Haters are good?

I was in a luncheon today, and a friend told me, "Don't be a hater!" I didn't think to much about it. When I came home and got ready to post to my blog, I looked at Ragan.com and saw the headline, "5 surprising reasons haters are good for your business." I thought two "haters" in one day was too much of a coincidence - so I'll report on the haters.

Ragan's article explains that a hater is someone who is disgruntled enough to actively talk about how much they hate you and your business, and they generally don't have enough of a life to do much but find their way to your social media channels, post negative comments, and ensure they pull up on Google results.

That sounds like a terrible thing, but Ragan says the reason haters are actually good for your business include: haters expose vulnerabilities (so you can fix them), haters can be converted, haters bring attention (you can counter the negativity), haters publicize frequently asked questions, and haters validate social media efforts (fans and friends stick up for you).

So don't hate the haters! They draw attention to your product and business. If they point out actual problems, it gives you a chance to fix them. If they promote falsehoods, it gives you the opportunity to correct them and tell the truth. Haters draw attention and provide you the opportunity for free advertising. You gotta love 'em.