How to respond to negative reviews about a company on social media?

Social media (as the name suggests) is focused on building a community, not just informing about a company's offer. Fortunately, more and more brands understand this and try to enter into a dialogue with the people watching them. Of course, the presence of a brand in social media exposes it to criticism, which happens to every company. However, it is important to be able to respond appropriately in such a situation and present oneself as a professional company that cares about customer satisfaction.

How NOT to handle negative reviews on social media? 

The main mistake you can make is not responding to the comment left, as by doing so you show the dissatisfied customer that you don't really care about their review. So respond to all positive and negative reviews, especially the negative ones. However, by replying badly you can only add fuel to the fire. And what does a wrong answer contain? Of course vulgarities, lies and not taking responsibility. It's also a bad idea to blame the customer, to get into a verbal argument with them and to use sarcasm. This behaviour can really take a toll on a brand's reputation and create an image crisis. However, you should not wait too long before responding, and in fact it is advisable to response quickly but thoughtfully to reviews and comments. It is also not a good idea to write the same comments to every unpleasant customer review posted on a company profile.

Why is it important not to delete negative social media reviews?

Deleting negative feedback on social media is probably the worst thing your business can do. After all, by the time you deal with negative experience, a lot of people might have already read it, especially if your brand has a large number of followers. You need to know that a negative review on your social media profile makes users wait for your reaction. After all, they may have also been in the situation that was described in the online review they read. If you delete a comment, you may be bombarded with criticism, not only from an unhappy customer. Other people may also react, and suddenly remember that they have also been affected by your company, but they have not mentioned it out loud and now they are about to do it. In addition, such an action may cause that customers so far satisfied with your products or services simply resign from them. And that's not what social media marketing is supposed to be about.

How to respond to negative reviews?

First of all, apologise, even if the fault is not entirely your own. Show the customer that their bad reviews matter to you, that you want to clarify the situation and that you have left your contact details for this purpose. Try to move the conversation to a phone call or email and offer a solution to the problem there. Brands often decide to offer some kind of compensation, for example by giving the dissatisfied customer a discount on their next purchase. It's important to present this type of solution in a private message, because when other people see what your company has offered, they may intentionally post negative comments online to make an extra profit. It is a good idea to prepare scenarios in case of a negative Facebook review. Of course, this does not mean copying it every time. Simply have a strategy for social media platforms so that you or your employees know what to do and how to respond to negative comments on social media.

Negative online reviews can also show you that there are problems in your business, for example in the area of customer service. Therefore, do not get offended with your customers, especially if you know they are right. And remember to remain calm every time. This is how you can turn a negative comment into something good. You'll show an angry customer that you're not afraid of confrontation and that you even look forward to dialogue because you want to keep developing your business and adapting to your customers' needs. What's more, your reaction and eventual compensation can contribute to a change in review about the company and build a long-term relationship with the customers on social media like Facebook.

Summary

Positive review influences the trust in a brand. Even one negative comment can seriously damage a brand's image. Unfortunately, sooner or later a negative review about every company appears online, because no one is able to satisfy all consumers. However, one should react quickly and show that the company cares about business name. This is very important for the brand image and building trust, which of course results in profits.