How to turn negative branding into a public relations success story

Negative branding could be a make or break for your business. In a digitally dominated press landscape, a brand slip-up could go viral in seconds. Therefore, it’s crucial that you’re ready to handle the consequences.

People read local reviews of the businesses they interact with before making a purchase. This means that, now, brands can no longer hide from bad Public Relations (PR). Instead, many are using negative PR as a chance to jump into a viral position online and turn the story into a success. So, let’s take a closer look at how you can turn the tables in the wake of a PR crisis.

How Does Negative PR Impact Your Brand Reputation?

Media Relations play a vital role in the health of your business reputation. As a brand, creating a positive relationship with the media can see your business fly high amongst competitors. Those who connect with local journalists and powerful influencers and build a loyal online presence find themselves popular with target consumers and well-respected amongst the press. This, in turn, encourages sales and establishes the brand as an authoritative player within the industry.

However, those who find themselves in the thick of a PR storm see quite the opposite. Historically, brands that face negative press fall down quickly, especially in a competitive market. Without successful crisis control, negative branding can lead to:

Damage of reputation

If your business is the subject of negative press, it’s no surprise that your reputation is likely to be tarnished by the event. Depending on the scale of the brand error, companies can lose loyal followers, investors and even their pot within the industry. Whether it’s one product being questioned or the whole business is embroiled in scandal, it’s vital that a brand acts fast when targeted with negative press.

A drop in revenue

If a product or service is wrongly promoted or negatively spoken about in the press, your brand is likely to see a drop in sales. This could lead to an overall decline in revenue.

Loss of trust

Losing loyal customers is usually the last stage of a negative PR storm. These are your cheerleaders, and they are usually the ones who will hang on until the company begins to sink. While trust takes years to foster among consumers, it’s important to know that you can lose it in a moment.

While reputational damage is common when a brand is under fire from the press, fast thinking and positive crisis management can aid it in weathering the storm. The question is, could you take negative branding one step further? Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways you can turn negative PR into a branding success.

Respond to the mistake

The most obvious first step in turning negative branding into a PR success is to respond to the issue in question. When reconstructing your branding, transparency is often the best policy. Customers not only respect business honesty, but they are more likely to be forgiving if you own up and apologise for your mistake.

Whether it’s an error or timing, judgment or a product fault, most consumers believe in second chances, so a swift response time could leave your reputation intact.

Promote your brand as a problem solver

One way to attack negative PR is to re-promote your brand as a problem solver. If you come under fire for marketing misspeak or a product fault that has gone viral amongst your demographic, it’s time to solve the problem head-on.

Instead of allowing negative press to consume your reputation, generate positive press to counteract it. Release statements about the good things happening within the company and quickly counteract negative PR with a positive solution.

Humour is your greatest weapon

In times of trouble, humour is your greatest weapon. One of the key benefits of a negative press storm is that everybody is talking about your brand. Whether this is on social media or within the local news, now is the time to strike with a viral content strategy.

Target existing customers

Sometimes, the key to turning negative branding around is to target your customers directly. While connecting with influential media relations could see a negative piece of press taken down, the damage is often already done.

Existing consumers are usually the group most impacted by a negative branding mistake. Therefore, addressing their concerns as a priority could help you salvage your reputation. You should do this though existing channels of communication between you and your target leads. Address your customers directly in the form of social posts, live stories, newsletters and any other regular channel of communication.

Ride the viral wave

Last but not least, the most important thing to do is ride the viral wave. Negative press ultimately generates buzz around your brand. If you want to ensure that your reputation remains intact, it’s vital that you profit from a viral press storm.

Last line

As we navigate the future of negative PR management, the question still stands. Is all press good press? In some cases, the answer is no. In a marketing world driven by cancel culture, there are some mistakes you simply can’t escape. However, in most instances, turning the press on its head with a sprinkle of positive PR could not only save your reputation but send it soaring.