It can be very frustrating when you receive negative feedback from people on social media. So much so, that we know that a few of our clients simply ignore this type of feedback. But that could be a huge mistake.
Social media is so popular and so pervasive, that many of our clients fear entering this morass, because they have no idea how to navigate this environment, and are afraid of potentially negative comments about their business.
However, negative feedback can be very constructive and if handled correctly can increase your standing and even generate more customers. First you need to know the real reason for the negative feedback, and once you know this, you can respond in a positive way and defuse the situation. It gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your excellent customer service and willingness to resolve issues.
What has motivated the negative comments?
Social media is a great place to vent your feelings and, at times, everyone seems to jump on the bandwagon and give their honest to goodness opinion of a certain brand. It works the other way as well, and positive comments about your brand can lead to an influx of customers and referrals.
You therefore need to understand the motivation behind any negative feedback and generally there are three categories it can fall into:
- Customer support: These are valid comments and are the easiest to fix. In fact, you should always respond to customer support queries, as this helps to build confidence in your brand and shows people that you care about them.
- Antagonism: This is usually because a customer hasn’t received an answer to a customer support question and their problem or concern has not been sufficiently resolved. Don’t let support issues get to this point by making sure you respond immediately to customer concerns.
- Constructive criticism: This can actually benefit your brand, because you might find out problems that you didn’t know even existed.
How to respond to the negative feedback
To ensure that your company builds a good reputation within the community, you need to respond to all negative feedback in a positive manner. Make sure that you deal with any customer support questions immediately, so they don’t escalate into anger or antagonism.
Constructive criticism is actually helping your business, so always thank the sender and even ask for more detailed information from them. People love to give their opinion and you could learn something vital from this type of communication. If you can find a way to let customers that their feedback has resulted in a change (such as improving your processes) then this really demonstrates that you’re taking their comments on board.
So the myth that you don’t need to respond to negative feedback on social media has been busted – it can even benefit your business, by increasing your reputation and generating more customers.
For more information on social media marketing or website design in Brisbane, call GO Creative on (07) 3333 2932 or request a free quote online.
