At SEM Days 2012, Lucian DESPOIU (Kondiment) gave this idea on an approach on how to do reputation management: rather than openly talk about a subject online, take the discussion outside.
The argument goes like this:
- Avoid chatting in public about the problem. People will only remember „Oh, there was a fight / argument between the brand and the customer”.
- People will not remember who won the fight. It’s irrelevant who wins the fight.
- On the other hand, do try and give a basic solution online. Something like „Sure, we’ll solve this problem by … I suggest we continue the discussion via …”.
- As a side note, it’s usually great if you handle the situation yourself. Avoid having other people talk about your brand online.