“What if someone says something bad about us online?”
This is a common question I’m asked from most clients. Of course it’s always unfortunate if someone says negative things about you online, but there’s really nothing we can do about it. Social media has made everyone a publisher and people will voice their opinions whether we agree with it or not.
Some people think that in order to avoid this, they just won’t participate in social media. The reality is whether or not you are present online, people are still going to say good and bad things about you online. Just like a little kid covers their eyes and thinks that you can’t see them because they can’t see you, we all know better. It’s not going to go away if you’re not there.
So what do you do if you see that someone has spoken or posted negatively about you or your business? The best strategy is to address it head-on and engage that person directly.
Even if you’re not familiar with the specific circumstances the person is referring to, you can always say something along the lines of, “I’m really sorry to hear about your bad experience dealing with our company. I’m not familiar with the circumstances but I assure you that we strive for excellence when dealing with our clients. I’m wondering what I can do to make things right for you?”
Now lots of people are thinking, “Doesn’t this just open up a whole new door for refunds, discounts and other special treatment to correct the wrongs?”
The truth is that most people simply want to get it off their chest. They voice their complaint online and never come back because most businesses ignore this type of engagement and people are used to that. But when you step up and address it head-on, you’re doing that extra 10%. You shine like a star because most people don’t acknowledge people’s issues.
Even after you make an effort to make it right, most people will never respond to it. So what’s the point then? To everybody else that is watching this engagement take place, they think, “Wow, this business really cares.” And that’s the key to success in the social media world. The number one strategy to be successful in the digital world is to simply care about your customers.
How do you think it looks to everybody else when someone complains and nobody ever acknowledges it? It has the exact opposite impact. People see it and think, “Man, this business doesn’t care.” Maybe you didn’t even know there was a complaint. Too bad! People make judgements and snap decisions. Is it fair? Nope. But it’s the truth.
When it comes to social media, we can’t control the actions of other people. All we can do is use the tool to influence the situation as best we can to play in our favor. Businesses will always make mistakes. That’s the nature of human beings. We’re not perfect. But when we take a moment to let people know that we care about them and that we want to ensure that people have the best experience possible when dealing with our brand or business, we’ll always shine above the rest.
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