage your customers through surveys and product testing to make them feel involved. You could also task professional writers to compile honest, legitimate informational pieces. These would be more akin to glowing blog entries highlighting positive aspects of the business. While promotional, the impact of the blog entry or article could have the same effect as a good review. The material should leave the reader with a positive impression.
Address Falsehoods Directly
Dealing with blatant lies isn’t enjoyable. Take solace that publishing provable aspects of the truth could mitigate some of the damage. Social media provides a forum to get a message out. Use your platforms to speak the truth about a smear campaign and its lies.
Tell your side of the story in a step-by-step manner addressing all the malicious negative points your company suffered. Be professional when discussing the falsehoods. Do not fall into the trap of “trashing” those who did you wrong. Mudslinging isn’t professional, and it won’t put you or your company in a good light. Take the high road and stay focused on getting the facts out to the public. Let the smear merchants look bad while you hold yourself above it all.
Hire a Reputation Management Firm
Depending on the severity of the assault, calling in professionals might make the most sense. When your company’s reputation suffers immensely, a reputation management firm may come up with a workable strategy to set things straight. Don’t continue to stumble along on your own if you’re seeing no results.
Failing to act allows the other party to define your business. You lose control of your brand once this happens. Reliable steps exist to deal with the situation. Put them into motion.