More about Dealing with Negative Feedback on Social Media

A while back, I blogged about dealing with negative feedback on social media.

Well, I guess it’s a popular topic these days because I was invited recently by a local chapter of BNI to present on how to deal with negative feedback on social media.

I’d like to share with you some of my observations and feedback from this event.

First, there’s the subject of “Over the Top” critics.

One participant shared with me his story of a friend with a small business who received a five page negative comment on Google+ for something that his friend had no control over.

I used this example with the group and there was a lot of head nodding when I did,

The point I made, and I’ll share here, is I don’t care how wrong the vendor is.  I’m never going to read a five page comment, negative or otherwise!

That critic made himself irrelevant to me by losing control.

Anyone who would read a five page commentary in a comments section you don’t want as a customer!

Trust me on this!

The comments that you want to focus on are those that are short, to the point, and have a legitimate grievance.

You stand your best chance here of fixing the damage that may have been done and looking like a reliable business partner to others.

Most users of social media have their own internal filters to weed out unhelpful comments.

Concentrate on those who are looking for a fair resolution to their complaint.

Another topic of discussion was blocking those who post negative comments.

A couple of points here.

First, there’s nothing wrong with having a few negative comments especially if you resolve them satisfactorily.

Why you may ask?

Remember those filters i mentioned a while back?

People get suspicious if they see only positive comments.

A few negative comments dealt with in a timely and professional manner help your credibility.

Second, there’s no way to block all possible sources of negative comments even if this was a good idea.  (Which it isn’t!)

The best approach to dealing with negative feedback on social media is one based on engagement and resolution.

I made this third point and it got a few persons’ attention.

Your competitors’ negative feedback is a great source of competitive intelligence for you!

Where is your competition having problems and can you make this a competitive differentiator for yourself?

(Trust me, your competitors are looking at yours!)

Also, look at the social media tools being used by your competition.

You may want to use the same if you’re not or you see how you can use them better.

Remember these points:

A good social media program is the best way to be proactive and ahead of any possible negative feedback.

Engaging your critics professionally and in a timely manner is essential.

Work on your dealing with complaints every day and if you must delegate this task then give it to someone whom you trust.

We’ll talk more about this topic in the future!

That’s it for now!

In the meantime, thank you for following and reading my blog!

I look forward to any and all comments that you may have.  I will reply to any comments made to this blog post as promptly as I can.

Remember!

I do this for a living and if I can be of any assistance to either you or your organization, please feel free to call on me.  Our initial discussion will be of no charge to you.

I can also be reached at conpsweeney@someddi.com.

My Twitter handle is @conpsweeney.

Stay well!