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09.23.08 How to Respond to Online Criticism  By
Dave TaylorOne of the main reasons we don"t yet have a blog or other presence online is because the Big Boss is paranoid that we"d be a magnet for negative comments and criticism online. I tell him that it"s already out there and he pales and asks how the heck we"re supposed to control it. I don"t really know how to answer him, though... Dave"s Answer: Last week I talked about different ways you can track what people are saying about your company, products, service or even you in the online world (see How to keep track of company buzz and reputation online). We primarily looked at Google Alerts, but also mentioned Boulder, Colorado-based companies Filtrbox.com and UmbriaListens.com, both of which also offer sophisticated discussion tracking services, and I threw in a mention of TrackUR.com because, well, my friend Andy owns the company. Just as importantly, we talked about how you can track discussion in the fast-moving mobile-friendly world of search feature and then subscribing to the results. Nice, neat, and very interactive. An example of a company that does just that to stay involved with the conversation is Colorado local restaurant Spud Bros, which you can find in Twitter by simply mentioning @spudbros therein. The real question, however, is what"s the best way to deal with the discussion you find about your company, product, etc? That is, if I had a search for "Dave Taylor" + "Daily Camera" and found a lot of people saying either how wonderful (hopefully!) or terrible my weekly column is in the Boulder Daily Camera, our local newspaper, what should I do next? I thought it would be interesting to ask that question of two local experts in online reputation management so I asked Ari Newman, Founder and President of Filtrbox, and Doyle Albe, President and New Media Director at Metzger Associates what they recommend to clients.
Focusing primarily on critical online comments, Ari suggests "When I see negative feedback, I first assess the nature of the complaint and then engage by responding in the same context with some constructive advice or acknowledgment of the issue. My goals are 1. to let the person know we are listening, 2. let them know we care, and 3. instill confidence that there is either a solution, we are working on it, or we are willing to help. We try to respond to all feedback quickly, but by looking at reach and influence we are able prioritize our responses when necessary. What I'll highlight from his answer is "in the same context". This is key to managing your online reputation because wherever you encounter the comment, you must respond in that same medium. If they"re using Blogger, you need to add a comment. If their comment is in MySpace, you need to be in MySpace, and so on. Otherwise the disconnect means that people who find their commentary won"t ever see your response. I asked Doyle to break down his advice into the two possible scenarios of critical comments that are or aren"t true. Both appear online, of course, and criticism that"s untrue is perhaps one of the great fears of any business person when contemplating the Internet. What if your competitor simply starts spreading false digital rumors to discredit your company? What do you do? Sue them?? Continue reading this article. About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the Internet since 1980 and is internationally known as an expert on both business and technology issues. Holder of an MSEd and MBA, author of twenty books and founder of four startups, he also runs a strategic marketing company and consults with firms seeking the best approach to working with weblogs and social networks. Dave is an award-winning speaker and frequent guest on radio and podcast programs. AskDaveTaylor.com | ||||||||
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