Dealing with negative comments
Turning criticism to a positive Every company, big or small, is dealing with negative online reviews or posts from customers. It’s impossible to make every customer happy. However, it’s about how you manage to turn those negative comments in to opportunities. If you run scared, you will not only lose that client, but also those potential clients that have read the negative review about your company. The power of social media makes a company more vulnerable than ever. If a user writes a negative comment on the web – whether it is on Twitter, Facebook or on a forum – it influences other people that read it and it hurts your reputation. So, how can you deal with negative feedback and, at the same time, create an opportunity out of it? Don’t wait too long You know what they say – news travels fast, and tweets even faster. With tens of tweets being shared per minute, it’s important to address right away any negative comment that comes your way. The more you wait, the more the number of people who get to see the comment increases. A lack of response on your part might as well be considered indifference and it can really damage your reputation. If you respond quickly, it will show people that your are listening and that you care about your clients. If you also manage to solve the client’s problem, it will prove your dedication and you will gain respect from your clients. Apologise but don’t overdo it “Customer is always right” – you know this rule. If a customer is complaining about one of your products, start by apologizing even though he might not be right. You’re actually apologizing because the client is unhappy with your product. Also, saying you’re sorry means that you’re listening. In a follow up, ask the client what you can do to improve it. It will show that you care and want to do your best to provide the best product on the market. Reply publicly, then handle it privately If the client has written a public negative comment, you should reply publicly as a first step, and then communicate in private. If you go directly to private messaging, other people won’t know that you’re trying to solve the problem. Reply with a tweet/ comment to their post and then send a private message asking for details on the issue they’re having. Encourage feedback and show your appreciation Look at negative feedback as an opportunity to improve your products or services and make them better. Your clients should know what you welcome any type of feedback, negative or positive, and that they’re being heard. Tell them that you appreciate their suggestions and that you will consider implementing them so that they can enjoy an even better product or service. And don’t leave it at that – forward those suggestions to the product team and see if and how they can implement it. Is it worth it? When dealing with a negative comment, take a moment to find out who that person is. Is he constantly writing bad things with no real value on his wall in an attempt to get reactions? Maybe he’s just an attention-seeker. In this case, you can write a tactful reply without the need to follow up.
Customer service on Social Media
Using social media to help your clients Is there anybody out there? Today, in such a competitive landscape, being customer-driven is what can really differentiate a company from others of its kind. A company’s reputation can rise thanks to excellent customer service, but it can also be destroyed if no one’s there to listen and help. The voices of the customers are more powerful and influential than ever and their comments can spread virally in a matter of minutes. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn make it so easy for customers to get in touch with companies. It’s easier than ever. The difference is that, thanks to these mass communication tools, now it’s the customers who decide where, how and when they want to interact with the companies. And when they decide to do so, you’d better be there to listen. There are companies that constantly engage with their customers to gain insights on how they can improve their products and services. And then, there are companies that only use social media exclusively to push products. There are companies that provide quality support fast. And there are companies that only reply to good feedback and don’t know how to react when negative comments are coming their way. The purpose of this article is to help you understand how you can use social media not to replace your current customer support department, but to complement it and increase your customer satisfaction. Go where your customers are Find out where your customers are and what they are saying about you. A simple way to do so is to Google your company’s name and then go through the results. You might find them talking about you on blogs, forums, on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and so on. Join the conversation and try to help those clients who are having difficulties using your products. Don’t pretend you are not working for a company just to make a good comment about it because they might figure it out and it will only make matters worse. Your goal is to find out why the client is unhappy and provide him with a solution. In the end, you might be able to turn that bad experience into a good one and even save the customer relationship. You might also get some positive reviews after that, which will help your company’s reputation. What online tools to use to provide support to clients Here are just a few online tools that you can use to get in touch with your customers and provide support: Forums Blogs RSS feeds Email newsletters YouTube Twitter Wiki Facebook How to measure the success of your efforts You are investing time and money into this, so make sure you also evaluate the results of your efforts. Are the number of calls to the customer support department decreasing? Are you getting a lot more positive feedback? Are the number of complaints decreasing? Are clients’ enquiries being handled faster? You can also send an online survey to your customers through Twitter or Facebook and ask them if they’re happy with the support they receive or what else you can do to improve it. They’ll appreciate being listened to. Make use of these amazing tools to listen to your clients and help them every time they’re asking for your support. Being there for your customers will prove you are a reliable, trustworthy and dedicated company that respects its clients. You can start today with a simple question: “How can we help you today?”
