Marketing So Useful, People Would Pay For It- Radical Transparency

In the first edition of Homes.com’s “Marketing So Useful, People Would Pay For It,” we discussed the importance of self-serve information. This time around, we will explain why Jay Baer says that radical transparency is essential to building and maintaining relationships with your clients and prospects.

Transparency refers to the idea of operating your business in such a way that information, both good and bad, is made available for consumers. Jay Baer, one of the nation’s leading social media and marketing guru, says that the typical response to negative consumer reaction is to delete or ignore negative comments. Although this may seem like a quick fix, it could be detrimental to building trust with your customers in the long run.

While responding to negative comments may seem like an admission of guilt, today’s consumer will respect you far more if you acknowledge the problem and provide them with a solution. Baer recommends not running away from the problem; instead, hit it head on by sharing helpful resources or providing an explanation of how you plan to fix the issue.

Baer referenced a situation where McDonald’s responded to snide comments about the quality of their food by filming a response video that featured a family-owned farm that supplies the restaurant with beef. By producing this video, McDonald’s not only addressed the issue, but they were able to humanize their brand by connecting with consumers on a personal level. If McDonald’s would have simply swept this negative feedback under the rug, it would have eventually caused scrutiny formed into a much larger problem.

Negative comments are always going to surface, and let’s be honest, there’s not a lot that we can do about it. With that being said, if you handle it in a way that shows you have the interests of your clients and prospects in mind, you’ll win them over every time. Being transparent shows that you not only care about your customer’s individual experiences, but you are always looking for a way to improve it.

Visit us on Facebook to share your experiences about dealing with negative feedback and how you ultimately handled the situation. Also, don’t forget to leave a comment on our page or on the bottom of this blog for a chance to win a free copy of Jay Baer’s book “YouTility”, where he explains the ins and outs of marketing and shares tactics that can be used to grow your business!