In determining whether or not to respond to a negative comment received on social media you first need to determine the severity of the negativity. From there you can figure out the right response to make.
Positive comment
Anything favourable
- “My dinner was awesome!”
Action – Say thanks. You could also take a screenshot of the comment and share with your team and social media followers.
Neutral comment
Comments that are neither good nor bad
“I’m having dinner there tonight.”
Action – Commenting is optional
Negative comment requiring response
Genuine negative comment
“My dinner was cold and took forever.”
Action – Take a screenshot. Acknowledge, apologise and act to resolve the issue. Follow up.
Negative comment that should be ignored
Negative comment by a ‘troll’ or deliberate trouble-maker
“The meals there are evil and so are the people that eat them.”
Action – Take a screenshot. Potentially warn the troll and block them if necessary but usually it’s best to ignore them. The rule of thumb is ‘don’t feed the trolls.’
Negative comment that should be removed
Offensive, malicious or spam comment that breaches your ‘House Rules’
“My waitress was a %^&*.”
Action – Take a screenshot. Remove the comment and explain that it has breached your ‘House Rules’. Warn the offender and block them if necessary. House Rules are your commenting policy – typically good manners are expected.
Crisis comment
Legal or criminal ramifications such as threats of violence, breaches of confidentiality, defamation, PR disasters etc.
“I’m going to burn this restaurant down.”
Action – Take a screenshot. Escalate immediately to police, legal or management for further advice as necessary.
Having the knowledge about how to respond to different types of social media comments will give you and/or your social media manager the confidence to best represent your business and your brand.
For more information just contact the team at Website Design Centre today.
