As a business you will try your best to provide quality products and services to your customers. However, no business is perfect and some glitches might occur along the way that might give your customers an unpleasant experience and affect corporate branding. Be it the product itself or the delivery, packaging, after sale services, return procedures, refund, experience with the staff in the outlets, etc. there are many things that could possibly go wrong. It is very common for such customers to convey their displeasure on the internet. Every review and rating about your company is actually affecting your brand image. It is shaping the perspectives of your leads towards your brand. Also, sometimes, if the negativity on the social media marketing platforms if not attended at the right time in the right manner, things may get out of control and gravely affect the brand image, sales, etc of your company.

How to use ORM to fix negative branding

In order to avert any major dents to your brand image, it is extremely necessary to be present on every platform on which your customers are talking about you and address their issues. Online relationship management (ORM) is all about having a proactive presence across all digital channels where your brand is being discussed by the audience and to address and acknowledge their grievances if any. It is important to make sure that no one is spreading false information about your brand. It is not just a powerful tool in protecting brand image but also an equally important tool for building a strong brand image. ORM goes a long way in building trust among the public for your brand and that’s what marketing is ultimately all about.
Here are some ways to fix a negative brand image.

Here are some ways to fix a negative branding.

1. Have an active online presence

First and foremost, it’s important to have an active online presence on all the social media platforms you are being talked about. Also, it is important that your company’s ORM team is easily reachable.

2. Acknowledge the issue quickly

Most dissatisfied customers expect a reply as soon as possible. You don’t want a slightly unhappy customer to be fuming with rage just because you delayed in replying. It also gives you an opportunity to show all those who visit your business profile that you care about your customers.

3. Get full knowledge about the issue before you address it.

Addressing the issue is completely different from acknowledging it. While acknowledging an issue merely means letting a person know that you’re are listening and willing to help them but addressing is about actually helping them. Before you start addressing, get all the details from the customer as well as your company about the issue. Or else, it will only lead to further miscommunications.

4. Addressing an issue publicly

While some choose to address the issue in public, e.g. guiding your customers through a series of tweets, etc. some address it in public by chatting, calling or direct messaging. Both the ways have some pros and cons. Addressing an issue in public helps built public trust. It also helps you clarify your side of the story if the customer is merely blowing a tiny issue out of proportion.

5. Addressing an issue personally

Addressing an issue out of the public eye gives it a more personal touch. Having a one on one discussion can facilitate a free and hesitation free conversation between you and your customer.

6. Apologize if necessary.

Do apologize if there has been a mistake from your end. People understand that mistakes do happen at times. A lot of online shoppers faced technical glitches while shopping on Flipkart during the “big billion day” sale leading to a distrust about the brand among the public. Flipkart sent an apology email to all their subscribers as well as printed a public apology in the newspapers for the same and also promised that they will make sure such an incident doesn’t repeat.

7. If there are too many bad reviews, try to increase your good reviews

Ask your customers who are happy with your services to post good reviews. The chances of an unsatisfied customer posting a bad review are much higher than that of satisfied customers posting good reviews. Don’t let the negative comments take over the review space.

8. Take down the reviews that are sheer lies

It is not common to find blatant lies being said about your brand online. There will be some nuisance creators who will try to sabotage your brand image. If you have enough proof to prove the lies, you can ask the platform to take down those comments.

9. Keep bad reviews as well

Flooding your page with just good reviews will make it looked rigged. It’s ok to let some negative reviews surface occasionally as it makes the review page look organic.

10. Ask for reviews and ratings.

If your business has no ratings or reviews, your prospective leads will go for your competitors who have good reviews and ratings. It’s important that you ask your customers to rate and review your products.

11. Be polite, come what may

No matter how loud or rude your customers are, it is always necessary for the ORM team to maintain their calm and be polite. If you happen to lose your calm, it may affect the company’s image in a worse manner.

It has been observed that an unhappy customer if attended successfully would return to buy your products or services. Hence, it is extremely important to have an ORM team handling customer grievances. There are many agencies that offer professional ORM services and would be more than happy to help you manage your customers on the internet.

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