Making a bad first impression at work is bad enough but what happens when it happened to a business? What happens when during its first foray into its marketing campaign, the business accidentally makes a blunder that caused the audience to see it in a bad light? That’s where Lakeland public relations must come in. A dedicated PR strategy must address the problem immediately and find effective solutions that will clear up the issues.

Let’s say, for example, that your business posted a meme on Facebook that was somehow offensive to your audience. There was a backlash and you are now being persecuted on social media. Your response should be immediate.

Studies have shown that making a bad first impression can be almost impossible to come back from but with a dedicated Lakeland public relations, it should be easy enough to address the problem and find a solution.

Admit to the mistake

First thing’s first. Admit to the mistake. If it was a wrong meme with an unintentional message, admit that it was posted without analyzing the content; that somehow, it was bad judgment on your part.

What the audience wants now is honesty from the brand that it supports. If you are honest enough, you will be given the benefit of the doubt and you will have that small window of opportunity to explain your side of the story. This brings us to our next point.

Find a shared interest

Research shows that a key component to building a good relationship is finding common ground. Have you ever made a friend just because you share the same passion or the same love for sports, music, arts, movies, etc.? That’s exactly the same technique you should use when trying to come back from a bad first impression.

After your audience accepted the mistake you have done and after you have regained a bit of their trust, you must find a shared interest that you can use to engage with them. You need to make your audience see that you are more alike than they thought.

Be consistent

When you begin to engage and converse with your audience, remember to be consistent with your intent. Be patient when trying to turn a hater into a fan. The audience is smart and they know when a brand is proactively trying to win them by giving empty promises.

They will hold you accountable in the future so never try to promise something you cannot give. But if you are willing to invest time, energy, and money into building your relationship with your audience, you’ll reap the fruits of your labor.