Business & Tech

Negative Word of Mouth: How to Turn it Around

Win over critics with this plan of action for when people are spreading negative word of mouth about your company.

By: Andy Sernovitz

Every business feels the pain of negative word of mouth at some point, whether it's from customer complaints, critics or just trolls.

But there's something you can do about it to make your upset customers happy again and win them over as a fan and advocate. That's why we recommend a plan of action for when people are spreading negative word of mouth about your company. 

Here's what to do:

  • Tell them what you can do to help: Most of the time, customers who complain just want to know you've heard their side of the story and that you're going to do something about it. Offer your apology and let them know what you're doing to fix the problem (then do it).
  • Be human: The people who took the time to send you negative feedback don't want a canned response from a PR person. They want a real person to understand what they're going through. Reply with your real name, in your own voice, and with human empathy. Another reason to be real: When people realize they're yelling at a real person, they usually become less angry and more willing to work something out.
  • Follow up: Always ask the customer if there's anything else you can do once the issue has been resolved. They'll be pleasantly surprised that you're genuinely interested in the outcome and ready to make things right. It's also another opportunity to do something awesome and personal, like send them a handwritten note.
  • Do it all publicly: While you may have the urge to hide negative word of mouth and fix the problem out of sight, it's better to keep your conversation public. Why? Other people are watching to see what happens. Show them you're listening, you're trustworthy, and that you care. That way you'll earn word of mouth from the person whose problem was resolved as well as everyone who witnessed it. 
How do you handle negative word of mouth?

Andy Sernovitz is the New York Times bestselling author of Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talkingand the fantastic blog “Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That!” He runs WordofMouth.org, where marketers and entrepreneurs learn to be great at word of mouth marketing, and SocialMedia.org, the community for social media leaders at the world’s greatest brands.

Photo credit: miuenski / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA


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