Online backlash is becoming an increasingly common experience for small businesses.Getty Images
Helen Yin knows how to work the internet.
Yin is the Toronto-based founder of Inoki Bathhouse, a small business that creates luxury at-home experiences inspired by bathhouses around the world. Since starting her business in 2021, Ms. Yin has built up a big online presence: Inoki has over 100,000 followers on Instagram and over 170,000 on TikTok.
At first, Inoki went viral for good reason: People loved her products and connected to Ms. Yin’s story, particularly a video she shared about her mother that has 1.6 million views.
However, she soon found herself facing major backlash online, seemingly for no other reason than landing on the wrong side of TikTok.
Critics said her products were too expensive and claimed that her bath tea bags “looked like garbage.” A TikTok video she posted showcasing her products has 2.6 million views and over 1600 comments, some likening the bath soak mixture to “brain juice” and “chicken broth.”
Another Inoki video went viral when Ms. Yin misspoke and called her products “chemical-free.” She meant to say there were no synthetic chemicals, but she still received an onslaught of online feedback saying she was fear-mongering.
“The comments section just scratches the surface of what people send me,” Ms. Yin says. “They’ll send e-mails, they’ll send DMs. They’ll find your personal account and send you DMs there. They’ll comment on your personal things.”
Online backlash like the kind Inoki has experienced is becoming increasingly common for businesses. So what can businesses do when people on the internet, en masse, come for them?
Kristi Piehl, the CEO of public relations agency Media Minefield, says that “100 per cent of the crises [they’re] dealing with today have a social media or online component.” That wasn’t the case even five years ago, she adds.
Below, Ms. Piehl shares her tips on responding to online backlash. Here is what to do when you go viral for the wrong reasons and how businesses can be pro-active against negative online feedback.
Plan ahead
“Every customer with a phone and a social media account is a reporter and they can damage or benefit your brand,” Ms. Piehl says. A lot of companies don’t understand that power until it’s too late. “They’re not leveraging the good stuff, and they’re not prepared for the bad stuff.”
Instead, Ms. Piehl says that businesses should be pro-active. Think through the ramifications of being online. Then, have a strategy ready to go in case the feedback is negative. Know exactly how to respond to backlash and stick to it. “The best time to be prepared for a crisis is way before it happens,” she says.
Take a beat
Ms. Piehl’s biggest advice for business owners who’ve gone viral for the wrong reason is to sleep on it. “Write your response in an e-mail to yourself, wake up in the morning and decide if it’s still a good idea to respond this way,” she says. “Most of the time, your emotions have settled down and you’re more clear-headed.” The worst thing you can do is respond without thinking it through and risk setting off more backlash.
Diffuse, not defend
It’s understandable why businesses go on the defensive when a deluge of negativity is hitting them, but Ms. Piehl says that the approach isn’t helpful. She recommends that businesses receiving negative reviews try to reach out to the customers and ask for their feedback. “Now, you’re asking the customer to take another step and you’re saying, ‘I hear you.’”
Plus, if you respond publicly to a negative comment in this way, it has the added benefit of showing other customers that you care about feedback. “It’s a really good look,” she says.
Keep posting
It’s tempting to stop posting to social media when you encounter the dark side of virality, but Ms. Piehl says that deleting accounts or halting content isn’t the right strategy either. Instead, take pride in your business and highlight the positives.
For example, create behind-the-scenes content, highlight staff members, or share more stories about why you’re passionate about the business. This creates positive messaging. “It’s much more difficult for customers to come after someone if they feel like they’re emotionally connected to the story of the business,” Ms. Piehl says.
Creating positive messaging online is what all businesses should do, even in times of crisis. It builds up a business’ reputation, strengthens the brand’s story and allows them to connect with customers, explains Ms. Piehl. “That is the power of social media that most small businesses miss.”
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