Not every bad review posted online about your company merits a response - but in certain cases, it's a good idea to publicly engage with unsatisfied customers and clients. Especially if you've provided poor service and/or the person issuing the complaint has a big audience. Here's a quick primer on online damage control:

1) Listen. Make sure you fully understand the person's grievance. Don't rule out the possibility of a misunderstanding?

2) Apologize (if necessary). This can be very hard, but it shows strength, grace and integrity. A public "we're sorry" will actually burnish your reputation.

3) Affirm. Restate your company's pledge to provide excellent products and services. If it makes sense, offer a gift or coupon.

4) Move on. Whatever happens, don't get caught in a public back-and-forth with an implacable grump! Some people will never be happy, and you risk looking thin-skinned by engaging.

5) Reflect (privately). How can you preempt similar complaints? How did the aggrieved party respond to your outreach?

With new social media channels opening up every day, online reputation management is an evolving discipline that can seem overwhelming to time-strapped small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs). Fortunately, most of the basic principles of offline PR apply to the web - and those principles are informed by old-fashioned common sense and business savvy. Let your good instincts guide you.