Negative PR has a way of sticking with a consumer long after the scandal or poor press has faded. But how a company responds to an incident can determine just how bad the damage is. In the case of United Airlines, offering a cold apology after a passenger was bloodied and removed from a plane by security after a flight was overbooked was criticized by the public. It was so intense that United finally offered a more meaningful apology and financial settlement with the passenger. But it was too late. The public will likely remember the shocking incident every time they book a flight.

However, negative PR can be spun into a positive with the right approach and turn your critics into fans. From tackling the rumors to taking responsibility, here’s how you restore your image and get PR turned around.

Address the Rumors

Popular and growing brand are often targets of rumors and misinformation that spread like wildfire online. Amway knows how pervasive rumors can be, and tackles them directly. Amway offers independent business owners the chance to build and grow a direct sales business. However, rumors persisted that the company was just another pyramid scheme. In reality, pyramid schemes are wrought with financial fraud that doesn’t offer any real commercial activity like direct sales.

Instead of just ignoring the rumors or attacking critics, Amway re-educates its audience and spreads the word about its real business model through videos, content marketing and speaking directly to critics. When you don’t have anything to hide and know the rumors are false, you can stand confidently and shrug off the negative to stand out from your competition.

Engage Your Critics

It can be instinctual to either hide from your critics or lash out at them to take their criticism head to head. In reality, engaging them and talking through their issues with your product or service on a call or in person and work through how you can resolve it. Sometimes disgruntled customers just want to be seen and heard, and validating their concerns and resolving it can turn them into your most loyal customers.

You can also address your critics in a public way, like on social media and talk openly about their issues. Spend more time listening than responding and keep things professional but friendly to avoid a stiff, detached tone. The more people see you truly caring and taking the time to engage on social media, the more likely they are to trust your company.

Stay Transparent, No Matter What

McDonald’s hasn’t exactly been known for its focus on health and nutrition, although they are moving to more balanced options like apple slices. But instead of pretending not to notice the unflattering misinformation and rumors about its food, they launched an, “Our food. Your questions.” campaign in Canada. They earned millions of visitors and thousands of questions and took the campaign seriously. Instead of just giving the slick talk about its menu and talking customers in circles, they shared video footage of its beef processing plant to show its patties were made from real cows.

Stick to a high-level of transparency, even if the customer questions or experience is uncomfortable. When you stand tall during the highs and lows, it’s easier for your customers to embrace the integrity of your brand.

But the real foundation for turning negative PR into a positive is taking responsibility for whatever happened in your business. Whether you’re addressing rumors, engaging your critics or staying transparent; it requires humbling yourself to the responsibility and facing up to the issue at hand. Get that step right and the rest will fall into place.

Shift Frequency © 2018 – Ways for Turning Negative PR Into a Positive