Buying fans and followers?
Think again if you want to build a business What’s the point? Sure, you can buy bulk fans and followers but that’s all there is. You will pride yourself with the enormous number of accounts (!) following your timeline but how many of them will ever read a line you write. What are the odds that any of them will reply to one of your posts, share it with their friends, talk about your business or buy one of your products? Close to zero. You can invest a lot of your time into writing unique content and then sharing it on your social media accounts. But then you might be disappointed to discover your paid fans or followers have no interest in what you’ve spent hours working on. Genius! If you’re paying money for a person, you know that that person is not really interested in your business. They will NEVER visit your website, recommend you to their friends or try your services. They are just there because you paid them to be. Connect with people that are interested Try to find those people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer and treasure the ones who already prove that they care. Make the effort to connect to as many people as you possibly can and ensure that they’re keeping an eye on you. Share original content, ask people questions, listen to them and then talk. When you buy people, you only get to talk because no one is actually listening. How to find them Finding people that are interested in your brand is easy if you are able to create a unique experience that they can’t find anywhere else. Consider running contests to show appreciation to the ones that are already your fans. They will spread the word and other users will want to be part of your community. A contest is a perfect approach to building exposure and getting people to talk about you. However, make sure the contest is targeted because if you offer a free iPhone in exchange for a Like, you might find that you’re home alone once the contest is over. Instead, offer them an experience that they want to be part of. If you start your social media journey by buying people, you will get no results and end up wondering what’s the big fuss. On the other hand, you can attract those interested people by: Publishing original content Running contents that require them to get involved other than clicking a Like button Interact with them on different topics Ask questions Get to know them online Organise events to meet them offline All you have to do it get them to want to be your fans or followers. When you’re building a brand with a playful and interesting personality, people will definitely want to at least stop by and say hello. Now that the ball is in your court, engage them and get the conversation going.
Applying Social Media Practices
How to integrate social media into your business Any business, regardless of its domain of activity, has to adapt to change. Nowadays, this means shifting to online because that’s where customers are spending most of their time. Social media has become vital for business owners, especially when they’re running important marketing campaigns. It’s an incredibly powerful tool for business promotion. No matter the size of a business, it’s important to know how to take advantage of this mass based communication – called Social Media – that brings so many benefits. To help you start and integrate social media into your business, here are a few simple steps that you can follow. Start with research Almost every campaign can be promoted through social media, but first you need to take the time to learn some of the things about the social media tools available and see which ones you would most benefit from. Aside from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – which are the most popular – you can also look for groups where people usually interact. Find those groups where people would be interested in the products or services that you offer. Read what people are writing, observe and then get in to the conversation. Consider your approach The way you approach people is extremely important. No one likes aggressive sales agents that only talk about their product in a desperate attempt to make a sale. On the web, people can easily ignore your message if they realise you’re only trying to sell a product. Therefore, you should mainly focus on engaging with people and building relationships. Once you’ve managed to gain their trust, it will be easier to mention your products. Give them “something” If you want people to “Like” your Fan page or “Follow” you on Twitter, give them a reason to do so. Most web users won’t stick around unless you give them something: an irresistible offer, a discount, a free e-book, a limited offer. They need to know what’s in it for them once they hit the “Like” button on your Facebook page. Find out what would make a great offer and give it to them. Get them to spread the word Word-of-mouth advertising works amazingly well on social media. If your product is innovative, clients will want to tell their family and friends about it and they have all the tools to do so very easily. On the other hand, you have to be careful about what your product promises because if clients discover it’s worthless, they will ensure everybody knows about it. Social media for marketing campaigns Once you’ve gathered a satisfactory fan base, you can start putting together and running marketing campaigns. Make them creative enough so that your fans and followers want to share it right away. At the same time, take advantage of the attention and interact with them as much as possible. Include your employees Social media is even more powerful when the employees of your company take part in your efforts. Encourage them to participate so that the public feels privileged to be part of such a great and united community group. However, take them through an online etiquette training first to ensure no one says something that could harm your company’s image. Social media is an incredible tool to promote your business if you’re willing and patient enough to learn its ways. Take a look at what other companies do and see what would work for you. This is the first part of 26 articles that will run every Monday and Wednesday on the 123-reg blog over the next 13 weeks. Don’t forget to read them all and move your business to the next level in terms of social media.