With 2.77 billion social media users in the world, everything and anything can go viral. One bad review can spiral into a giant snowball of bad publicity, leaving your business with one-star ratings that can take a toll on your reputation. Social media reviews can be intimidating and even daunting, leaving businesses wondering if they should answer any reviews or even enable the feature.
The truth is, customer service has greatly shifted into the online world. People look to social media for customer reviews for inside scoops on where to shop and dine. So, if someone leaves a bad review, what should you do? Do you address it? Do you ignore it? Instead of standing around scratching your head on the next step to take, consider our four tips on handling negative reviews on social media.
Address It
88% of consumers are less likely to do business with companies that leave complaints on social media unanswered. One of the biggest mistakes companies make is ignoring social media posts, comments or reviews. Remember, it’s called social media! Be social! Address these comments, reviews and, especially, complaints. Take the time to understand the viewpoint and concern of whoever left this review. It shows users and potential consumers that you value their concerns.
Don’t Take it Personally
We understand that your business is your pride and joy. Your heart is intertwined into everything your business does, so, when it gets a bad review on any social media platform, it can make your heart sink. The trick is to separate yourself from the business. Avoid petty references, personal attacks, sarcasm and rants. Stick to the review and what brought it up. Show empathy and address the issue.
Respond Quickly
Don’t wait weeks to respond to one of these reviews. Get to those direct messages, comments, reviews and mentions quickly. Studies have found that most people feel they deserve a response over social media within a day. That doesn’t sound too crazy, but if your company has a large audience where hundreds of comments, mentions and messages are left daily, it can seem like a challenge. Set aside time for responding to these, and it also helps to have a semi-formatted response that can still be customizable to each person.
Moving to Private Messages
Publicly addressing a review on social media is necessary but know when to contact or take the conversation into direct messages. It’s essential that you extend some sort of outreach where letting a person know that you take their issues seriously is important. This allows you to customize discounts or items to make it up to them.
Customizing Your Social Media
Social media is tricky. It’s a balancing act that acquires many hats. You have to manage posts, answer reviews, engage with followers, maintain a loyal fanbase and more. If you’re a business owner, it can seem overwhelming. That’s why at Imagine It Studios, we have a team of social media experts that will help you conquer the online world. Contact our digital marketing agency in McAllen or call us at 956.687.1521 for more information!