Girls In Tech

Clients ask me almost every day what they should be doing to respond to negative feedback that appears about them online – in blogs, social networks, and online forums and communities.  Some want to know what they can do to “control” the negative commentary out there. To that I say, it’s impossible. You cannot control what people say about you online – they’re real human beings populating the online airwaves with their opinions and they’re entitled. However, what a brand can control is how they respond to the negative feedback.

In fact, the best way to “control” social media is for a brand to be present, engage in the conversation, and reach out, on an individual basis to those people who might be misinformed about a product or service or had a bad experience. Yes, this is time consuming, but there are many seasoned social media experts that can handle this on behalf of a company, or advise an internal person at a brand on messaging and response strategy.

The best thing to do is to have messaging prepared in advance of launching a social media presence or campaign. This messaging should address the various negative comments you anticipate receiving – and should be approved by all internal parties, including the brand’s legal department, in advance. This way, when issues arise, you can respond swiftly and in real-time. Many brands ask me if they have to “give free stuff away” to disgruntled online consumers and my answer is no, not always. Oftentimes, most people who vent negativity about an experience they had simply want to feel as if they’ve been heard…and that the problem is brought to the attention of an authority within the company who can prevent it from happening again. Knowing that their voice has been heard is often enough.

For negative feedback that you can’t anticipate – and pops up unexpectedly, the key is to respond as quickly as possible – always be monitoring and searching the various online channels for what’s being said about your brand – social networks, blogs, forums, etc. Another good idea (particularly for bigger corporate brands) is to put an online crisis communications plan into place – this way you have a plan of attack in place. Being prepared is the best thing that a brand can do – and the opportunity to engage with your consumers, fans, and brand advocates in real-time is the uniqueness that social media affords.

Two large corporate brands that are currently using Twitter effectively as a customer service tool and to respond to negative feedback are:

@RichardatDell: Dell doesn’t have just one channel on Twitter; it has more than 20 – all catering to different audiences, including international ones. Perhaps the best-known of all their Twitter handles is called “Richard at Dell”- an employee who is a member of Dell’s digital media team. Dell is also one of the first major brands with Twitter channels in Chinese, Japanese, German, and Spanish.

@JetBlue: JetBlue has always been a word-of-mouth brand. The corporate communications manager alerts Twitter followers of weather delays, finds alternate flights for stranded travelers who tweet their frustrations, and fields questions about almost anything including, why JetBlue is now charging $7 for pillows and blankets.

Christine Kirk is a social media marketing consultant for luxury and lifestyle brands in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached via e-mail at christine@socialmuse.com or on Twitter @luxuryprgal.