Hay There!  A person recently posed the following question to me during a Q&A session, “how do you prevent people from saying negative things about your small business through social media?”

One of the greatest things about social media is that is demands transparency and authenticity.The very nature of a social network encourages communication to take place in a “community environment.”  This prevents individuals and businesses alike from dealing with negative feedback in isolation (which can be a good and bad thing!).

If a customer posts a complaint publicly via your Facebook page for example, I encourage you to view it as an opportunity, not a threat. By proactively addressing that one customer’s concern, you have the ability to demonstrate to the community of customers that you have genuine intentions to keep them happy.

Remember, there is a difference between a genuine customer complaint and an emotional rant.  For example, is the person asking for a specific action or resolution?  You can always publicly address the complaint via social media but ask them to contact you via email or phone to sort out their issue right away.

Thanks for reading this quick tip!

Have you experienced any complaints being posted on your business’ social media channels?  Please feel free to share and help a fellow small business owner.

~Emily A. Hay

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