In our previous blog, we talked about the importance of User Generated Content (UGC) and how it can boost your brand. If you aren’t sure what UGC is, it’s essentially content created by your customer base that is intended to interact with your brand. This can be a review, like, comment, or another form of engagement. As you can imagine, this helps your brand a great deal and helps spread the word about how awesome your company is.
But what if… the UGC is negative? What if a customer shares a 1-star review, or posts an upsetting comment on your page?
What if… these were also good for your brand?
Yes, you read that right. Negative engagement isn’t necessarily a bad thing for one reason; on social media, you have the opportunity to respond to negative feedback immediately. This is when your marketing team’s responsiveness, communication, and professionalism really shines. By responding in an empathetic, and organic tone, your customer will not only find a solution to their issues, but others will see how you legitimately care about your customer.
It is true that there is a ton of negativity on the internet. Internet users are human and some of those humans have complaints. Sometimes, you may be reading some of these comments and your may feel your jaw drop or your fists clench. However, you can’t fight fire with fire. Push your emotions aside and think about your response critically. Never respond negatively, or stoop down to their level. While you, the employee, may be offended, you’re representing your brand and there’s no room for bickering when you’re trying to succeed in social media marketing.
Now, you can write the perfect response to a negative comment– one that no one can logically refute. You could expect one of the following:
1. The customer can thank you for your response and let it go.
2. They can respond with more negativity.
It’s as simple as that. However, even if #2 happens, you can’t respond negatively. Instead, kindly ask to move the conversation to a private message and continue the polite conflict resolution.
One thing that is essential to keep in mind when addressing negativity is humanity. Yes, you should understand where they are coming from and put yourself in their shoes. They may have legitimately had a horrible experience with your business and maybe, just maybe, you deserve the bad review. But, when I say humanity, I’m referencing your response. You don’t want to pour gasoline on the fire by responding with a canned message. Even if you do have a “go to” response, ensure that you tweak it to accommodate the current situation.
If the idea of responding to negative online feedback scares you, don’t let it. We have spoken with several brands who are hesitant to be on social media because they don’t want to receive bad reviews. But here’s the thing– people are already talking! If you represent your brand online, you’re able to respond and give your company a voice.
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