The online reputation of a company can make or break it where the public perception rules all in the digital landscape. A bad review or an old tweet from an employee or executive can be shared or doctored with libelous intent then go viral, hurting the individual or company. While there are a number of legal routes in extreme circumstances, there are strategies businesses can take to protect against online defamation or the past creeping up and causing unnecessary problems.
Many online forums have become popular in recent years designed to ‘out’ bad people or companies for past personal mistakes or alleged bad business practice. While the benefit of giving people a voice and hold people or businesses to account is undeniable, online forums are often not arbitrated and information can be hard to track. ComplaintsBoard.com is one such
site which allows users to post unvetted complaints about companies. Governed by U.S Law, freedom of speech is favoured over privacy resulting in great difficulty for the average person trying to remove. A removal service through reputation management can be the best and most efficient way to protect your company.
In the forum of public opinion, people tend to focus on the negative and are always quicker to complain than to praise. Whether with or without merit, poor ratings through comments or spamming can harm your business’ reputation. Before reasonable doubt can be established, the public will have already made up its mind.
After taking action to set the digital record straight, it’s always a good idea to protect from further problems. Establishing an online presence in order to engage with your client-base. And encouraging your customers to share their experiences on social media and your website can help build a positive online reputation. When a bad review comes in, respond to it promptly while attempting to rectify their issue. In the event of an unreasonable or even libelous comment meant to harm the business, offer examples of your company policies and examples from satisfied customer base to show readers the comment is without merit. While not every attempt to dis-credit a business is transparent, a good response strategy can easily sow the public the real intent of the negative content.
In extreme cases, if someone is attempting to defame your business with libelous statements or reviews, there are legal routes to take. A legal representative can work to have defamatory content removed from internet sites and searches as well as seek compensation from the perpetrators through IP address identification.
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