One thing I hear a lot is ‘we don’t have a Facebook Page/Social Media presence/LinkedIn Page etc because we don’t want to deal with the abuse’. This is short sighted for a number of reasons – remember that people talk, and people talk on Social Media, so it is more than likely that people are already talking about you and your business, just where you can’t see it.
You’ve probably seen people ‘Check In’ on Facebook: Jo Bloggs is at ABC Cafe, but did you know that if a business isn’t on Facebook and someone Checks In, then Facebook creates a Page for that business and it is sitting on Facebook without the business having any control over it – that is your brand out there! You can claim these Pages, so don’t panic!
Negative reviews are also a big concern for small businesses, but there are some ways to deal with them so they don’t become a problem.
Tip 1: DO NOT delete reviews
By deleting those things written by angry or disgruntled customer you will just be antagonising them which is likely to have the result of them complaining to more of their friends not only about their original grievance but about your handling of it as well. Also, by having only positive reviews it can look like you are censoring your page.
Tip 2: DO NOT get into an online discussion/argument with the reviewer
Getting into the issue in a public forum can explode out of proportion and will be much more likely to go viral. Always respond politely and take any discussion offline, say something like: “We’re really sorry you feel that way, we have sent you a Private Message so that we can come to an acceptable solution for you.”
Tip 3: Respond to all reviews and comments
When you are in the habit of responding to reviews, comments and mentions, you not only are engaging your audience, but when you respond to a negative review it won’t seem out of place or like you are scrambling. On Facebook: Star Ratings a Like from you will suffice, if the person writes a review then comment on it, even just a ‘thank you’. For Instagram: either Like the picture or comment on the picture. For Twitter: Retweet and/or Favorite the Tweet.
If you follow these three tips, you will find that your negative reviews will be easily managed and worrying about what people are saying about you will be dramatically reduced.