One of the most frequent questions I’m asked about social media is “what if someone posts something negative about us? Then other people might see the bad comment! Could we maybe just remove the comment?” My answer: There can be negative comments whether or not you set up a company site, they just won’t happen on your turf. People will see the comments. However, most importantly, never remove negative social media comments. That mistake has been made many times, and it always goes viral:
- ChapStick
Social media has changed marketing from a one-way message to a public two-way conversation. People understand that companies are fallible, and in the course of business, things go wrong. What people want is for companies to own up to their wrong doings and accept responsibility.
One way to successfully manage negative comments includes setting up a customer service structure to listen to social media and reach out to a negative commenter immediately. Provide him or her with a direct line through online chat or a phone call to take the conversation out of the public space, and provide him or her with an employee that has the authority to fix the problem.
When individuals see that you want to make things right, you will build trust with your audience.
Now use that complaint or criticism to take a look within your company. Maybe this person is pointing out a serious error in your product, distribution, or billing. What if countless others have this same problem, but you never knew? The negative comment that you have feared could potentially help you make your company better in the long run.
