Negative Feedback? Say Thank You!

What does your business's social media strategy have in common with online dating?  

Actually, more than you'd think. Both require a certain amount of vulnerability and courage to get great results. Think about it: creating your dating profile to show an authentic version of yourself and what you have to offer a potential mate is your best chance of attracting someone who's great for you... but it also opens your up to rejection and criticism from those who are "not so right" for you. And while opening your brand up to the comments, feedback, and support of your audience can be a blast, there's one thing I always try to warn my clients about before they get going on their social media strategies: Putting yourself out there can be SCARY!

One of the most common questions I hear is, "What do we do if we get negative comments on our Facebook page? We can just delete that, right?". WRONG! (Well, usually wrong.) Obvious spam, spewing hatred, or grossly inappropriate conduct on the part of your reader may warrant deleting, but an unhappy, venting customer can actually be a great opportunity for you and your brand! Here are 3 ways to deal with negative feedback on your social media platforms:

1. Respond Directly: Use the commentator's name in a public and timely reply. Thank them taking the time to share this (after all, feedback is the best way for you to improve your future customer experience) and invite them back to try your service again. Let the rest of your following see how much you care about your customers and how professionally you can handle adversity. If the situation needs an explanation, feel free to give a simple version, but remember the golden rule, "The customer is always right!" Don't get so defensive that making yourself look good in the explanation at the expense of your customer's dignity.


2. Make it a Private Conversation: If you feel this incident requires more conversation than can be appropriately handled publicly, use your public page to ask the customer to email your directly (providing the email for everyone to see- this will help anyone else having the same issue.) See this great example from Accessory Auction's Facebook page (they do an AMAZING job with their customer interaction!)
3. Own Up to It- And ADD VALUE: So you really stepped in it this time, huh? Maybe you heavily advertised  a 50% off deal on an item that sold out in the first 10 minutes of the sale and now the customers who missed out are hopping mad! In this example, responding to everyone individually is still a great practice. But following up with a post on your part thanking everyone for their enthusiasm, explaining that you weren't anticipating such an awesome response, and offering 25% off everything else you offer for the rest of the day to add some value to their less-than-stellar shopping experience can really turn a mess into a friend-building opportunity!

So what are your favorite ways to deal with negative feedback? Share your experience in the comments below!