10 Rules to recover from an online brand attack

These 10 rules to recovery should provide a practical approach for brands facing an online threat.

1. Humility
Before you can recover from an online brand attack, you have to be aware that your brand can be attacked - no matter how big it is or how untouchable it may seem.

2. Listen
Once you have a clear understanding of the scope of the possible effects of an online attack and are committed to maintaining a good reputation online, you’re half way there. Next you’ve got to understand how the process of consumer complaints has evolved. Use this understanding to guide your actions.

3. Act immediately!
One of the easiest ways to solve the majority of brand attacks is to respond quickly. A brand that shows it is listening and does indeed care, will go far when it comes to ensuring a solid online reputation. A conscious reaction is the only way forward - acknowledging what has been said and reacting accordingly.

4. If what they’re saying is false...
If the mention of your brand is factually incorrect, in a friendly tone, send the blogger (90% of the time it will be a blogger) evidence that they are wrong, ask for removal or retraction of the entry, and offer to keep them informed of future news. If no action is taken by the blog author, then add a comment.

5. If what they’re saying is true...
If it is true, learn from the “Dell Hell” phenomenon. If the mention is negative but true then send your side of the story and try as hard as you can to take it offline.

6. Keep the negative pages out of the search engines
Keeping more people from reading negative things about your brand is imperative. What you can do is knock them off the first page of the results with basic SEO topped with some social media page setups such as Squidoo and MySpace or forum posts. Keep adding pages and links until you’ve forced the offending pages out of sight.

7. Maintain communication
If you aren’t an active member of the online community, it tends to be a little harder to recover from an online attack. If your company doesn’t have a blog, start one. Participate in industry forums and chat rooms. Build genuine credibility as a member of these conversations and you’ll find that people will have more respect for you and your brand.

8. Engage in the conversation
Keep your brand in the face of consumers by engaging in the conversation. This could be done by making use of blogs, communicating with customers and being as open and honest as possible. Engaging in, and leading, the conversation allows you to build an authentic voice. If a crisis hits, you will be well placed to respond in a way that is authentic.

9. Care
If you truly care what your customers think then most of this will come naturally. That’s all people want. They give you their money; they just want some good service and respect in return.

10. Be prepared
No brand is immune to an online brand attack. The best brands have strategies in place to immediately identify a reputation crisis and respond to it quickly enough to stop the negative word of mouth spreading. If all else fails, apologise and move on. Bottom line - by making bloggers familiar with your voice, you will be better placed to respond to criticism. Consumers can spot last-minute corporate fire-fighting - they should know and trust your voice already.