5 Tips for Handling Any Social Media Crisis
April 14th, 2012Negative comments can crop up anytime on your Facebook page, instantly read by thousands of your customers. To make matters worse, negative rumor spreads faster than positive feedback. What to do? First of all, never delete negative comments. Read on for more tips on how to avoid a social networking crisis.
1. Never delete negative comments
First and foremost, never ignore unpleasant comments as this can cause greater consumer backlash, arising from your approach. Many companies end up in real trouble as a result. For instance, Versace once removed a comment, a slice of criticism about non-organic production methods. They were later forced to give a response after the community started flooding their page with negative comments which the Versace team was struggling to delete.
2. Reply quickly
Answer in a timely manner. An angry reaction might take a turn for the worse if the response is postponed because nobody wants to answer. We recommend appointing someone in the company to take charge of your social network pages, blog and forums, who considers negative comments a top priority.
3. Aim to be transparent
Don’t lie, and don’t mislead. Such behavior never improves the overall atmosphere. On the contrary, it’s oil on the fire. Remember that today customers have instant access to information, a big change compared to those days before the Digital age.
4. Don’t be afraid to admit a mistake
Related to our previous point, users won’t mind if you admit you’ve made a mistake but always offer them a solution and try by all means possible to solve the problem. If you don’t feel like you did anything wrong, be clear with your fans by explaining the situation and provide a full account of your actions.
5. A negative rumor can increase brand awareness
There will always be a nitpicker who will be dissatisfied. When this is a single case, there is a good chance that satisfied customers will stand up for your company and give you their support.
Have you ever struggled with adverse reactions to your products or services? How did you solve it? Don’t forget to read the instructions on how to monetize your website step by step.