Social media is a huge platform that is used not only for personal communication but also for business and marketing. Most businesses have social media accounts to connect with their prospects and post relevant content on their products and services. They also use social media analytics tools to keep track of their customers and even competitors. However, there are times that they come across negative feedback from their customers, making social media marketing a little challenging. If you’re a digital marketer and you don’t want these negative reviews to have a bad impact on your business, here’s how you can deal with them.

Acknowledge Them Quickly

Receiving negative feedback on the Internet is inevitable. Because people have varied opinions on everything, you can’t expect everyone to like and be satisfied with your products. If someone leaves a negative review on your page, don’t take it negatively; instead, acknowledge it right away. Accept the fact that your products are not perfect and you can’t please all your customers. If there’s a mistake on your part, recognize it and set your pride aside.

Keep Calm and Respond with Respect

When you get negative feedback, say on Facebook, you may feel terrified and stressed at first, with fears of losing customers. Instead of panicking, keep yourself calm and think of how you are going to answer your customer’s complaint. No matter how much annoyed you are or even if you think you’re right, don’t allow your anger to outstrip you. Stay composed and respond to the complainant in a friendly and respectful manner.

Don’t Give Any Excuses

Some marketers tend to make excuses for their lapses. However, if you don’t want to lose your customers, you won’t give them any excuse or try to blame others. Own the mistake and show your customers your willingness to make it up for them. Tell them it is not unlikely of you to make such mistakes but you would like to make things right and give your customers the kind of service they deserve.

Show Empathy

Not all consumers would really bother to leave negative reviews on social media even if they are not pleased with the products they bought. Nonetheless, there are customers who would take some time to air their complaints. These people post negative reviews or comments not just because they are upset but because they want to be heard and have concerns that need addressing. This is when you should be empathic by showing them you understand their situation and you are going to do something about it. To better deal with irate customers, always place yourself in their shoes and see things from their point of view.

When It’s your Fault, Don’t Hesitate to Say ‘Sorry’

There are people who find it hard to say sorry but if you’re a marketer, you should never hesitate to acknowledge your mistakes and say sorry to your customer. If it’s your fault, you need to make your customers feel your sincerity. Don’t just say sorry for the sake of it but do everything you can to resolve the problem. If you need to give a refund, do it to make up for your mistake and keep the customer.

Highlight your Company’s Strengths

While acknowledging your mistake or a product error, don’t forget to highlight the strengths of your company or your brand. For instance, say you are very sorry for a particular problem while also showing how great your company is. Tell them your customers are important to you and offer them reparation or assure them that you are going to address their concerns as quickly as possible.

Ignore the Social Media Trolls

While there are customers having actual problems with your product or service, there are social media users who only want to cause trouble. They troll all over the social media just to gain attention. They love saying negative things against everything and enjoy the responsiveness they get from other people. If there are trolls on your page, simply ignore them and focus on your customers who have used your actual products and have important concerns.

Talk about The Details Privately

When someone writes a negative review on your account, a lot of people will read them and if you don’t talk to that person right away, the situation can be worse. Take them out from the spotlight by offering them a different platform where you can talk about the details privately. You won’t want other customers to see other bad comments just in case the complainant talks more about your mistake. Offer them a point of contact to let them know you are not going to run away from the issue.

Always Respond, Even When You’re Busy

As a business owner, there are lots of things you need to accomplish every day but this should not get in the way of your responsibility to provide excellent customer service. No matter how busy you are, respond to your customers and assure them that their needs will be addressed. Some customers can be impatient and if you don’t respond to them as fast as you can, they will take it negatively.

Resolve the Issue, Whatever Price you Have to Pay

Even if it costs you, you need to resolve the problem regardless of whose fault it is. You can compensate your customers if your products don’t meet their expectations or if you have poor customer service. One of the most common compensations is refunding their check or offering to send a new item without any cost on their part. Don’t think about how much you are going to spend on this but think of ways on how you can gain back the trust of your customers.