How To Deal With Negative Social Media Posts, Reviews & Testimonials
The squeaky wheel gets the oil, and even more in today’s digital culture. Social media has opened up a whole new world of customer service headaches or opportunities, depending on how you look at it. The public loves social media for this because they have a place where they can voice their opinion and be heard. This is good opportunity to rave about a product or service and share genuine word of mouth recommendations. However, it is also a place for people to voice frustrations with companies and allow the whole world to know about it.
So what do you do? No business wants to see negative testimonials, reviews, and comments on their social media profiles or referral site profiles. However, the reality of the world we live in, is that you will have some negative reviews at some point to deal with and the way you handle it can turn that problem into a great opportunity.
Three Things To Remember With Negative Press On Social Media:
You can’t ignore it.
Do you want complaints to be the first thing people see when they Google your company? Do you want other people seeing complaints ignored on your Facebook page? Of course not! You must be monitoring your company’s online profile(s) on a regular basis.
You have to respond, and with tact.
When people see that someone addressed their issue or complaint with the company, they not only feel like they’ve connected with a real person, but so does everyone else who observes this. By responding, you validate their feelings and acknowledge their opinion. Make sure you are careful of the way your words come across when you respond. You may feel anger and frustration from the review, but keep your cool. Nothing reinforces a bad review like a rant by the company representative!
Embrace these negatives and turn them into positives.
The dialogue with bad reviewers can really do wonders to heal a consumer hurt. You have the opportunity to gain back trust in these situations. Also, if you see patterns in the issues or comments, perhaps there is a true issue you need to address. This may lead to improving your company image in a huge way. Either way, your brand can grow and become better with each negative comment.
Well, that’s great, you say, but what do you do about negative reviews that are undeserved? In our years of social media management, we have seen many industries where catty competitors write fake and malicious reviews. Some people are just plain mean. There’s no way of getting around it. While you can’t always stop these reviews. You can respond with tact and take the high ground. You can also combat negative reviews with positive comments and reviews by adoring fans. Flood your google review page, your Facebook reviews, or your Yelp profile with reviews by real clients and customers who LOVE you. All you have to do is ask.
Don’t get stressed with the negative press: change it. Now is the time to embrace the organic dialogue that the internet and social media platforms have created in our world. At Tintero Creative, we understand that it can be overwhelming to think about monitoring your social media accounts and online profiles, as well as monitor the comments and feedback you get on them. We can help you formulate the best strategy for you to respond to negative, AND positive feedback on social media.