The reason why so many companies use social media to respond to negative comments is because it’s statistically proven to be an effective form of damage control. According to Maritz Research, nearly 60 percent of customers who received responses to complaints on social media had a higher opinion of the company after the response than they had before the incident took place.
That’s because people who complain on social media generally don’t accept much. The Maritz study states that 54 percent of people who complained simply wanted an apology. In this environment, it’s easy to over-deliver. All companies have to do is simply by acknowledge the problem, address the issue with the customer and make it right quickly and humbly.
However, that hasn’t stopped companies from preparing for the worst. Social media as a defense mechanism has almost become a way of life for some companies. A growing number of service-based companies now have Twitter feeds specifically for customers who have issues or concerns. This helps people to direct their frustrations to the complaint feed, thereby keeping their main Twitter feed free of negative information.
While every company can and should promptly respond to all negative queries, a social media strategy has to go beyond reacting to customer concerns. Social media should be about moving the company forward, furthering an image that already exists and building loyalty with the people who actively follow the company online.
Think about it. If you’re a loyal customer of a particular brand, how would you feel if all of that company’s attention went to complainers? You should spread the love to your most loyal customers while simultaneously responding to negative feedback. Your goal should be to not only respond to negative comments -- you should strive to make sure no customer ever has a reason to leave anything but glowingly positive remarks on your social media pages.
Social media gives you the tools necessary to do just that. You only have to engage your customers by giving them great content that reinforces the reasons why they continue to follow you.
Social media isn’t the be-all and end-all of digital marketing. At its best, social media is just one cog of a larger machine. In a perfect world, you should use social media as a key element of an inbound marketing campaign.
Your inbound marketing strategy should leverage social media in every way. Use social media to share your blogs, white papers and promotional materials. This will encourage people to follow your pages and share your content with others. Keep your followers updated, and take note of what content gets people liking and sharing your posts. That’s how you grow an audience -- one that will be too satisfied with your content to voice complaints via social media.
There’s no disputing the power of social media in solving the concerns and complaints of your customers. But as you react to these negative comments, you should also be proactive in building your brand. Social media should be mostly positive and should always give people a reason to support your brand. It should also be a well-utilized part of your inbound marketing campaign that delivers fresh leads to your website, where they can be converted into paying customers.