subject: Dealing with Higher Education Social Media Criticism [print this page] Dealing with Higher Education Social Media Criticism
Good afternoon, and I hope the weekend is great!
Do you remember when your parents said to you, "If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, do not say it at all"? Well as you probably now know, this doesn't always take place on the internet. However, how you deal with it, can make you a star or could even dilute your brand.
First, use criticism as a marketing teaching tool. Are you hearing over and over that your admissions counselors or campus visits are poorly done? Well, maybe it is, and then it is your job to fix it. At this point, reach out to your prospective student pool and ask them for additional feedback and let them know they are helping to implement any change that might be necessary.
Next, admit your wrong when you are. The big question would be here, are you feeling defensive? If so, than it would be the correct thing to apologize. Again, ask for additional feedback and what the school could do better next time. I think that is what makes social media so powerful is that is an open forum where your demographic audience feels comfortable and almost empowered to give you their best feedback.
The last thing is do not take it personal. The person or persons are not attacking you, they are attacking your school (or business). Also, what is motivating this individual? Is this person or persons having a terrible day or overly stressed? Do remember that with some anonymity that people might post things they normally wouldn't say to you.