How to Handle Negative Comments on Facebook

When I meet with new business owners who are new to social media, one of the questions that comes up – 9 times out of 10 — is: “But what do we do when someone posts something negative online about us?”

Well, my first response is usually, “Wouldn’t you like to know if they do?”

I think it’s awesome that we have the ability to listen in on what our target audience, and our customers think about our brand. Knowing what resonates with them gives us the opportunity to connect with them, improve our products and services, and create loyalty with our customers.

But I get it. There are those people –who for one reason or another — are hell-bent on making our lives miserable by trolling pages, finding ways to stir up trouble. I’ve seen it happen recently with a charitable organization whose primary function is to serve and educate the community–so I know it can happen to anyone.

Whether you participate in social media or not, people will find a platform to share their particular gripe.

Bottom line?  You can’t ignore negative comments or bad reviews. People will find something to complain about–warranted or otherwise–whether you have a Facebook page or not.

If you have a Facebook page for your business, there are some things you can do to manage your critics.

1. Create a page for “House Rules.” Write up and post a set of house rules for your Facebook page  to help others understand the behavioral expectations of the community. This will also be something you can share with people should they ask why a person was banned from the page. A good example of “house rules” is Coca Cola’s House Rules.
2. Keep your cool. Before firing off a response, breathe. Identify the type of comment. Is from a customer who has a valid complaint about your product? Or is the negative feedback the works of a troll (a spammer who has no valid reason for the rant except to discredit your company or organization). Once you’ve identified the source of the feedback, determine how to respond — positively–and acknowledge the comment.
3. Apologize, if you should. Sometimes just a simple “I’m sorry”  or “We appreciate your feedback and will follow up with you,” is enough to diffuse the angry customer. Often, they just want to know that you’re listening. Reach out to the customer by email or private message to provide options to address his complaint.
4. Don’t stoop to their level. Keep all your responses simple. Acknowledge that you’re listening, but don’t get into a debate with the person. Don’t add fuel to the fire! Remember what your mom told you “Two wrongs don’t make it right!” Be concise and positive.
5. Block user. If the same person continues to “bully” you by posting negative comments and “stirring the pot” without merit, feel free to delete the post and ban the user. You may point out the house rules to your users so they know why the person was banned from the page. As page owner, there may come a point when you need to take control of the conversation!
6. Don’t remove all negative posts. Having said #5, I want to be sure that it’s clear that the goal should NOT be to remove all negative feedback. You want to know what’s working and what’s not. Dont’ you? Transparency is key to trust. See the negative comments as opportunities to show your Facebook audience that you are listening and care about their concerns.

Remember, in the end, we’re dealing with real people here, and people are unpredictable. And while I support brand transparency, you have to make a judgement call based on your organization and policies. If you are being “bullied” on your Facebook page, you need to act accordingly–and sometimes that means blocking that person from posting on your page.

If you were being verbally assaulted on a continual basis in an offline situation, you would take measures to protect yourself. The same rules apply. There must be a level of respect–and it is a two-way street.

Have you had to deal with negative comments on your Facebook page? How did you handle it? Share with us in the comments below!