Keep Calm and Carry On

Many clients have or are jumping onto the social media bandwagon. Social media's great, it allows you to reach large quantities of people with minimal effort, can be used to measure the success of your message and the best part about is it's free! Well, almost. There are always going to be people who disagree with your message, whether it be a simple sentence advertising a new vacuum, or an opinion on who should win the next presidential election. Regardless, how will you respond to negative comments on your client's social media accounts?

• Create a response plan: Be prepared going into launching a social media campaign that you will have a situation that requires a response plan. Put together a document with several situations that you might find your client in, and create appropriate response measures. This way, everyone will know how to respond to negative comments in a way that is conducive to your client. 
• Engage with the source: If someone is unhappy with a service or product that your client produces, then be sure to address the issue. On behalf of your client, offer an apology and, if appropriate, a consolation prize. Delta Airlines specifically has a Twitter account (@DeltaAssist) to deal with any unhappy customers. 
• Don't stick your head in the sand: Never ignore anyone; take into account what the customer is saying and commit to investigating the problem.
• Be timely: Social media is a rapid-fire world, news travels fast. Do not wait until the next day to think up an appropriate response. People will read into your silence and figure that you're trying to find a way to spin the situation your way (Netflix!). If an immediate answer is not possible, ensure your audience that you are looking into the situation and will update them with any further developments.

Have you ever been in the line of fire of a social media attack? How did you respond?