While reading a post on Kodak’s social media marketing efforts, by Mark Drapeau, I pondered some of the methodologies I’ve seen employed in rectifying bad comments and reviews and began wondering what, if any, general practices or procedures were guiding brands in defending their reputation in an open forum?
Defending your business and overall credibility with a response seems a valid first response, but this rash mentality can create far more commotion than any one comment. As the first comment in the Kodak article shows, rebuking a commentator for their opinion or review of your business comes across in a coldly polite and passive aggressive way, which is certainly not an appropriate way to treat a customer. Even if it just reads wrong, it tends to come across as snappish because of the ’saving of face’ involved in the defensive position.
I too am guilty of this sort of defense and had an experience with it just last week due to an article on BlogTO voting a nightclub I manage, Blondie’s, as one of the top-twelve new bars of 2009. As most posts on BlogTO degenerate into a swelling of obscenities and trolling, this article was no different. I readily leaped to the aid of my establishment and coworkers by commenting, all the while knowing I was engaged in a rather petty roundabout of squabbling. I felt ashamed I had to defend myself and my work to the anonymity of haters, but it seemed a necessary evil.
Looking back in a more thoughtful way, I realized my best course of action may have been to just riposte in a positive way, without paying attention to the negative exchange.
Another method I’ve seen employed to overcome negative reviews is to offer a promotion or discount in an attempt to mitigate any negative sentiment or to have the negative-reviewer retry their experience. This method, we’ll call it consume and overcome, may work in practice but may be construed as shady if used in a clandestine way. To proclaim, in an open forum, that you have met the criticisms with thoughtful decision making and believe you have overcome the ailing is truly noble, but many will have already made their minds up and not be willing to offer you a second chance.
An example I can offer of the consume and overcome approach would be a Christmas quibble I had with an Amazon vendor over their inability to provide me with a specified item on time and their lack of customer service. I responded in curt fashion by providing a poor review of the transaction and had an email in my inbox within 24 hours (now they listen!) offering me $20 or the item for almost a 30% markdown if I removed my negative comment.
Jumping at the offer was an easy first response, but I then considered that I was going back on my word to never shop from that vendor again and also, they don’t deserve to maintain their good image when they are clearly masking a greater problem.
There is a tremendous amount of insight being offered in these reviews and it is important to use it as a feedback channel in order to remedy any shortcomings your channels may be experiencing, but is there an established best practice when responding, or is it entirely individual, industry or business specific?
Considering the personality of a business and those involved is showcased in conversation across social media, is it important to be open to negativity? Or do we just do our best to broach the review with a delicate response without confrontation? Perhaps stirring the pot makes for some good exposure, but is it worth the backlash and subsequent refresher in conflict management?
Is it important to be there and aware, but not so much involved in the discussion?
Because we can all self-flagellate over being involved in social media and using it as a part of a mixed-bag approach, but managing your brand reputation while being human may make you express your responses improperly. Perhaps the quintessential tie-in is if it is adequately linking with your organizational goals?
Got any poor comment mismanagement stories? I’ve shared, so now it’s your turn.
A better approach would have been responding to negative comments with their remedy…this is sneaky!
I am very much in agreement. I would have been way more interested to know the steps they had taken to improve, rather than them try to buy me off.