It’s hard not to take it personally when someone leaves your business a bad review online or posts negative social media feedback. You’ve poured your heart and soul into your business and want it to succeed.
It’s not uncommon for most businesses to get less-than-favourable comments online at one time or another. Many companies don’t realize that these negative comments can have a positive impact on your brand if you deal with them correctly.
How you respond to negative comments will help build your brand reputation, credibility, and trust. In this article, we’ll discuss why you need a social media response strategy, why responding to negative feedback is important, and how to respond professionally.
Never leave a negative (or positive) comment unanswered online
Responding to reviews and comments about your business shows followers that there is an actual human behind your brand. It helps them get to know you and your team to build trust and credibility.
Not responding to negative comments or reviews shows your customers that you admit to the wrongdoing and aren’t changing anything, or that you don’t care enough to address the negative feedback.
Responding allows you to share your perspective and explain to others how you intend to use this feedback to improve your business.
Make a habit of responding to all online reviews, both positive and negative. Here’s how to do it:
3 Simple steps to professionally responding to negative reviews
Did you receive a negative or scathing review or comment online? Don’t fear. Here are three simple steps to help you professionally handle the response while staying true to your brand.
1. Stay calm, pause, and assess social media feedback
Your fight-or-flight instincts may want to jump in and defend yourself when you receive a negative comment online. Responding when you’re emotional could cause you to act too defensively and not professionally.
Take a pause and assess the situation:
- Is it a genuine customer or a troll/bot?
- What is the core issue, complaint, or dispute?
- What evidence do you have to support or refute their claims?
Gather details about the situation and the customer so you have what you need to prepare a timely response.
2. Respond promptly on social media
Don’t leave a negative comment sitting unanswered for too long! After you’ve assessed the situation, follow this example to respond:
- Acknowledge their concerns: “Thank you for your feedback. We understand how frustrating that can be.”
- Apologize if necessary: “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience or confusion.”
- If it’s your fault, offer an explanation: “We were experiencing server issues that day, which contributed to the issues you experienced during your online checkout. ”
- If it’s the customer’s mistake, offer your perspective: “We include our cancellation policy at the bottom of every email and order screen that must be accepted before completing an order.”
- Provide a solution or way forward: “To compensate for your inconvenience, we have a replacement product ready to ship. Please contact us to confirm your details.”
- Offer a personal touch point: “If you wish to discuss this in more detail, please contact us at [email address].”
Always respond politely and professionally. Avoid accusatory language and ensure your response aligns with your company voice. Include language that shows the customer you hear their specific concerns so they feel listened to and valued.
Erica, Founder/President of picnic social adds that it’s a good idea to have a trusted staff member or professional colleague read through the review with you and provide input in your response:
“Too often, I see owners respond to negative comments while emotional, which makes the situation worse. With negative reviews, you must acknowledge the person writing them, put yourself in their shoes and try to find a practical solution.”
She emphasizes that you should consider how your response will be perceived by strangers who read it. Always prioritize the company over your emotions.
3. Take the conversation offline if needed
Be mindful of what information you include in your response. Keep personal details and information out of your public response. If you can identify the customer who left the review, email or call them to speak to them directly about their feedback.
If the comment turns into a longer conversation, you should definitely take it offline by saying, “I think we have some details to work out. We’ll contact you privately to discuss them.”
Encourage positive engagement
Show customers that you are looking for feedback. Ask satisfied customers to leave online reviews and comments to tell others about their experience with your brand. If you have bigger customer successes, ask if you can share the details of their experience in a customer story for your website.
Bonus tip: You’ve likely seen companies offer you a discount or deal for “leaving a positive review.” Most online review websites (including Google Business reviews) frown on this and can deactivate your account if you offer incentives to encourage positive reviews. Be cautious and avoid offering incentives for these. After all, you can take advantage of a negative review by demonstrating timely, respectful customer service.
How to handle fake reviews
Not all reviews are authentic. Some are bots or spam, and responding to them differs from real reviews. If the review feels off, it might be fake. Look for some of these spam indicators:
- Uses overly extreme language and curse words
- Lacks any detail or specifics
- The account has posted a lot of reviews in a short amount of time
- They include spammy-looking links or competitor recommendations
- The account has no friends or followers (or is a new account)
Avoid arguing with anyone, especially bots. Focus on the facts. If you are sure the review was left by a bot rather than an actual customer or prospect, report it to the platforms as spam.
Create your social media response plan
Create a written plan for how you’ll respond to negative comments. This should be part of your marketing and social media strategy. Anyone who interacts as your brand should be familiar with your policies and how to respond to comments with professionalism and a consistent brand voice.
Remember, how you respond to negative comments online will impact your brand perception. Comments and reviews stay online forever; if you deal with the situation poorly, it can stay with your brand for a long time.
If you need help managing your social media and writing professional responses to negative reviews, give us a call. Learn more about picnic social’s marketing management services.
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