Handling Naysers Online

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about a nonprofit on patch.com. A couple of days later, I checked back to find some negative comments. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting a negative reaction. So I responded back. That of course reminded me that handling negative comments would be a great Smiling Marketress post. I'm a few weeks late, sorry.

Another nonprofit I work with told me they were afraid to get social because of negative, unwanted comments. I told them that yes, they may get those, but you can also educate people in your responses. This particular nonprofit is now very active on Facebook and doing quite well.  So...the heart of the matter is dealing with negative responses. Here is how I deal with them and advise my clients along the same lines.

Universal Tips

1. Respond immediately. If you're managing your company's online presence, you really don't stop at 5. If someone responds negatively, you respond immediately or as soon as you learn about it.
2. Acknowledge the person and the problem. People want to feel heard, whether you think they are right or wrong, they want someone to listen.
3. Address the issue. Start with, "I'll look into this further and get back to you as soon as I can." Then do it. That statement buys you some time, but not much. 

Customer Service Tips

1. Ask for the commenter to send a direct message or email their account and contact info so you can research further.
2. Resolve the problem.
3. Stay in constant contact until the issue is resolved.
4. Acknowledge publicly that the issue has been resolved. If the person made the comment on a social platform, use that same platform to confirm the issue has been solved. This lets others know that you do work hard to ensure satisfaction.

Nonprofit Tips

1. Educate. Some naysayers just want to be negative because, sadly, it's who they are. So instead of ignoring them, and  NEVER IGNORE a negative comment, educate the individual with facts. Include links to sources as well. 
2. After you provide the facts, ask the individual to get involved and volunteer.

I had to remind myself of these tips not to long ago. Read my response. Don't be afraid of negative comments. Use them as a way to educate the public and show how your organization handles customer service.

What's the Point? Twitter Part 1 General/Consumers

One of my friends started asking me questions about Twitter yesterday. He essentially wanted to know why anyone would use it. "What's the point?" he asked.  I get asked that a lot, so I thought I I'd write a little something.

By definition, Twitter is a micro blogging site with a maximum of 140 characters per update. There are currently 40 million people visit Twitter on a daily basis. Twitter is great for networking, broadcasting information, and staying current on news and events. I'm going to break this down into two sections: General/Consumer and Business. This actually is too big of a topic to cover in one post. I'll break this out into two separate blogs.

As consumers we want to educate ourselves and research products and services before making the decision to spend our money. So that's the first reason why anyone want to use to Twitter.

1. Use Twitter to learn about brands, products, and services before spending money. You can do this by following brands. For instance, let's say that you're in the market for baseball equipment. You'd probably want to follow Rawlings Gear on Twitter (@rawlingsgear) for deals and product information. 

Twitter is also great at connecting with companies on an "one-on-one" level. I put quotes around that phrase because it feels like it's personal because response is rather quick--only it's not really personal. It's online and the company you're tweeting with isn't going to know the details of your life like your local boutique owner or your local bank if you have that type of relationship.  But what does happen is an exchange that leads to excellent customer service--reason number two.

2. Twitter is great for customer service. Big name brands like DirecTV (@directv), Network Solutions (@netsolcares), AT&T (@att), and countless others monitor Twitter for customer service purposes. Now, this does not mean that you need to go on a grip fest on Twitter. But, if you have questions, brands are on Twitter to help you. Customer service is evolving to include online avenues where consumers are spending most their time. Usually, feeds are monitored all day and some companies provide support via Twitter almost 24/7. All you have to do is mention them in a tweet. 

I personally use Twitter to reach out to brands for customer service. My world is online marketing. It is by far easier for me to tweet a company than it is to call. I don't always gripe or make negative comments. In fact when I do, if the company rectifies the situation, I make sure to tweet that as well. I do have favorite brands that I tweet every now and then. For example, I buy coffee from Laughing Man.  I'll mention them (@livelaughingman) in a tweet because I sincerely believe in their company and love their coffee.

Twitter is also a good information source. Since I'm on Twitter pretty much all day for work, I browse my feed and learn about events and news.  Reason number three.

3. Twitter is where you can get the latest news. Since Twitter is real time, you get the news while it's breaking. Whether it's a celebrity who died or an accident on your route home from work, you get that info instantly. 

You don't have to follow newspapers, radio stations or local televisions stations (although that doesn't hurt either). I do because I want that information. But often times, big news gets retweeted anyway so you'll learn about it.

That's all for now. I'll post part two of this series later this week, possibly tomorrow.

Image source: http://www.businessinsider.com/everything-that-happens-in-one-day-on-the-internet-2012-3