4 ways to deal with criticism on social media

No matter how big or small, every brand will inevitably experience some negativity on social media. The more your reach and audience increase, the greater the chances of encountering some not-so-nice comments. How you respond is very important and helps you grow stronger as a brand.

Here are 4 strategies to employ when dealing with criticism on social media!

Delete or block the trolls

Trolling is rarely about you, your brand, or your work. It is usually some not-so-nice person having a bad day and taking their frustrations out on you! Maybe they have too much free time or maybe it is a competitor trying to bring you down. You can delete or hide negative comments, especially when they are fake. If you are not a very big brand you can consider keeping comments and feedback turned off. You can turn them on only when you want to increase engagement.

Let your work speak for itself.

If you have a loyal base of followers, you can let them handle some negativity. If someone makes a flippant comment, ignore it – but don’t delete it. Inevitably, a regular customer will come to your defence. This can increase your credibility and reach without any action on your part. 

Keep the conversation private

In a situation where someone is genuinely dissatisfied, take the conversation offline. If possible, call the customer directly – or try to reach by DM or email. Do what you can to resolve the issue. Best case, the customer returns to social media and appreciates you for the steps taken. If they don’t, you can leave a reply explaining your response. Even if they are not satisfied, you would have prevented the situation from escalating.

Action genuine negative feedback

Don’t just give a refund and then block the genuine negative comments. Think about what changes can be made so the incident does not repeat itself. Perhaps you need to retrain staff, change your policies or use different technology. Long-term growth is possible only if you treat mistakes as learning opportunities.  After all, no one is born perfect!

Learn more about PR and other brand-building strategies on the Level Up Your Marketing Podcast available on all major podcast players!