Moderating Negative Feedback on the Internet

Social media has evolved into more than just a socializing platform; it’s now a place to buy and sell, market and advertise, and most importantly, express opinions about brands and share positive or negative experiences.

As a brand present on social media, negative reviews and comments are more common than not. With thousands or even millions of followers, negative comments are inevitable. Often, it’s customers with negative experiences who are more likely to share their grievances on social media.

Whether it’s an unsatisfied customer or someone caught in a misunderstanding, how you handle these negative comments largely determines your online credibility and sets the tone for your e-reputation. Famous consumer brands with high visibility face criticism and negative feedback daily, some handling it successfully—while others, not so much, leading to numerous scandals.

Step 1: Do Not Ignore Negative Comments

The worst thing you can do for your brand is to ignore negative comments. They can harm your brand’s reputation if left unaddressed. Ignoring them reinforces feelings of anger and reflects an image of arrogance, disrespect, and neglect, not just to the dissatisfied person but also to anyone who sees their comment. The sooner you can appease an angry customer, the better.

You don’t have to respond to every positive (or neutral) comment unless it’s particularly special—though it’s recommended. However, for negative comments, you must be responsive. Maintaining public relations is essential for building brand image. It helps you connect better with your followers and reveals your human and caring side.

If you’re deeply invested in your brand, facing negativity can be tough. But you must handle it strategically; otherwise, it can escalate quickly, resulting in a flood of negative reactions that can seriously damage your brand.

In general, it’s crucial to adopt a proactive approach through social listening. This way, you receive real-time feedback from users without waiting for them to contact you directly with their concerns.

Warning! You should never delete a negative comment on social media. Deleting a negative comment will offend your angry customer and the rest of the internet users, potentially sparking an explosion of comments, posts, mentions, etc.

Step 2: Apologize and Explain Sincerely

“The customer is always right.” Even if you don’t agree with the customer’s viewpoint, you should still apologize. This is the first step to resolving the conflict.

If your brand has been involved in a media scandal and received dozens of press articles, comments, and negative reviews, a representative of your company should issue a public apology. You should post a message on behalf of the CEO or founder saying, “Sorry for the mistake made.”

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is not providing explanations to their customers. Consequently, customers feel frustrated. You should always explain exactly what caused the issue and what your company has done to resolve it. Show how much effort your company has put into satisfying customers. This will help you achieve positive outcomes.

Additionally, it’s important to explain to your followers that not every issue they face is the company’s fault.

Step 3: Acknowledge Publicly but Resolve Privately

A crucial aspect of handling negative comments on social media is showing transparency, attentiveness, and openness as a brand.

To do this, publicly respond to comments and acknowledge the issue in your response. However, whenever possible, resolve it privately, especially if you need to collect personally identifiable information. Ask the customer to email you, direct message you, or call customer support.

Don’t start arguing in the comment thread. If customers are frustrated, they’ll write dozens of responses that show a negative attitude toward your brand. So, if you want to save your brand’s image, you should address the issue one-on-one.

Moreover, customers don’t want automated responses. Therefore, try to personalize your message and show empathy. Mention the customer’s name or username when addressing them to convey a sense of closeness and compassion.

Step 4: Act Courteously and Provide a Concrete Solution

Facing negative reactions and rude comments isn’t easy. But you must remain polite to protect your brand.

Avoid using swear words, even if your customers use them. In any case, it won’t help you resolve the situation. If loyal customers see you being rude to other customers, they’ll change their opinion about your company. So, suppress your true emotions and make your responses as polite and friendly as possible.

Furthermore, don’t promise anything just because your customer is unhappy if it’s not part of your usual practices. First, analyze the problem. Then explain to your customer how you can resolve the situation.

Ensure that the person feels heard and their concerns are addressed. Providing a concrete solution to the problem is particularly helpful if your company has clear policies on returns, exchanges, replacements, and refunds. And above all, always follow through on the proposed solution.

Step 5: Learn from Mistakes and Generate Positive Sentiments

Everyone makes mistakes, including your company. So don’t panic. You can always find a way to fix the situation.

Indeed, negative comments are a source of insights. Read each comment to find out what your customers don’t like about your products or business policy. Use this information to improve your products and, foremost, your consumers’ customer experience.

Once the problem is identified, you need to develop an action plan to resolve it. Admit your mistake and tell your customers what specific measures you’ll take to resolve the conflict. Show that you care about your customers so they can trust your brand again.

Ultimately, it’s impossible to avoid negative comments on social media. However, reducing their impact on your brand image is possible. How is this possible? Through more positive reviews that will eventually overshadow the bad ones.

Here are some essential recommendations to follow:

• Always strive to create engaging content on social media to boost engagement and get more comments.
• Respond to as many positive or neutral comments as possible. Strengthen your relationship with loyal customers so they can serve as ambassadors and advocates.
• Use humor. It’s a perfect icebreaker.

On a daily basis, multinational companies receive dozens or even hundreds of bad reviews, but it doesn’t affect their revenue. Why do you think that is? Simply because they know how to address furious customers and calm them down.

Therefore, if you want your business to succeed, monitor what people are saying about your brand and pay attention to your customers’ feedback. Social media has empowered consumers to hold brands accountable. It’s the brand’s responsibility to leverage this and win back its customers, and it starts with a good response.