How to Come Back From Negativity on Social Media

Is blogging still cool? Yes it’s still a powerful marketing tool.

If you’re like most companies, you’re either on social media or you’re becoming aware that you need to be on social media. After all, that’s where the conversation is happening.

For many companies, though, there’s a tendency to tread lightly because of the potential for negativity on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The more you share, the more you have the capacity to anger a customer or the general public. Avoid sharing at all, and you risk alienating your target audience.

It’s Better to Know

On this week’s podcast episode of Unfiltered Marketing from SJC Marketing, our team discusses the potential for negativity on social media, as well as how to bounce back if your brand is attacked publicly on social media.

Some companies have stayed away from social media altogether, fearing that having a Facebook page will only give customers a platform for complaints. Avoiding social media though doesn’t take away the opportunities for your customers to complain about you. It simply means you won’t have the opportunity to address their complaints. They’ll still vent about your brand or service, but you won’t know about it.

Overall, it’s a much better option to engage with social media and be in a position to address complaints, in addition to gaining all the benefits that come with a social media presence, like brand awareness, building loyalty and engaging your target audience.

When you do experience a complaint, you have the opportunity to turn it around and gain a customer that’s loyal to your brand.

Brand Advocates

You also get the chance on social media to reach out to your customers and convert them to something more: brand advocates. Our account manager, Jennifer Roup, shared a story about viewing a commercial for Chinette paper products that really touched her. She tweeted her thoughts and ended up with a direct message from Chinette.

The message was thanking Jen for her comments and requesting her address. A few days later, Jen received a box in the mail filled with free Chinette products. Chinette recognized a perfect opportunity to create a brand advocate and Jen was thrilled to become one.

Social media can be a powerfully positive place if you imitate a brand like Chinette. Instead of being afraid of social media, use it to offer value and benefits to your customers.

Keep it Positive

There are some key topics to avoid, like politics and religion, unless you happen to want to take a stand as a brand. Stay away from commenting about current events.

You can invite feedback while controlling the flow of it on social media. Encourage your customers to use a helpline hashtag, where you can search for the feedback and they can freely give it, but it’s not piling onto you or multiplying in one spot.

At SJC Marketing, we handle social media for many of our clients that want to have a social media presence, but aren’t sure how far they want to wade into it. At SJC, we are experienced at handling negativity and can help you navigate those situations with plenty of involvement from you. Give us a call to talk more.