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Countering negative financial news with reality

Jan 05, 2012 Mike Garretson

Countering negative financial news with reality
After years of having to deal with unwarranted negative news, debt collection and short term financing agencies now have the ability to influx the internet with truth, InsideArm reports.
 The goal of providing short term financing solutions to Americans is to offer them access to funds they are unable to come up with on their own. These funds can be used for grocery shopping, monthly bills and many other necessary payments that have to be made in a timely fashion. Before the growth of the internet, the majority of news was found through magazines and newspapers. Many of these articles would be written baselessly and since some news agencies reel in consumers by publishing negative articles, debt collection and short term financing companies suffered.   "It happened time and again, but there was nothing we could do.  Sure, we could write a letter to the editor or demand a correction, but the damage was already done," wrote John Nemo, public relations director at Nemo Media and a contributor to InsideArm. "And, in the case of TV News in particular, ACA didn’t have the resources or the reach to broadcast our member’s side of the story to thousands of people across the country." With the advantage of social media and online forums that engage thousands of individuals, a debt collection or short term financing agency can offer industry-related information and fight back against the constant mass of negativity that tarnishes a perfectly legitimate and progressive business. According to HubSpot, nearly 80 percent of internet users research a product online before purchase. This statistic should be kept in mind when tailoring marketing strategies to consumers. While much of the interaction between businesses and consumers is conducted by the phone, especially in the financial industry, the internet is where a significant portion of the population learns about services. A financial institution can bring the positives of the industry through online discussions, articles and social media. Reaching out to people who actually need monetary help - as opposed to consistently defending against the naysayers - will ultimately engage your target base more effectively. There may be nothing you can do to halt negative news, but you can counter it with a positive pitch.