At a time, everyone believed that the internet would provide an excellent environment for free and democratic expression. The development of social media, anonymity, and a lack of regulation has made the internet a haven for xenophobic, racist, and nasty messages. Everyone has undoubtedly felt the impact of hate speech. And what’s more convenient is that the platform allows making a hostile experience public.
When you manage social media communication for a brand, you should be ready to handle unfavorable responses. Even though it can be very challenging and irritating, hostility on social media can be one of your best possibilities.
We’ll discuss the causes of hate on social media today and some strategies for dealing with it (and even using it to your advantage).
1. Reply Instantly
Do not wait. Don’t let unfavorable remarks develop. People will understand that you’re paying attention to them when you respond to criticism someone has directed at you. Keep your head calm and address complaints as soon as possible to avoid getting involved and make it more innocent.
There is nothing wrong with publishing the official statement stating that you are looking into the matter and will get back as soon as possible, even if you need some time. Once you have worked it out, remember to respond; otherwise, it doesn’t look good.
For example, a nasty blog post is considerably less of a problem than a comment on your Instagram post, which can have a much longer-lasting impact.
2. Constantly Improve And Evolve Your Response Skills
Sometimes a legitimate profile can also distribute harsh words. If done correctly, a direct answer could be a better course of action in these situations to solve the issue. Here are some pointers:
- Never question the messenger. Always ask for the message.
- Make generalizations and falsehoods the subject of scrutiny using facts and statistics.
- By presenting an alternative viewpoint, demonstrate the harm caused by hate speech. Tell uplifting tales that inspire hope.
- Don’t become abusive yourself in your response; instead, be polite.
- Breathe in deeply. Don’t say anything that you might regret later.
- By returning compliments, you can quell the hatred (if you can stomach it).
3. Don’t Ignore Negative Comments
Negative comments may be removed under certain circumstances. For example, if the words are rude or off-topic, you can safely delete them.
If they have valid concerns, removing their comments would be a severe mistake. Remember that people who have legitimate complaints may become enraged by your censoring, and bear in mind that current and potential customers are also keeping a watch on things. Removing their remarks will give the impression that you are hiding anything, which is terrible for your reputation.
4. DM>>>>Discussing In Public
After publicly reacting, give it some private thought. If a person is complicated to communicate with, move your communication to a private channel, for example.
It would be best if you first answered publicly, whether through a tweet or a remark on their Facebook wall or Instagram comment. Let’s connect on DM and send them a private message so you may speak through direct message chat or email. In your letter, you should clarify that you like to have a more informal conversation with them.
You might give them the attention they want in this way without letting on how you interact with them.
5. Experience Matters
Besides, it would be best if you didn’t give unskilled staff members control of your social media accounts.
Any business practices that require consistency also apply to how you respond to complaints made on social media. A disgruntled employee or intern tweeting offensive comments on your company profiles is not something you want to deal with.
Put substantial effort into training your personnel and create a clear, documented overview of your company’s strategy for handling critical comments on social media.
Review your plan with all current workers, and include it in the onboarding procedure. Your staff will constantly be expected to apply their imagination and customer service abilities because there is no way to plan for every circumstance. Every staff member should be equipped to handle any customer at any time.
You may have a more powerful brand presence across all social media channels if you treat your social media accounts properly.
Example-
LATTE
Starbucks developed the LATTE framework for customer service, which can be used to respond to offensive remarks on social media. What does the term LATTE mean?
L | Pay attention to the client. You don’t tell detractors to stop having an opinion by blaming them for it. Assure them that you have received their request. You need to know how to express yourself carefully because you can’t see how they will respond to this.
A | Recognize the issue. Acknowledge your errors. Making mistakes occasionally is OK; refusing to accept responsibility is another matter.
T | Act now to address the issue. Apologies might not mean much if you don’t truly take steps to change after receiving criticism. Show the client that you are considering their request and taking action. Describe the steps you take to remedy the issue and inform your client.
T | Thank you, client. Does sending a “thank you note” to haters work well? Yes. You ought to express gratitude to the contractor. They may become more patient and less furious as a result, and they may also feel valued. When the issue is resolved, they might even end up serving as your brand’s spokespersons, allowing you to demonstrate to other people how to handle critical social media comments and turn them into positive ones.
E | Encourage them to come back. Getting through such a crisis could first seem difficult, yet doing so could earn you some devoted customers. Develop a relationship and emphasize its value to your brand.
Final Notes
It is important to remember that responding to negative feedback on social media as a business is not always accessible. There are a few things to keep in mind, such as staying calm, being professional, and using the opportunity to turn the situation around. With the above tips in mind, businesses can use negative feedback as an opportunity to improve their image and build customer loyalty.
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