There are many things that can go wrong in business.  People may not respond to a product or a service.   People may give the service or product a try and then leave a negative response on social media.  This negative response can later turn into conversations among people considering that the negative review is reality.

Social media optimization has become a daunting task.  Activities such as trolling and leaving harsh but untrue comments are a regular activity for   some social media users.

 

The Act of Trolling

Trolling is the act of trying to spark negative conversations and create a negative view of the business or the product.  It comes in many forms, but the worst kinds hide in the guise of a negative review.

Handling a troll is much like managing a negative review.  You should always be on alert and treat every review as a serious one, so you do not lose sight of what is real and what is made up.

In a world where trolling has become a reality, taking care of your business name is now a more demanding task than ever.

 

9 Ways to Handle Negative Reviews

With this in mind, every business owner must know how to handle negative reviews especially if they are on social media. Aston Social has noted 9 Ways to help business owner’s deal with negative reviews on social media.

  1. Do not take things personally and always be professional. Your social media standing is not a reflection of who you are but of the business that you run.  Listen to what the reviewer has to say as they may be speaking from an experience that they have had.  Hence, the first thing that you must always remember is to detach yourself personally and view the message in terms of business.
  2. Respond as a business owner. Many business owners forget that the way they treat their customers and react to what they have to say will have an impact on whether the customer will come back or not. Clients may raise negative reviews because they see potential in the business and the only thing that they want is for you to hear some of their suggestions.
  3. Do not allow posts on your Facebook page to be automatically approved.  Prevention is better than cure so it is always best to prevent negative reviews from being posted so they will not damage your social media strategy. Always keep your posts regulated so you will not have to deal with negative posts…
  4. Always respond to comments and reviews. Social media presence means that you are present. Respond to reviews and comments and remember that when you consistently listen to all viewpoints, clients know that your business means business and cares…
  5. Clarify the complaint. It may be hard, but the best way to clear things up is to clarify the claim and make sure that you understand the customer’s concerns. .   Clarity will enable appropriate action to be taken.
  6. Stop making excuses and do something about it. Listen and consider why the client is making those negative comments.  Is there a truth to it?  Are there a lot of people who are saying the same thing?  Is it time to listen to them?  If the answer is yes! Then – Stop making excuses and start making some changes to the way that your business operates before your clients move on. .
  7. Highlight your strengths. The best thing to do when you have negative feedback is to also look at your positives… If you let it negativity can be destructive. , Nothing good comes from focusing on negatives.  But if you highlight the things that you are proud of as well, then you may end up building strength rather than losing confidence.  Always remember that it is about perspective and how you want to handle things.
  8. Resolve the problem. If you think that all you have to do is listen, you are wrong.  You also need to resolve the issue, dig deep into what caused it and how to make it go away.  There may be a cost.  You may have to replace an item or change the way that you deliver your goods. Either way, it is always better to resolve the problem than to just let it go without dealing with it.
  9. Keep the resolution private. There are a lot of ways to handle negative comments and negative reviews.  None of them includes processing things publicly.  When comments are heated and there is a misunderstanding, always make sure that you discuss matters privately.   Negative and argumentative comments do not need to be shared with the rest of your social media community as this will damage your social media strategy.

Now that you know the 9 Ways to handle negative reviews on social media, your social media strategy should be geared towards ensuring that such a task does not become daunting to you or your employees.  There may be a lot of social media trolls out there but you are a business owner and you know how to handle these things.