Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau November 2016 9
Instead of a barrage of apologies or a silent deletion , Red Cross was quick to use humor in its defense with :
Address Bad Reviews Publicly and Privately
We ’ ve all seen bad reviews answered by managers with a chip on their shoulder . It doesn ’ t paint a good view of the business , even if they ’ re in the right . If someone gives your business a less than stellar review , apologize publicly for not exceeding their expectations than offer to take the conversation offline . This way you are seen publicly as addressing their concerns , and listening , but you ’ re not throwing mud at one another on a public site .
Keep in mind the customer is always right and keying it into a social media post , blog post , or email is the same as writing a letter . You ’ re one copy and paste away from seeing your commentary in print . Choose words wisely .
Respond Quickly
Generally the larger the company is , the longer it takes to respond because of the sign-offs involved . Social media happens 24 / 7 at the speed of light . If you don ’ t address a concern within a few hours , things escalate quickly .
If you ’ re looking into it , respond with that . At least the poster ( and anyone else interested ) knows you are aware of the concern . “ Looking into it ” provides you a few more hours of time , not days , unless it is a VERY complex issue .
Stay in contact online , and post updates . While you ’ re doing so you may want to stop your auto posts , otherwise you may make a very important issue seem trivial .
Do Not Delete
While this is a point of contention among social media strategists , I ’ m in camp do not delete . Getting back to the Red Cross example that happened nearly half a decade ago , the post was only up for about an hour and then deleted . 4 and a half years later it took me twenty seconds to type a search into Google and find a copy of it .
Delete doesn ’ t work .
It ’ s already out there . Often deleting only inflames the other side and makes them feel like you don ’ t want to address the issue . With the Red Cross it was an embarrassing tweet so no one jumped on the conspiracy bandwagon , but if your issue is more serious , deleting can cause accusations of having something to hide . You end up giving the other side something else to talk about .
Whether you delete your own posts or not is a judgement call , but you should have a very good reason ( such as criminal charges or cyber bullying ) before you delete a comment that has been