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One Site’s Bad Publicity Can Be Another’s Bonanza

October 9, 2007 - Filed under: web design — Tags:

There has been more and more written about how to manage your companies reputation in the new online world. A world where a small misstep can be picked up upon, not just by traditional media, but by a world of bloggers and social media. I have even talked about how the RIAA is doing bad for their members.

I once had a boss many years ago who told me that “There is no such thing as bad publicity! After a short while all they will remember is your name.” I didn’t believe him at first, but over the years I have come to believe that it is, in fact, true.

The thing is that if what you’re doing to get the bad publicity is a mistake then the first thing to do is to stop making the mistake. The next thing to do is to own up to it, apologize and move on. Then eventually most people will “only remember your name”. Nothing makes a person (or business) look more rigid, petty and small than to continue to blindly defend what they know is a mistake, but it happens every day. The bad publicity will continue to pile up and you will not be allowed to move on.

What happens if the bad publicity happens to one of your competitors? My general rule of thumb is not to ever mention a competitor in your own advertising, but in this case there are some great opportunities to turn bad publicity from one of your competitors into good publicity for you, but only if you act quickly. Jennifer Laycock has a post called “Don’t Just Manage Your Reputation, Respond to Your Competitor’s” on this very subject. It’s a good read.

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2 Comments »

  1. […] I wrote the other day about how many companies just don’t understand just exactly how bad publicity can have a negative effect on their business on the web these days. How social media can take one person’s negative opinion and if left alone can spread faster than wildfire. […]

    Pingback by Good Publicity Can Spread Fast, Too — October 23, 2007 @ 8:57 am

  2. […] Read More About Bad Publicity On The Web […]

    Pingback by Blockbuster And Bad Customer Service — February 25, 2008 @ 9:11 am

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