Lately, I've been hearing stories of upset customers voicing their complaints online.
The companies that have caused them to bad mouth them on the internet become vulnerable to all the people who will read the complaint and base their decision to not do business with the same company.
How far this negative word of mouth advertising can go and the overall effect it can have on the company is hard to register but we do know that news on the internet spreads faster than news anywhere else.
If I want to have lunch at Chipotle and Google the name to find a location nearby, any negative blogs or reviews will pop up in the search results.
Perhaps I will come across a review that says the chicken was cold and the tortilla tasted stale.
The psychological impact of that complaint on a hungry person can change a person's mind.
I prefer a tasty, warm meal so I'm likely to take my money to another place I can get a burrito.
Now, if I read the same complaint but saw a response to it from Chipotle, explaining, apologizing and promising to fix things, I might find myself forgiving Chipotle for it's mistake.
Chipotle's response will let me know the restaurant cares enough to respond to complaints, that Chipotle is not fearful of a little criticism and is strong enough to accept it's weaknesses and make things better.
I will gain respect for the company and that means I will talk of them in a complimentary manner to others.
This is why blogging is a great tool to be used by businesses to manage customer relations and influence consumer behavior.
Instead of shying away from bad reviews and blogs, companies should confront negative social media marketing directly.
Blogging actually makes bad reviews a positive opportunity for companies.
Most people understand that an angry blogger is a victim of their own emotions and may be exaggerating a little but when we don't see a rebuttal from the company being attacked, we settle for one side of the story.
If we repeat the story to our friend over lunch, they will draw their own conclusions and the negativity towards the company has the potential to grow.
However, when a company responds to a complaint, professionally and apologetically (because the "customer is always right"), we have two sides of a story and are able to make a better judgement.
In order to respond to complaints, the business must find all the negative blogs and posts directed at their company.
While this might sound time consuming, it is a great investment for a company to make.
Blogging should be considered when companies invest in social media marketing.
Hiring a team to just focus on blogging will put your name out on the internet and rectify bad relationships caused by unhappy customers.
Most importantly, the attention given to complaints should make the company stronger because every customer should walk away satisfied after doing business with the company.
If you have unhappy customers, it's your job as a responsible business to rectify the problem - that is, if you want to stay in business.
Some large companies probably wont be too impacted by critical or complaint blogs but nonetheless, responding in a customer-friendly manner might impress others who've never done business with the company.
Blogging is nothing more than word of mouth and every business understands the importance of word of mouth advertising and how much it can influence consumer behavior.
By blogging, companies are able to put the power of words back into their own hands, or should I say, at the tips of their fingers.
Happy blogging.
The companies that have caused them to bad mouth them on the internet become vulnerable to all the people who will read the complaint and base their decision to not do business with the same company.
How far this negative word of mouth advertising can go and the overall effect it can have on the company is hard to register but we do know that news on the internet spreads faster than news anywhere else.
If I want to have lunch at Chipotle and Google the name to find a location nearby, any negative blogs or reviews will pop up in the search results.
Perhaps I will come across a review that says the chicken was cold and the tortilla tasted stale.
The psychological impact of that complaint on a hungry person can change a person's mind.
I prefer a tasty, warm meal so I'm likely to take my money to another place I can get a burrito.
Now, if I read the same complaint but saw a response to it from Chipotle, explaining, apologizing and promising to fix things, I might find myself forgiving Chipotle for it's mistake.
Chipotle's response will let me know the restaurant cares enough to respond to complaints, that Chipotle is not fearful of a little criticism and is strong enough to accept it's weaknesses and make things better.
I will gain respect for the company and that means I will talk of them in a complimentary manner to others.
This is why blogging is a great tool to be used by businesses to manage customer relations and influence consumer behavior.
Instead of shying away from bad reviews and blogs, companies should confront negative social media marketing directly.
Blogging actually makes bad reviews a positive opportunity for companies.
Most people understand that an angry blogger is a victim of their own emotions and may be exaggerating a little but when we don't see a rebuttal from the company being attacked, we settle for one side of the story.
If we repeat the story to our friend over lunch, they will draw their own conclusions and the negativity towards the company has the potential to grow.
However, when a company responds to a complaint, professionally and apologetically (because the "customer is always right"), we have two sides of a story and are able to make a better judgement.
In order to respond to complaints, the business must find all the negative blogs and posts directed at their company.
While this might sound time consuming, it is a great investment for a company to make.
Blogging should be considered when companies invest in social media marketing.
Hiring a team to just focus on blogging will put your name out on the internet and rectify bad relationships caused by unhappy customers.
Most importantly, the attention given to complaints should make the company stronger because every customer should walk away satisfied after doing business with the company.
If you have unhappy customers, it's your job as a responsible business to rectify the problem - that is, if you want to stay in business.
Some large companies probably wont be too impacted by critical or complaint blogs but nonetheless, responding in a customer-friendly manner might impress others who've never done business with the company.
Blogging is nothing more than word of mouth and every business understands the importance of word of mouth advertising and how much it can influence consumer behavior.
By blogging, companies are able to put the power of words back into their own hands, or should I say, at the tips of their fingers.
Happy blogging.