Negative reviews or feedback can rattle the best of brands. Here are 7 tips to deal with your customers’ negative feedback on social media channels.
Did you know that the user base of Facebook has reached a mammoth 2.85 billion monthly active users worldwide? The same stratospheric numbers are a reality for other social channels, such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Tumblr.
Statistics, however, convey only half the picture—they might not tell how much these social channels have influenced societies across the world. Social media has grown a lot over the years.
From a fun platform to share and converse together, social media has metamorphosed into a giant medium that brands can’t ignore when they plan their digital marketing strategy.
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Social media has transformed brand interactions
Social media has transformed the landscape of interactions with customers. Now, brands are well-positioned to reach out to their target audience based on demographics, convert them into prospects, and understand their requirements better.
- Brands and customers can engage with each other like they never did before
- Feedback and reviews can be shared
- Customers’ pain areas can be gauged and then addressed
- Immediate communication with the target audience is a reality now
Customer feedback makes it essential to deal with negativity
Although social media channels have enriched businesses in more than one way, they have also made the prospect of getting negative reviews much easier than it used to be.
Any customer, or user, can reach out to the business and offer feedback or an opinion.
- Customers are free to air their views about brands and things that did not meet their requirements
- Negative reviews are now a regular factor for brands to consider in their social communications
- Brands are showered upon with as much negativity as positivity
- If negative feedback is not handled properly, it can dilute brand value
How to deal with negative reviews on social media
Negative reviews or feedback can rattle the best brands in the world, as their impact can be debilitating at times. Here are 7 tips to deal with your customers’ negative reviews on social media channels.
#1. Have a strategy in place
The moment you establish a social presence for the business, you should be aware of facing roses and brickbats in equal measure.
You can’t expect only roses to come your way and brickbats to go your rivals’ way. You should have a proper plan in place to handle negative feedback.
- The plan of action should be consistent with your brand ethos
- You should be compatible with the plan for a while
- Any changes should be done after analyzing its effectiveness
- The purpose should be to pacify the customers and be empathetic to their grievance/s
#2. Face criticism head-on and own up to your mistakes
The last thing customers want is for you to take evasive steps and hide behind excuses. This will further aggravate the problem.
You should face the criticism or negativity head-on and, rather than passing on the responsibility, own up to your mistakes.
Here’s what you can do to deal with criticism on social media:
- Recognize the complaint
- Admit the mistake
- Apologise for the convenience caused to customers
- Show your intent to resolve the issue and then go about achieving the goal
#3. Don’t feed the trolls
Social media is not free of trolls. Their writ should not extend beyond causing a mild nuisance. Never take trolls seriously, as they’re not your real customers and their complaints are not genuine.
When dealing with a troll, you should:
- Avoid the urge to respond
- Monitor them and screenshot their comments
- Warn them
- Block them, if they continue to create trouble
- Remove their comments
#4. Avoid unnecessary attention
Experts suggest taking the complaint or feedback out of the spotlight once the issue is resolved.
Not doing the same means you are giving new customers a chance to peek into a past that is not ‘rosy’. This can adversely affect your brand’s reputation.
Here’s how to deal with negative posts:
- Take the post down once the matter is resolved
- Don’t engage in a chain of response using social networks when the matter is complex in nature. Take it offline.
- Look to leverage customer service support via phone or email.
#5. Constantly monitor for brand mentions
It’d be wrong to assume negative feedback as a one-off event, so plan accordingly. Look at them as a permanent factor in your social presence.
This means you need to have a system in place to be notified as and when feedback happens on social sites.
You should:
- Use social media listening tools to keep track of your brand mentions
- Keep searching the internet for comments, reviews, or feedback by entering keywords relevant to your brand
#6. Look to make customers happy
The purpose should be to make your customers happy. This can be achieved in two ways: first, by responding to them on an immediate basis and then assuring them of prompt action.
If your customers have resorted to negative feedback, then something must have irked them or made them unhappy.
#7. Stay true to your brand
No matter what the nature of the complaint is, you’ve got to be true to your brand. This means every negative review must be dealt with using the same plan of action.
You have to be empathetic first and then take things forward. No matter the cause or situation, you need to display a sense of hope so that customers can feel good. Don’t be evasive, as it might hurt your brand a lot.
Social media is a marketing channel you can’t ignore, as it opens a world of prospects for your business. So, learn the art of handling negativity with care and grow your business.
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© 2016 – 2023, Akshay Sharma. All rights reserved.
Akshay Sharma is a social media marketing enthusiast
and has written many topics in the related field. He loves to write and
read about latest technology trends. He works with Mind Digital Group.
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We usually ignore negative comments especially if it’s obvious to everybody that it’s only some kind of troll.
That’s the best way to deal with trolls, Sammy.
The thing I found that works well is if you accept blame for this online any tell them you will make it better, this is then seen by other members on the page.
Good point, Alan. It does help to defuse the situation and calm everyone down.
It is great article. Keep posting these type of article. These are very helpful for us.
This is really an interesting and informative article to learn about how to deal with negative comments. But what I feel is, a customer’s negative comment helps you improve your business or customer services.