Many of the ways that you could market your business open you up to receiving feedback from the audience receiving your message. For some business owners, the idea of creating conversation with your audience is appealing and invigorating. For others, the idea of getting negative engagement – especially in forums that are publicly visible – is scary. So, what do you do when you are worried about getting negative engagement on your marketing channels?
First and foremost, don’t avoid marketing your business because you are afraid of negative engagement. And don’t restrict yourself from ways of marketing your business that could otherwise be productive for you because you are afraid of receiving negative feedback.
Don’t avoid marketing your business because you are afraid of negative engagement. #marketing #smallbusiness #smallbiz #smb #biztips #business
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If you are actively avoiding creating conversation with the few who may have a bone to pick with you, you are also actively avoiding conversation with those who may be a discussion away from buying something from you.
When you think about where to market your business, make decisions based on what seems to make the most sense for reaching your audience, what will be a suitable way of showcasing your brand and offerings, and what you will actually do…consistently. Rather than automatically ruling out the places you may feel fear about marketing because you worry about negative engagement, keep those options on your list with the intention that you will game plan in advance for how you will respond.
In truth, there are so many ways you can market your business that could open you up to receiving criticism or questions. This includes anywhere people can leave reviews, social media, public speaking, vendor booths at tradeshows or other public events, networking. When you start to think about all the ways you can market your business online or offline, you will begin to see that most marketing channels are designed to create conversation. And that could be a great thing for your business!
Nonetheless, the worry of receiving negative engagement could still be keeping you up at night. If that sounds like your situation, my recommendation is to game plan now for what you will say to the most likely of negative comments. Be your own PR machine for your business. Get in front of it. By planning your responses – or at least creating boilerplate language that can be used for a variety of scenarios – well before a situation arises that requires you to use them, you will have the advantage of a clear head as you decide what you want to say.
Game plan now for what you will say to the most likely of negative comments. #marketing #business #smallbusiness #smallbiz #smb #biztips
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What are some scenarios that could come up?
- A customer has an issue with something they bought from you – This is a great opportunity for the public to see that you care about your customers and that you will resolve issues. Let them know you are sorry for the inconvenience. Decide beforehand what options will be viable for resolving issues, such as replacing a product, offering a discount on a future purchase, reimbursing them, customer support for technical challenges, etc. If you know now what will be viable for you, it won’t seem like as big a decision when it is time to offer it. Don’t be afraid to show them you care and give them a channel for continuing the conversation offline or out of a public forum.
- Someone has concerns about your offerings and doesn’t seem to be the right fit for what you sell. Sometimes people want something that isn’t really the product or service you are offering, and you are a step in their process of finding what they need somewhere else. Other times, your value system or the way you do business isn’t in alignment with what they need. This is a great opportunity for you to reiterate what you do – publicly – so that the right people can be weeded in. You can couple this with a recommendation that may be more suitable for them if you have one. If you prefer, give a simple statement about what you DO offer. “Thanks for your question! Our product is ideal for those who are looking for….”
- The way you marketed or what you marketed didn’t take into account some other market condition or a conflicting event. If something like this happens and you get direct feedback about it, often that feedback will be specific. “I wish I could go to this, but (insert other event) is happening that night.” “This is a good idea, but the neighborhood is going through a tough time right now with the road construction project.” If you get pertinent information from your audience that was a factor you didn’t know about, thank them. They are doing you a favor by informing you, no matter how it might come across. Let them know you are going to talk it over or think on it and see what the best way forward is. Or, if it doesn’t change your plans, let them know that – but be clear that you appreciate their reaching out to you and apologize to those who may be inconvenienced.
Even with just these few high-level examples, you can start to see that what you fear isn’t as unknown as you might think it is. If you prep some language ahead of time for your biggest concerns, then you won’t need to rehash it if you do receive negative engagement on those topics. All you have to do is activate the plan.
When it comes to marketing, conversation and community building is your friend. This is a great time to arm yourself with the language you need to go forward confidently.
The post Afraid of Negative Engagement on Your Marketing Channels? appeared first on Melissa Forziat.