Social Media Negative Comments | IDETA

The online world is vast and filled with more content than we could ever imagine. Where there are millions of people cheering you on and supporting you, there are also people that lurk in the shadows and wait to criticize your every move. In other words, social media negative comments are a common occurrence, and knowing how to deal with them is imperative for both your mental health and your brand image.

So, in this article, we will take a deep dive into social media negative comments and explore a few ways you can deal with them and more.

Introduction to Social Media Negative Comments

You can find all kinds of social media negative comments on the Internet. People who write such comments are also called "trolls," especially by Twitter users. No matter where we turn and how much good we think we do, there will always be that one (or more) comment that will throw us off and bring negativity into our lives.

There are three types of negative comments that you can find on the Internet. The first type is called "Complaints." Complaints are a frequent occurrence on the Internet. However, not all complaints are totally negative. Namely, they can be a great opportunity for growth. That is because you can take the complaints and negative experiences and turn them around. That way, not only will you satisfy your customers, but you will also improve your product or service. Thus, you should not ignore complaints and try to address them as much as you can.

The second type of negative social media comment is called "Trolling." Now, troll comments are not as constructive as complaints and usually don't amount to anything productive. For example, a troll comment can sound something like, "People who don't like meat are stupid."

The third type is called "Spam" or "Malicious comments." People who write such comments do so with the sole intention of offending someone. They can be hurtful and unpleasant to read, especially for the person who is directly called out in them.

So, how should you deal with these comments? Should you delete them all and never look back? Or should you respond? Let's find out!

Why Should You Answer Social Media Negative Comments?

Responding to the negative comments you get online is better than ignoring them. Why? Well, first, not responding to a complaint or any other negative comment can make the person that wrote it even angrier. Thus, they will have one more reason to dislike the brand and tell their friends and family about that. Also, if you respond to such comments, you will show that you care what your followers think. Furthermore, it will show that you want to cater to their needs and improve as much as possible.

Another reason why you should respond to negative comments is that it will allow you to maintain public relations. In turn, maintaining public relations will help you build up your brand. Also, studies have shown that answering a complaint instead of ignoring it can increase customer advocacy by as much as 25%.

Many people also turn to delete negative comments altogether instead of replying to them. We are here to tell you that you should think twice before doing so because the person who left that comment will know that you deleted it, and that can lead to even worse situations. Namely, the person might start writing even more negative comments and try to prove that you are hiding something. Also, they might use the fact that you deleted their comment as proof that they were right and that what they said in that comment is true. However, if the customer's comment is offensive, then you can delete it and even block that person if you want.

Lastly, responding to negative comments instead of ignoring them can help you let customers know that you are listening to what they have to say. Also, you will show that you want to resolve the issue and improve your product further.

How to Answer Negative Comments?

Now, let's learn some of the best practices and tips on how you should respond to negative comments. The first thing that we would recommend is to respond quickly. People nowadays are used to moving fast and want fast responses. Not only do they want them, but they expect them. So, whenever you see a negative comment below your post, it would be best if you respond to it as quickly as possible - preferably within one hour. Even if you don't have a solution to the issue, responding quickly to the comment will go a long way. Also, it will help you to deescalate the situation and prevent it from developing further.

The next thing you can do is apply a "The customer is always right" narrative. You can do so by apologizing to the customer in your response, even if you disagree with their comment. That will allow you to contain the situation enough until you come up with a solution to the issue.

After publicly apologizing to the customer, you can ask them to explain their issue further via email or private messages. That way, you can learn more about the problem privately, without thousands of others reading. Also, that will allow you to solve the issue and satisfy your customer. While discussing privately with your customer and trying to resolve the issue, make sure you don't make any promises you can't keep. Namely, don't promise to give them their money back or replace the product instantly. Instead, try to analyze the issue further and then solve the issue another way.

For example, if the customer has an issue with getting their printer to work, try to solve it by exploring why it doesn't work and telling the customer to try restarting it or doing other similar things.

Use Negative Comments as Your Advantage

Negative comments can often result in positive outcomes. So, not all negative situations have to stay that way. Namely, you can use negative comments, turn them around, and benefit from them in the end. How?

Well, you can use negative comments to show your customers that you take them seriously and that you run a company that cares and is here for them. Doing so can help you increase customer loyalty and make your customers trust you more. Also, if you handle the negative comments well, you can use the situation to show people that your company has a human side. In other words, you will show them that nobody is perfect and that even you can make mistakes. Furthermore, you will show them that you care by solving the issue.

All of that will show people that you are not better than them and that they can relate to you. And, If we've learned something from all these years on the Internet, it's that people always want to find someone they can relate to on a personal level!

Another way that you can use negative comments to your advantage is because they help you see if your product or service needs improvement. Also, you will see what kinds of improvements and tweaks you need to make without having to do extensive research. Thus, with minimal effort, you will be able to improve your products or services. That can also make your product or service even better than before, which is a win for you in our books!

How to Deal With It When It Goes Too Far?

Unfortunately, not all negative comments are complaints. Also, not all customers are nice or even leave with room to improve and make the situation better. So, what can you do in those situations?

When the comments go too far and people start offending you or someone on your staff, then you have the green light to delete those comments directly. Also, if people start attacking others and using offensive and derogatory terms, then you can delete their comments before the situation escalates further.

However, some people might not stop even after their comments are deleted. In that case, you can block them from your account. That way, they won't be able to leave more offensive comments. Also, if someone starts attacking other people under your post, you can go a step further and report them for hateful conduct. That way, you can stop them from harassing others altogether. Also, your customers will be grateful that you stopped such behavior and will appreciate you even more. And they will feel free to voice their opinions and know that you will help them if they are attacked again.

Conclusion

The Internet has given us many opportunities to make money and connect with other people. However, that does not mean that it does not come with its drawbacks.

Some of those drawbacks are negative comments. A lot of people and businesses deal with negative comments online on a daily basis. So, knowing how to deal with them and emerge stronger is useful for everyone.

The main takeaway from this article is that there are many ways to deal with negative comments and turn them around. So, you don't have to be scared of negative comments. Instead, you can deal with them and turn them around into something positive. Doing so will help you contain the situation and improve your products and services while you're at it!