Turning Negative Word of Mouth Into A Positive
You need to have a plan for dealing with Negative Word of Mouth
The Positive Power of Negative Word of Mouth speaks to the fact that you have the power to turn a negative customer experience into a positive outcome. In a recent meeting of business leaders the issue of negative word of mouth was raised as perhaps a reason for not being actively involved in social media. Most business leaders have come to the conclusion that you have to be on social media today in order to connect with prospects and customers in order to connect, build and nurture relationships, and they are absolutely right. However, as with any reputation management challenge, a business needs to understand the risks and prepare a plan for dealing with negative word of mouth.
In 2013 I had the pleasure of developing an infographic and research whitepaper for LoyaltyOne on this very subject, and I would suggest that the truths learned from that research are as relevant today as they were then. Below is the infographic ‘The Positive Power of Negative Word of Mouth’, which walks you through how to have an Action Plan for dealing with negative word of mouth. It’s good learning for all of us who are active in social media and want to ensure we’re building strong relationships with customers who will become referral partners for our business. Of course knowing our customers intimately and creating clear expectations will guide our business decisions and help us avoid the negative word of mouth in the first place.
In short, the Infographic recommends you develop a plan that includes the following:
- Test the temperature
Identity where your Negative Word of Mouth commentary is on the temperature range, as indicated by keyword choices.
Words that show CONCERN: Doubt, Surprise, Confusion
Words that signal RISK OF LEAVING: Disgusted, Angry, Outraged - Treat The “Hot-Negative”
Select and respond to the most vocal members posting negative comments.
Impact of the Hot-Negative posts:
Angry words and threats had a negative impact on downstream purchase frequency. - Support The Passion
Maintain ongoing communication especially when implementing a program change, to keep your most passionate members happy. - Respond Thoughtfully
Remind angry posters of your program’s benefits to boost downstream transactions. Your response reassures customers that the brand cares. - Go Public
Ensure that all customers who are reading the negative posts also see your positive response. - Conclusion
Outspoken critics often react angrily because they are actually among the brand’s most passionate customers. Arguing is not fun, but making up is, and a smart recovery plan can spur surprisingly positive behaviours from even the bitterest grumblers.
You don’t have to have a loyalty program to learn from this case study that if your business is active in social media, and it should be; that you need to have a plan to handle the negative word of mouth. These insights will help you develop a plan to turn negative feedback into a positive force to not only regain momentum with clients, but build a level of trust that takes those relationships to new heights.
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Outsourced Marketing is uniquely positioned to help you from a strategic standpoint and also from a day-to-day implementation perspective. We work with clients every day to build a great online reputation, protect and recover their reputation, and drive 5-star reviews that get picked up and repurposed on Google, their websites, Facebook, Twitter and other important channels. If you’d like to learn more about how we can make it easy for you: book a free discovery call or call us at 905-251-8178.
Taking it further
If you’d like to keep learning about this topic, check a great case study from Hallmark in this video:
Hallmark: Integrate social learning to help your organization become more consumer-focused, presented by Camille Lauer from SocialMedia.org on Vimeo.