eMarketSouth Central

If you don’t, someone else will. Believe it or not, there are people who make their living writing blogs about businesses. And there are thousands others who look for these blogs to express their opinions of services and experiences… not always positive.

Let’s review Spirit Airlines for a moment. A blogger had a very bad experience on their airlines in August, so he decided to share his frustration with friends and family. Well, several hundred other people decided to share theirs, including an email sent out from the CEO of the company telling his subordinates to ignore the complaints, that their business wasn’t important to him.

So, what’s the harm that could come from a negative blog? How about that page ranking third in Google when people put in your business name? Yes, so many other bloggers linked to Alex’s blog that for a good long time (and even today) he was the third of all search results for Spirit Airlines.

So, what are some lessons to be learned here? First off, be careful when hitting the reply-all on your email. Second, don’t put anything in writing if you don’t want other people to know about it. Third, keep your customers first.

Use your blog to connect with your customers. Allow it to create a dialog between you and them. Be prepared that some posts may not make you happy, but it is a way for you to find out how your services are working and what can be improved. Think of it as getting a focus group for free. And don’t forget to make your contact information available. Hiding it from your customers won’t keep them quiet about their complaints.

Tags: Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, eMarketSouth //