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You’re minding your own business, going about your day, when you get the text all managers dread:

And not blowing up for the right reason. Someone with a phone just posted a video of bird droppings on your shelves—someone with thousands of followers.

These days, everyone has a phone and a “shoot first, ask questions never” mentality. The hunger for views favors negative posts seeking to destroy or at least tarnish a business’s reputation. Fortunately, Meridian Bird Removal can help your company on two fronts.

Step one: Solve the problem

If a bird or bird damage is the source of your woes, Meridian can certainly help you. We are the original and now the fastest-growing company in the nation dedicated to bird removal, operating in all fifty United States, and its territories. Our highly-trained Technicians can use our patented live capture system to quickly locate, identify, and remove birds.

That’s the easy part. Dealing with negative PR is another story.

Step two: Gain the public trust

Meridian Technicians are not only trained to remove birds, they are also coached on communicating with the public. Because we can and often do capture birds during operating hours, we know customers and employees will watch what we do. Meridian employees are taught to:

• Always wear uniforms identifying them as bird removal professionals.
• Take the time to explain how birds cause problems inside buildings and why removing them is best for the birds.
• Show customers and employees that the bird is captured live with minimal harm.
• Invite customers and employees to witness the bird’s release if it can be done on-site.

We have found taking the time to patiently communicate satisfies most people’s curiosity and concerns. We deal with admirers and critics alike, including customers and employees who think we should leave birds alone and not remove them. Meridian Technicians are all animal lovers and never hesitate to educate the public on why birds are better off outside. Once critics understand this, their scorn often transforms into appreciation.

If needed: Respond to criticism

Nevertheless, there will always be people who enjoy “taking down” businesses. Meridian Bird Removal has a strategic PR plan to react to social media and news on behalf of our customers. We developed this step-by-step process over years of experience responding to stories and “hot takes.”

We recommend responding to criticism quickly. Most criticisms of bird removal stem from a lack of knowledge—for example, the idea that birds are better left alone. Getting the right information out quickly stops bad information from spreading.

Despite the worries over social media, we have actually witnessed quite a few positive posts around our bird captures. One TikTok posted by a bystander impressed with a capture garnered more than a million views and generated positive comments. Social media and PR works both ways—responsiveness is the key to success.

Meridian’s live bird capture and bird removal in general—talking points

We want to leave you with some talking points we use in responding to questions about our service. As mentioned earlier, patiently explaining what we do and the reasons behind them satisfies the overwhelming majority of critics online and IRL (“in real life,” for those of us still in the analog world):

1. Birds belong in nature, not inside buildings. Scientific studies show removing birds from interior spaces is healthier for the bird.
2. Birds and their droppings carry more than 60 diseases and parasites. They are a danger to food safety and the health of humans and pets.
3. Meridian’s live capture is more effective and safer than alternatives such as shooting or poisoning birds.
4. Meridian uses nets specially designed to not hurt birds.
5. Meridian never leaves nets unattended. We remove all birds as quickly as possible.
6. Meridian releases the majority of birds outside immediately. If you see Technicians putting a bird in a box, it may need treatment or need to be taken a safe distance away so it won’t return.
7. There are numerous laws regulating birds in America. Meridian Technicians are trained to know these laws and better help birds such as raptors and migratory species.