Social Media Best Practices

Social media can be a powerful tool for businesses and entrepreneurs. On the contrary, it can also be a minefield of negative comments and criticism. Learning how to turn those negative comments into positive outcomes is an essential part of social media best practices.

Take the time to craft a thoughtful, clear response. This shows customers that your business values their feedback and is willing to address their concerns. Be polite and respectful while acknowledging the customer’s feelings and apologizing if appropriate.

Respond to criticism in a way that builds relationships and creates a positive impression. Negative comments are a great opportunity to build relationships and encourage customer loyalty.

The team at FineView Marketing understands reputation management and is skillful at helping you manage your brand’s reputation with a consistent online presence.

Handle Negative Comments Like a Pro

Negative comments can range from mild criticism to outright hostility. These comments can be damaging to your business’s reputation if not handled properly. The following suggestions will help you to diffuse any negative situation and create a positive outcome.

Never Ignore Negative Comments

When faced with negative comments, it’s bad practice to ignore them. This gives an angry customer another reason to dislike your brand. In fact, you should reply to every comment whether it’s positive, negative, or neutral.

Try to address the customer’s concerns directly. If your customer is complaining about a product or service, offer to resolve the issue or provide additional information. This shows the customer that your business is willing to go the extra mile to ensure his or her satisfaction.

Respond Promptly

Don’t make angry customers even more agitated by keeping them waiting for your reply. Try to respond to negative comments within two hours or your customers might think they’re being ignored.

Explain in Plain, Direct Language

Keep your customers from being frustrated by offering a straightforward explanation. Clearly explain what caused the problem and how you’re going to resolve it. It’s important that customers understand that not every problem is the fault of your company.

For instance, if an airline cancels a flight due to weather conditions, it’s not the company’s fault.

Apologize Sincerely

Even if you disagree with the customer’s perspective, you still need to be apologetic. This is the first step in conflict resolution. Whether you agree or not, in most cases, “The customer is always right.”

For example, if your company is involved in a media scandal prompting dozens of negative reviews, a representative of your company must give a public apology.

Don’t Make False Promises

Don’t immediately promise to return money or replace a product if that isn’t your usual practice.

Analyze the problem, get more information from the customer, and then make a determination as to how to fix the situation.

Shift the Conversation Away From Social Media

When faced with a particularly hostile customer, it can be beneficial to take the conversation offline. This will help to defuse the situation and allow you to address the customer’s concerns in a more private setting.

Ask the customer to write you an email or call customer support. Don’t be argumentative in the comment thread. If customers are frustrated, they will write multiple replies that show a negative attitude toward your brand.

If you want to save your brand’s image, make an effort to discuss the problem one-to-one.

Leverage Negative Comments to Build Relationships

Negative comments can be used as an opportunity to build relationships with customers. Use them as an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise. By responding promptly and professionally, you can demonstrate your knowledge and build trust with customers.

Learn From Your Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes, and if your company made a mistake, you can always find a way to fix it.

Consider the comments a source of information about exactly what your customers don’t like about your products or policies. Admit your mistake and tell customers what specific actions you will take to resolve the conflict.

Generate Positive Reviews and Comments

It’s impossible to avoid negative comments on social media, but you can minimize their impact by generating positive reviews.

If you get 20 negative comments and ten positive comments, it will hurt your business significantly. On the other hand, if you get 20 negative comments and 100 positive comments, your brand won’t be affected.

According to SocialPilot here are a few rules to follow that will help you generate positive comments:

• Always strive to create engaging social media content to boost engagement and get more positive comments.
• Reply to every comment whether positive, neutral, or negative. Try to develop a relationship with your loyal customers.
• Use humor. It’s a perfect ice-breaker.

Takeaway

If you have a social media presence, criticism and negative comments are unavoidable. If you understand how to respond in a way that creates a positive impression, you can use negative comments as an opportunity for a productive conversation.

By responding promptly and sincerely and taking the conversation offline, you can learn to turn negative comments into positive outcomes. This will not only strengthen your reputation but build customer loyalty.