How to survive and THRIVE after a bad online comment or review on Facebook

Looking to recover from negative comments and reviews about your business on Facebook? Check out these 3.5 steps to not only survive negative feedback but thrive in it’s wake.  

Businesses try to do the best they can but sometimes their best isn’t enough. Maybe a negative comment is warranted and an apology is owed. Maybe an employee made a mistake and your company is paying for it, online. PUBLICLY. Resist the urge to run and hide or even worse retaliate with fury. Choose to Follow these steps and your business has the possibility to not only survive but thrive. 

Let’s begin with the obvious. Pride often gets in the way of carrying out this task. Do NOT ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE. We repeat….DO NOT ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE.  

If a comment is downright rude and offensive. Respond nicely and hide the comment. Responding to a rude or offensive comment in any manner other than cordial will turn a lit match into a forest fire.  

Step #1  Respond Immediately and with Compassion. 

Don’t down play a client’s issue. By answering in a compassionate way you show that you are willing to communicate with the reviewer. It allows others to see that their issue matters to you and your company. 

Step #2  Fast Track a Resolution Offline and Stop the Bleed. 

As quickly and tactfully as you can, move the conversation offline. Encourage a private message, email, phone, or in-person meeting. We love this direct response.

 “Thank you very much for bringing this issue to our attention, we are sorry to hear you have been unhappy. We would love to discuss this further with you. Please ‘private message’ us your contact information so we may give you our full attention.” 

Step #3   After the Issue is Addressed, Hide the Comment. 

Work out the issue as best as you can. Sometimes it’s simply listening to their concerns and offering a small discount. It’s your business, you didn’t get here by only having happy customers. If you did, count yourself lucky. This is where you become great and go that extra mile to make your customer happy. 

After you have completed steps 1 and 2, you can hide the user’s comment(making it only visible to the user and their friends). Once you have worked to resolve their issue, you can delete the comment from your page. 

Step #3.5   Responding to a 1-star Negative Facebook Review

Complete steps #1 and #2 as outlined. Then work toward a resolution for your disgruntled client. Once you are 100% sure you have done all you can do to resolve the issue, politely request that the client considers changing their review. This request should always come via a direct phone call or an in-person conversation, never make this request through social media or email. You would be surprised how many people will oblige when their issue has been addressed and when asked nicely! 

Follow these 3.5 steps and you can find yourself back on the fast track to success. 

Have any advice to help others combat negative reviews? We’d love to hear from you! 

Email: CMurphy@BBrookstone.com or visit www.BBrookstone.com