How to deal with negative social media responses
Contemporary marketing strategies are taking to social media which offers a cheaper and faster means of advertising products and services. Advertisements are commonly seen on social media including Twitter and Facebook, and as such, customers can easily interact with their brands directly, expressing their minds instantly. The feedbacks are not always positive. Sometimes a brand’s feedback can be awash with negative reactions sending shivers to the stakeholders. With this in mind, this article explores the appropriate techniques to be employed by companies in dealing with a brand’s negative responses. This article also brings to focus some companies that have transformed brands’ negative publicity into positive PR.
To begin with, when one is faced with negative feedback, there are ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ that a social media account manager ought to note. First, upon receiving a negative reaction on social media, it is healthy to respond via the same. This is vital since it shows that you are concerned about the complaints and as such you are acting upon them. Nevertheless, if the case is complex, resort to solving the issue out of the public spotlight, for instance, via a phone. Second, it is important to respond to your critics quickly and prudently. This creates an impression in the customer’s mind that they are important. Moreover, you protect yourself from more complaints. Against this backdrop, it is advisable that companies employ staff to constantly monitor their social media. Third, complaints can easily jeopardize the entire business thus it is important to acknowledge them and resolve them immediately. One can tell whether it has been resolved by making a follow-up, to tell whether the customer is happy or not.
Among the things a social media account managers ought not to do is deleting the comments and becoming exceedingly defensive. These irritate the customers, aggravating the problem further. A responsible manager will analyze customers’ complaints and come up with a concrete response that will not hurt the company.
Some companies have resorted to transforming a brand’s negative publicity into positive PR. They basically achieve this by turning them into something humorous, entertaining customers and thus bringing the brand back to the market. Some of the companies that have successfully achieved this include Bodyform and Tesco mobile. The former company conceded to having told lies to its clients for years following a customer’s complaint. The whole issue is humorously displayed in video footage on YouTube: ‘Bodyform Responds-The Truth.’ The later company comically responded to a customer’s negative tweet about its mobile-only to “receive more than 1000 ‘retweets’” (Ciccotelli 1).
Why I chose the topic and it’s related to marketing
The reason for choosing this topic in marketing is that most companies are turning to social media to market their brands. As such, it is important to know how to deal with customers’ responses since they determine a brand’s score in the market. An irresponsible social media account manager can hurt a company’s image, bringing it down to its knees. A responsible account manager would analyze customers’ complaints, gather his/her thoughts, and respond amicably in a professional manner. This will ensure that the brand succeeds in the market.
Conclusion
Presently, social media presents a platform for marketing companies’ brands. To this end, companies get to interact with their clients directly and instantly. One thing to be sure of is that however great a brand is, it is not immune to complaints. Whichever means you adopt to tackle the issue, one thing that you can’t afford to do is to assume it and hope that the issue will disappear in thin air.
Works Cited
Ciccotelli, Carla. How to Turn Negative Social Media Into a Positive. MarketingProfs 2.7 (2004): 1-3. Print.