Best practices for handling negative comments and criticism on social media

Social networking is a vital resource for connecting businesses with customers. However, it also has the potential to significantly harm a company’s brand when customers post critical comments online.

On social media, responding to complaints from the public needs tact. When a firm approaches a problem incorrectly, the outcomes might be widely issued and cause a backlash from the client base. Before you respond to comments made by customers on internet forums, it helps to be aware of both the risks and the potential advantages.

To manage negative comments or criticisms on social media, here are some tips:

1. Don’t dismiss unfavorable remarks.

Ignoring criticism is the worst thing you can do for your brand. An irate customer will have even another cause to loathe your brand as a result. Regardless of whether a comment is nice, negative, or neutral, you should respond to it. Building a brand requires keeping public relations.

It makes it easier for you to interact with your followers. Using social media monitoring tools like Agora pulse, Social Pilot, etc., it is vital to keep track of every mention and comment.

2. Choose your response to diverse types of criticism.

Your social media plan should include a set of rules for responding to notifications and communications. Your team should be clear about the response deadline and provide a sample, a brand-consistent statement addressing frequent questions.

By having your policy in mind, you may be prepared for anything that might happen. Additionally, make sure every member of staff is aware of how to respond to criticism on your public-facing channels, even if they don’t frequently interact with customers. If you do things this way, everyone in your company will be ready for anything.

3. Demonstrate Your Seriousness through Your Actions.

Using social media is important—this is the most crucial thing to keep in mind. Regardless of how offensive or nasty a comment may be, it must be taken seriously.

All responses must be skillfully written to display comprehension of the reasons behind the remarks. Respond in a way that conveys that the organization takes all feedback seriously. Be accommodative, but don’t make any adjustments.

4. Make no false promises.

If it’s not your standard procedure, don’t promise to repair the item or refund the money simply because the buyer is dissatisfied. Analyze the issue initially. then describe to your client how to resolve the issue.

Look at the sample below. The coffee shop doesn’t immediately offer free coffee or any other prizes as an apology when it receives a critical review on social media. To decide who is incorrect and who is correct, it instructs the client to contact customer support.

5. Respond on time.

Time management is a significant difficulty when responding to unfavorable comments on social media. People want a rapid response when something goes wrong, and social media enables clients from all over the world (and in numerous time zones) to interact with your business constantly.

Therefore, your silence can imply that you do not regard your customers’ opinions.

6. Create A Custom Message.

Businesses have a fantastic opportunity to receive help from negative comments. Spend some time creating a tailored reply that aids your customer in resolving the problem rather than providing a canned response.

Yes, not all outcomes will be favorable, but doing this demonstrates to potential clients that you are empathetic and proactive in resolving any problems that may arise.

7. Thank You For Any Feedback.

When based on facts and intended to highlight genuine errors, negative feedback may be a blessing because it allows us to grow and improve our offerings.

Because of this, we must be appreciative of any such criticism and courageous enough to own up to our errors and explain how we plan to correct them. Afterward, we have the opportunity to change it into a favorable perception.

8. Utilize logic and not emotion when responding to criticism.

When someone makes a bad comment, it is important to respond objectively by apologizing for your error, proposing a remedy, or refuting false information.

This solution won’t be effective in every situation, though, because while ignoring critical comments might seem like the appropriate course of action because you’re not stoking the flames, it might also come across as suspicious to some of your followers.

9. Remove it from the limelight.

Change the topic of conversation from social media to a different venue to end the dispute. Request an email, direct message, or phone call from the client to contact you.

Avoid engaging in verbal combat in the comment thread. Customers who are displeased will post several comments that reflect poorly on your company. So, if you want to preserve the reputation of your brand, have a private conversation about the issue.

Conclusion

Managing negative comments and criticisms on social media is a critical aspect of maintaining a positive brand image. Responding to comments in a timely and professional manner, using custom messages, and avoiding false promises are key elements of a successful social media strategy.

By using logic instead of emotions, and removing negative interactions from public forums, businesses can effectively handle criticism and turn negative experiences into positive ones. Utilizing social media monitoring tools and having a clear response policy in place can help ensure that your brand stays ahead of the curve when it comes to managing negative comments.