I’ve worked for companies who were so terrified of negative online comments that they just avoided social media marketing altogether.
While I understood the hesitation, it was the attitude that was of the most concern to me. Frankly, if the thought of what could be is stopping you from moving forward with innovative and low-cost marketing and branding via social networking, you are crippling your business and its potential.
Sadly, negative comments are out there for every company. Pick a global brand with a lot of caché – like Apple – and you’ll find a site tearing it apart – like Mac Sucks. Now Google Apple Sucks and look at the laundry list of sites, articles, and blogs dedicated to criticizing Apple, its products, and its customer service. Now search on Facebook and Twitter for Apple Sucks. Yup, they are there, too.
I guarantee that Apple is monitoring the feedback – positive and negative – posted about their company and their products…and you should be, too.
But don’t be just aware of what people are saying about you – use it to your advantage.
First, don’t ignore the negative comments – at least the constructive ones – but don’t be defensive in your response to them.
If the comments are based in fact, acknowledge them and respond individually to the poster. Apologize if appropriate and offer to make the poster happy. For example, if someone posted that the meal they ordered from your restaurant arrived cold – send that patron a personal message offering a free meal or a discount on the next visit. It’s a small token to keep a customer and prevent him/her from bashing your restaurant due to an isolated incident.
If the comments are unfounded, use the forum to correct the misinformation. A good example: Someone states that they arrived at your store only to find the doors locked. They express their frustration and question your customer friendliness. Your response: Brief apology and a summary of your hours. Again, don’t be defensive or condescending – just briefly provide the correct information and move on.
One-off responses to negative comments are one thing but what are you learning from them? A lot more than you probably know.
Did you know that common themes in customer comments constitute the cheapest – and often most eye-opening – form of market research. Many companies spend tens of thousands of dollars and many months conducting formal market research; as a social networking-savvy small business owner you can do the same thing without investing a penny. What kind of information can you glean? Use the comments to adjust hours, fine tune products, services, or menu items, learn about customer purchasing motivations, and so much more. Don’t simply read the comments and move on. Look for trends and commonalities that can make your business better and your customers happier.
Great advice, you’re thinking, but how do you find these comments and use them for good? Facebook fans may post comments directly on your page or link to you from their wall. Tweets may feature reference symbols like # or @ before your business name (or Twitter user name) that are easily searchable. Technorati allows you to search blogs by title, subject or individual post. And there’s always Google, of course, for vanity searches of your business.
The main takeaway? Don’t be so terrified that people are going to say bad things about you that you choose to do nothing. Now that people are posting their opinions in real time – often while they are still at your place of business – you have to be prepared to respond appropriately and immediately. As I’ve said before (and I’m obviously saying again) – you can’t always control what people are saying about you but you can control how you respond and learn from the market intelligence you’ve gained in the process.
