Not everyone is going to be your friend. It wasn’t true in high school, and it certainly isn’t true on the Internet – which is just an extension of that gossip-obsessed, drama-filled, name-calling institution. As your online presence grows, your blog, your website, or your social networking pages will attract negative attention, but there’s no reason or need to engage these perpetual teenagers.
Focus on your friends, not your enemies. Statistically speaking, you will always have more non-customers than customers. With billions of people in the world, you simply will never be able to attain majority approval. And even if you just take into account those individuals who have at least been exposed to you, your brand, or your company, there will always be naysayers. So focus on your loyal customers. Having a few thousand, or even a few hundred, regular customers can be all a company needs to stay solvent. And the subsequent word-of-mouth marketing is going to benefit you so much more than any negative word-of-mouse marking on the Internet.
You can’t please everybody all the time. Even having a massive team to woo those pesky haters all day will not result in 100 percent agreement; it just won’t happen. Whether it is loneliness, boredom, or incompetence, some people have nothing better to do than troll discussion boards. Don’t beat yourself up over it; focus on the positive.
People are jealous of success. They see you have a good idea, a good product, or a good service and wish they had the work ethic it takes. Instead, they’re stuck (in their parents’ basement?) angry about how they were unable to achieve the same level of success. They are quick to blame their own failures on the product being a scam or a scheme when, in reality, they expected to get rich without ever putting in the effort. So they’re not just jealous of your success, but also of your work ethic.
Prove them wrong. If you really want to counteract all the haters, if you really want to show them the high road, succeed. Don’t stoop to their level, participating in online discussions which devolve into nothing more than name calling and irrational arguments. Don’t comment at all. Just work harder. Show them that your business is not a scam, that you really do provide your customers with the service they need, and that your dedication and perseverance is what makes you what you are.
Eventually, you’ll learn to laugh at – if not love – those negative online comments. Share them with your friends. Talk to your peers about crazy voicemails, e-mails, or comments you’ve received. Not only will you all have good stories to tell, but the sense of community – that you’re all going through the same problems – can only help your resolve.
[...] get one. But once your blog is up and running, you may find it difficult to maintain it or to increase its effectiveness. Here are some tips to [...]