What a lot of people fear about using social media is having to deal with possible negative feedback. It’s not an inevitable thing, but of course, putting yourself out there on the web subjects you to open criticism (and positive feedback, too!).
So you did it. Your company is finally on Facebook! And look at that—your numbers are doing well. Fans are popping in, and people are “liking” your content and giving you great feedback. Everything seems to be going great, when suddenly one day, it happens. You log into your account as usual, see the familiar red notification, and then you read it.
It is awful. A scathing complaint about how terrible you are, berating everything your business stands for. You wince as you read on, but every word kills you. Your first instinct is to hover your mouse over that “X” and hit delete as quickly as possible!
Don’t do it! Take a deep breath and point that mouse away from that “X”. Deleting a negative comment on social media is the worst thing you can do (unless the comment is completely and absolutely profane and unwarranted). Why? It looks cowardly on your part, and makes it seem like you don’t know how to deal with customer service. People will know if you deleted a negative comment, and you will lose credibility.
So what do you do? Be calm and respond gracefully. Apologize for the customer/client feeling that way, and then direct the situation to email, where you both can handle this privately. Don’t apologize for the problem just yet, as by doing so you’ll automatically be admitting that you’re in the wrong. Find out what the problem is, and take care of it with your client.
The most important thing is to keep your cool. Yes, it’s upsetting when someone attacks you or your business, but stay calm. Don’t get frustrated that they chose to vent on your social media sites. That’s why you joined social media in the first place, right?
Remember that the key word in social media is “social”. Social media is a tool for open communication between you and your customers/clients. Don’t delete or ignore problems—address them! Your clients and customers will be impressed at your professionalism and how you handle yourself on social media.
Fill out the form below to start your conversation with KWSM.
Katie Wagner
Katie Wagner is the President and CEO of KWSM. She oversees all client work, team development, and agency operations. Katie has more than 15 years for experience in all aspects of digital marketing and content creation. She founded the agency in 2010.
Negative Feedback on Social Media? No Problem.
So you did it. Your company is finally on Facebook! And look at that—your numbers are doing well. Fans are popping in, and people are “liking” your content and giving you great feedback. Everything seems to be going great, when suddenly one day, it happens. You log into your account as usual, see the familiar red notification, and then you read it.
It is awful. A scathing complaint about how terrible you are, berating everything your business stands for. You wince as you read on, but every word kills you. Your first instinct is to hover your mouse over that “X” and hit delete as quickly as possible!
Don’t do it! Take a deep breath and point that mouse away from that “X”. Deleting a negative comment on social media is the worst thing you can do (unless the comment is completely and absolutely profane and unwarranted). Why? It looks cowardly on your part, and makes it seem like you don’t know how to deal with customer service. People will know if you deleted a negative comment, and you will lose credibility.
So what do you do? Be calm and respond gracefully. Apologize for the customer/client feeling that way, and then direct the situation to email, where you both can handle this privately. Don’t apologize for the problem just yet, as by doing so you’ll automatically be admitting that you’re in the wrong. Find out what the problem is, and take care of it with your client.
The most important thing is to keep your cool. Yes, it’s upsetting when someone attacks you or your business, but stay calm. Don’t get frustrated that they chose to vent on your social media sites. That’s why you joined social media in the first place, right?
Remember that the key word in social media is “social”. Social media is a tool for open communication between you and your customers/clients. Don’t delete or ignore problems—address them! Your clients and customers will be impressed at your professionalism and how you handle yourself on social media.
Fill out the form below to start your conversation with KWSM.
Katie Wagner
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