Uphill struggle against real and fake voices of dissent / outrage
There has been a lot of outrage in the news recently over various events whether it be Jeremy Clarkson’s rant about strikers on the ONE show or the recent outcry regarding comments on the Wright Stuff. The internet and especially Social Media has been used to highlight peoples’ outrage or otherwise. We have become a nation of armchair critics and it is affecting business. So can we protect ourselves both in our business and personal lives from attacks on our reputation.
As businesses and individuals we are all exposed to the constant barrage of information floating around the web. People are talking about us whether we know it or not and what they are discussing can potentially harm our reputation. Often the on-line critics have never experienced the product / service / event they are commenting on or being outraged about.
This is especially so in the tourism market where sites like Trip Advisor have been both a benefit and a bane for the businesses. The unmoderated comments / reviews on sites like this have attracted the attention of the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) who have been called upon to investigate.
Channel 4 recently aired a documentary regarding some of the more prolific real reviewers and the businesses struggling to cope with the stress of the negative nit-picking reviews.
The explosion of fake reviews are eroding trust in the internet as a source of recommendations on products and services as users. Often the reviews are created in their thousands by firms looking to skew results in their favour.
Who can you trust? We have just decided not to buy an item on Ebay from a seller with a 50% rating. Could we have trusted them to deliver or were we swayed by the masses?
Indeed allot of people using the internet are swayed by the masses every day, whether it be product reviews on sites or by outraged individuals posting on Social Media sites whose indignation goes viral.
Such as in the case of Clarkson (most people didn’t actually see the original ONE show as most people don’t actually watch it). Similarly the furore over the Jonathan Ross / Russell Brand Sachsgate a couple of years ago was fueled by the masses, most of whom never heard the original show.
We have become a nation of sheep! Following the flock.
So as a business how can you weather the storm.
- Well in the first instance its always a good idea not to be an “Eejit” in the first place and don’t make any gaffs. This can be hard to do, but not hiring an inexperienced Marketing Executive to be in charge of social media campaigns can help. See Habitat, Quantas.
- If you do do something wrong, it is best to measure your reaction / response so it doesn’t exacerbate the original issue. Matthew Wrights response in telling people to “Grow Up!” is not not necessarily very helpful.
- If you are in the right, defend yourself! Recently, actress Jo Page was castigated on Twitter for doing a voice over on a programme that offended a Twitter user. She hit right back on the network, as it was actually another actress that did the voiceover.
- Jo was supported in her defence by her followers. As businesses we have followers / customers / advocates who know and trust us and we should be able to lean upon to defend against unjust / wrong allegations
- Keep an eye on what is being said about you on-line. Use services like Google Alerts, Social Mention or Twitter Search.
- Keep calm and factual – don’t get emotional. Don’t get riled up by the trolls.
- Last resort get you lawyer to fire off a letter. Often this can nip false allegations in the bud.
Conclusion
Giving us a voice through the internet is positive however we seem to be slipping back to the old days where we were told how to think by the controlled media. Now we are being told what to think by following the masses. We need to have a mind of our own. As businesses although we need to be mindful of the ever changing landscapes we need to forge our own way forward. Only last week there are concerns in the media that the audience is directing what we watch. Is this a good thing?
Tags: brand, business relationships, emotional behaviour, social media
