People are talking about your company in a negative. It’s true. If you believe you are flawless and that everyone sees you in a positive way, you need to get a handle on things. Failing to acknowledge that everyone does not like your brand might be fatal to your business. Your online reputation means everything in today’s business world.

While some people have it worse than others, there is a fair probability that some people have gone to the internet to express their dissatisfaction with the situation. Some of it is likely from trolls and competitors, while others are likely to be well-deserved by the recipients. In either case, you must keep tabs on your internet reputation to maintain control over your company’s image.

When consumers relinquish control of their online presence, it can be devastating to a company’s reputation. If you want to ensure that no harmful content has been posted in these areas, you should monitor them regularly as part of your marketing strategy. If it has, you must include it into your overall strategy for controlling it.

Social Media

People dissatisfied with your company’s products or services are increasingly turning to social media to vent their grievances. It is simple for them to accomplish, and they are often able to craft a complaint so that it garners sympathy and support from those around them. If you don’t keep an eye on your social media presence, it can soon spiral out of control.

According to Venture Beat, “[people] complain about businesses an incredible 879 million times a year on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media networks.” “Every single day, a whole ten percent of us find something to express our displeasure over publicly.”

So, what can you do to keep any issues on social media to a minimum? Monitor all social media platforms and reply to concerns as quickly as possible. You may even have a little fun with it if you like. A recent interaction between Wendy’s and a Twitter troll serves as an excellent illustration. I don’t propose that you do this with every complaint, but you get the gist of the concept.

When it comes to customer service, each social media platform should be treated differently. Using the social media guide to customer service supplied by BufferApp is a terrific place to start. Even though the book does not cover all social media platforms, it is a fantastic place to begin.

Yelp

Yelp is a review website that most businesses strive to avoid using. When consumers are disappointed with your product or service, it is one of the first websites that they turn to vent their frustrations at you. However, it may also be a valuable tool for maintaining and growing your brand’s reputation.

So why would you be interested in Yelp? For example, consider the fact that it is the most trusted source of internet reviews among consumers. People are looking at your Yelp reviews to assess whether or not they want to do business with you. If you fail to maintain control over your online presence on Yelp, you allow others to determine how wonderful you are without even expressing your case. Your company should consider employing online review management tactics to aid in the shaping of the dialogue surrounding your product or service.

Even though Yelp filters reviews (as shown in the screenshot below), this does not imply that they will catch every negative comment written by a trolling. It also does not mean that falsely negative reviews will be removed from the site. If you receive unfavorable feedback, you must respond to it, demonstrating to potential customers that you are concerned about their issues as well.

One of the advantages of Yelp is that it is less difficult to deal with than websites such as RipOffReport. If you believe someone is breaking Yelp’s terms and conditions, you can contact them to have them look into it, and if they are found to be in violation, the review will be filtered. This is the most effective method of dealing with trolls that spread false information about your company even though they have never used your services.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an excellent marketing tool. Of course, you must first determine whether or not you are eligible to have a Wikipedia article before you even consider making one. Most businesses do not qualify, but it is always a good idea to double-check to see whether a page has been built. You may also be listed on another page if your name is related to something significant in the news recently.

Because anyone may alter Wikipedia, there is a reasonable probability that trolls will target your article and deface it. Sadly, Mitt Romney discovered this hard when his given name was changed from “Mitt” to something less flattering.

The vast majority of vandalism is swiftly rectified on Wikipedia. Those that promote a specific point of view about your company, on the other hand, should be avoided.

One of the smartest Wiki-Hackers, in my opinion, isn’t a content editor at all; instead, he merely employs a well-liked editorial account on Talk Pages, which helps to swing the discussion in favor of preserving or removing links and content. In rare cases, the Talker will recommend that specific edits be made rather than making changes. If there is no opposition, the Talker will complete the modifications using a secondary or anonymous account.”

It is possible to suggest revisions to articles on the talk page of the respective articles when you spot an issue where information about you is being twisted in the wrong way.

Pissed Consumer and RipOffReport

RipOffReport (and its cousin, Pissed Consumer) are two of the most despised websites by brands, and they are also two of the most challenging locations to remedy unfavorable material. Consumers can file complaints about you on the site, and the site has a policy of not removing any material, even if you can demonstrate that the information is untrue.

It would be best if you kept an eye on RipOffReport because the process of removing harmful material can take a long time. First, you can pay to be enrolled in the firm’s “corporate advocacy” program, which is essentially nothing more than the corporation investigating complaints against you and sending the findings to the appropriate authorities.

The other option is to file a lawsuit against anyone who has posted a defamatory report on the internet. It is important to note that suing the website is pointless because they are protected by federal law. It will be necessary for you to track down the person who filed the report. To de-index the complaint page from Google, you must first file a lawsuit, receive a judgment, and then use that judgment to de-index the complaint page from Google. It is feasible to have RipOffReport postings removed from Google, despite the difficulty of doing so.

To bring a lawsuit against the individual who filed the report, you must have a legitimate basis to do so. If it is a genuine complaint, the best thing you can do is respond on the website with your side of the story, which will be posted on the website. Please keep in mind that the more times you “ping” the complaint page (including by writing rebuttal comments), the more likely it is that Google will rank the page higher because it will detect that the page is receiving more traffic than usual.

Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau (“BBB”) is a non-profit organization that keeps track of consumer complaints and acts as a go-between to help businesses and consumers resolve disputes. Consider it to be similar to Yelp, but with the addition of a referee.

Complaints filed against you with the Better Business Bureau must be addressed immediately since they might harm your business.

In an interview with Small Biz Trends, Sandy Gamby stated that “it is not always only a complaint that can ruin a business’s brand.” “At some point, almost every firm receives a complaint. However, if the number of complaints is excessive when compared to the size of your business; if there is a pattern in which the same type of complaint is lodged repeatedly; or if the complaint is deemed serious, such as when a customer pays for something and does not receive anything in return,” says the author.

The first thing I propose is that you become recognized by your local Better Business Bureau. Once you have verified your name, address, telephone number, web address, and other information, the Better Business Bureau will know where to direct any complaints if they occur. A report that goes unanswered because they don’t know how to get in touch with you could negatively impact your rating.

If someone files a complaint against you with the Better Business Bureau, you can respond to the complaint and even collaborate with the original complainant to find a resolution. BBB will then notify you if a solution to the issue has been reached and assign you a “grade” based on that information.

Final Word

If you do come across lousy information, you must be prepared to respond to that information. Complaints that are deserving of attention must be addressed correctly so that others may see that you are attending to legitimate issues. Trolling is a different situation, and you may need the assistance of an online reputation management company to deal with them. Regardless of your response, keep in mind that all of these websites will appear in search results at some point. Turning a blind eye and failing to address any of the lodged complaints will undoubtedly result in your company going out of business due to a negative online reputation.