5 Tips For Responding To Negative Social Media Comments March 27 2015 / Posted By: Melissa Priest
Business owners often ask us whether we think they should get involved in social media for their business.
Before deciding whether social media is appropriate for your business, there are a few things you need to consider.
There are many advantages to being involved in social media – leveraging your network, powerful word of mouth etc, however it is important that you’re aware that you’re putting yourself out there to potentially receive negative comments.
Unfortunately there are people in the world who seem to get a kick out of having a nice little online rant about their experience with a business. They are suddenly all big and tough behind their keyboard, and feel the need to have a dig. They may have had ample opportunity to give the feedback face to face but of course that isn’t their go. (And most of these people I assume have never owned their own business or they would think twice in realising that negative comments can really hurt a business.)
Here are 5 tips for responding positively to negative online comments:
- Respond Appropriately – even though you might get angry and want to set the record straight, don’t, instead take a deep breath, don’t take it personally and try and respond in a balanced and professional manner.
- Be Brief – keep your response short and say something along the lines of ‘We’re sorry you’ve had this experience, please call us to talk about your situation’
- Consider Comments as free research – it may help you and your business to look at it this way, make a note of any suggestions, tips or problems mentioned
- Remember that everyone’s reading your responses – so this is a chance to demonstrate how caring your business is and how you handle problems. This can help create a sense of trust that goes beyond the particular situation.
- Hire Someone to do your responding – this can help take some of the emotion out of it. Ensure to have policies in place and respond in a consistent and professional manner.
Source of tips: Vivian Wagner, Owner, V Creative Enterprises, LLC via American Express.com – here
If you are keen to create a social media presence for your business but don’t have the time to give it the attention it needs, contact us and we can do it for you. Or read more information on our Social Media services.