Why trash talking your competitors usually trashes your own reputation

It’s never a good idea to talk trash about your competition. I share my reputation management advice with Dance Business Weekly, a trade publication for the dance industry. Their well-written piece is packed with great advice for all companies!

Andy Beal, head of Reputation Refinery, a consultancy on building businesses’ online reputations, has even included a chapter called “Don’t Talk Trash” in his book Repped. “Your reputation is only as strong as your character,” he says. “Eventually negative comments come back to you and your reputation will be tarnished. That can cause more harm than you think it will.”

And remember, anonymity is largely an illusion on the internet, says Beal, who has in the past been hired by a business owner to sleuth out the identity of a critical online commenter. That means that any dirty tricks you try, like pretending to be a competitor’s disgruntled customer and leaving negative feedback, have a strong chance of being found out, if not by your competitor, then by the review platform (e.g., Yelp) itself, he says. Apart from being found out, it’s a matter of priorities. Where can you most effectively focus your energies as an entrepreneur?

Read the full article: Why Trashing Your Competitors Usually Backfires—and What to Do Instead