Social Media Corner: Coming Face to Face with Someone Who Doesn't See Eye to Eye with You or Your Company...on the Internet

 By Jessica Boles

This morning I logged onto my agency’s Facebook page only to find the very first negative post we have ever received on the page since its creation three years ago. Needless to say, I was distraught. What should I do? Delete the post before anyone sees it? Respond with an over the top, but insincere apology? Ignore it?

These are all common mistakes that social media managers make repeatedly. The one right action to take is to show appreciation for the comment, offer an apology and then add a solution. As a social media manager, you need to address the comment and try to pacify the person posting it. By facing the criticism head on and not deleting or ignoring the post, you will show your willingness to improve or solve the matter at hand.  A public response will hopefully offset the negative comment and prevent your friends or followers from only seeing one side of the story. Following these ideas will offer more perspective on your company’s point of view and hopefully turn that person from an unhappy client to  one that is singing your praises.

There will always be people out there that disagree with your company and have negative comments they feel they need to share with online constituents. How you react is the key factor in managing your online social media effectively. Being a social media manager, you need to be able to handle the bad as well as the good. A negative post or comment will not ruin you, but how you deal with it will show your true professionalism.