I mentioned that I had a great experience using Uber to get around DC. Within days, people started sending me negative articles about what an awful company they are. True or not doesn’t matter here: A company that earns bad word of mouth (especially one that provides a great service) is in trouble. It takes […]
Bad reviews can be good for your brand
January 17, 2014
No business wants a bad review. But they can be an early warning that something is going very wrong in a local market. Check out these reviews for La-Z-Boy’s Austin dealers. It takes extraordinarily bad work to get reviews this bad, for this long. This is great news for the national brand — if they […]
Bad situations are great opportunities to earn word of mouth
December 14, 2013
This is a post from our WordofMouth.org project. Check it out for more great word of mouth marketing tips like this every day. Because our world is run by humans, it’s a given that things will go wrong. At some point, something is going to break. Maybe it’s your fault, maybe not. The details won’t […]
The right way to own a mistake
November 13, 2013
Back in 2012, Jawbone was getting a lot of heat for their buggy and unreliable Up fitness device. So they did something really smart: They offered a complete, no-questions-asked, 100% refund — and you could keep the product. There’s no doubt that they saved a ton of customers — and their reputation. The lesson: By far […]
3-Minute WOM Lesson: 3 tips to defuse a word of mouth crisis
August 20, 2013
This is a post from our WordofMouth.org project. Check it out for more great word of mouth marketing tips like this every day. Bad things happen to good companies. Sometimes it’s your fault, sometimes it’s bad luck. But it’s how you respond that matters. A few tips: 1. Never underestimate the power of a sincere […]
5 real-life examples of how to convert almost any situation into positive word of mouth
June 18, 2013
Here’s a guest post Jeff Frank, owner of Simplicity Sofas — a company that designs and manufactures furniture for small rooms and narrow entranceways, wrote for our WordofMouth.org project. Check it out for more great word of mouth marketing tips like this every day. Simplicity Sofas is a furniture manufacturer who sells products direct to […]
How a 2-star Amazon review makes thousands of sales
June 17, 2013
Check this out: Someone posted a two-star review for the EatSmart scale. And the company handled it so well that it’s now the best reason to buy the product. Here’s the play-by-play: 1. Here’s the full review, where a customer complained about bad batteries. 2. The company saw the complaint and immediately replaced the product. This […]
5 defenses against negative word of mouth
May 7, 2013
This is a post from our WordofMouth.org project. Check it out for more great word of mouth marketing tips like this every day. Everyone experiences negative word of mouth. Even the most beloved companies in the world make mistakes. Your job is to actively respond to negative word of mouth and prevent it from spreading. Here are […]
Just say it. Don’t lawyer it.
April 28, 2013
Great advice from Fortune’s Becky Quick: In response to a lawsuit claiming that they were watering down the beer, Anheuser-Busch released this statement: “These claims against Anheuser-Busch are completely false, and these lawsuits are groundless. Our beers are in full compliance with all alcohol labeling laws.” A better response might have been: “We never have […]
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