subject: How To Make The Most Of Honest Feedback [print this page] Its been a long held belief in business that a happy customer will share their experience with 5 people, while an unhappy one will spread the word to another 10. This held true for years, as a little negative word of mouth could never get too far beyond any particular social group.
Then social media came along. Now a person with 300 friends could directly vent their feelings to not only that sizeable cohort but also to everyone else on the web. Dedicated Facebook pages can be created and mock twitter accounts established, all in the hopes of digging at your corporate image.
Here are a few tips from the web team at Simjen for handling negative social media feedback:
Never ignore it:
In recent months, brands such as Channel 9 and Commonwealth Bank have been the subject of social media spoofing and negative feedback on a considerably large scale. In both instances, they chose to ignore it. More often than not, acting as if its not happening only adds more fuel to the fire. When someone makes a comment on your Facebook page or makes you the subject of a mock page, look into it.
Respond in earnest:
Aside from ignoring such social media activity, responding to it with a formulaic marketing manager comment is one of the worst things you can do. Your response should directly reflect who you are as a business while also defusing the situation. Often it is best to give responses which either a) give the consumer something to think about or b) makes them laugh.
Beware of Trolls:
The Internet is populated by so many of this sort that it is and isnt fun. Weve all laughed at their antics on the pages of other businesses but are often befuddled when they make you the target. When dealing with this sort, play it safe be smart with your responses but cut it off before it ramps up to something inappropriate or irresponsible.
Learn From It:
As with all feedback, you need to take the time to learn from it. If there is a legitimate point made about a product, service, employee or even an ad, take it on board. Every change you can make from honest feedback allows you to grow as a business.
Above all, embrace it:
Social media is about connection and conversation, so embrace any opportunity to have an open dialogue with consumers. The more you converse with them in reaction to negative feedback or simple questions, the more you learn about yourself and those who have an interest in your business.
If nothing else, remember to always be sociable play nice and be fair with any customer who chooses to use social media to voice any feedback regarding your branding, products or services. When handled properly, this feedback can garner more positive word of mouth than you might realise. For any further advice regarding social media, dont hesitate to give Simjen a call on 1300 66 22 42.
