What’s the best thing to do when someone pisses you off? Do you fuss? Scream and shout? Let it roll? Maybe you curse their names from the rooftops?
Wanna know what I do? Except for rare moments when I think that cursing someone’s name from a rooftop can actually lead to some positive change, I zip my lip. I haven’t always, but lately I just don’t talk about the people I dislike (there are very few of them). I don’t link. I don’t dare mention their name.
A mention is Google juice. A link, even one with a negative sentiment or context, is beneficial. Hell, even getting the person top of mind in other people’s attention (positively or negatively) can have the opposite effect of lambasting them.
But if you shut up, if you can get your friends to shut up about them, if you can get your fans to shut up about them, you’ve done the opposite of what businesses hope for in social media. They want your attention, your interaction; apathetic silence is the polar opposite of that.
Give no attention. Customer apathy is a death sentence for businesses.
(Header photo: Ignore That by The One You’ll Love)
