Is a negative tweet about your brand making the rounds of the Twitterverse? Here is a quick guide for how you should respond.
Bad Publicity Hurts
Ever hear the old saying “Any publicity is good publicity?” Well, it’s not true. Bill Clinton pretty definitively proved that one false a decade ago.
Negativity about your brand is bad. People are emotional creatures. Studies have shown that we remember negative feelings better than positive ones. If a person has a negative association with your brand, that person will enjoy your products or services less. As marketers in the 1980s used to say, “Perception is Reality.”
Twitter is the Worst of the Worst
Twitter is a uniquely terrible place to get bad publicity. The mechanics of Twitter allow a negative post to spread farther and faster than in any other medium, offline or online.
Even worse, Twitter is pretty much the worst place in the world to have a meaningful or helpful conversation with a customer. The anonymity turns many people into barbarians, and the 140 character limit reduces written interaction to the level of grunting cavemen.
However, we humans can tame the beasts within. Here’s how:
- Let’s Take This Outside
Twitter is a crowded room and someone is yelling at you. Try to get off Twitter at every turn.
Respond promptly with two tweets. In the first, offer a brief response to the person’s complaint or criticism. In the second, state several ways the person can contact you directly to discuss this privately. Include your public contact number and email address.
If the person persists in making negative tweets, respond politely by firmly. Restate your positions and again ask the person to contact you directly so you can better address their complaints. Just like with real-life assertive communication, it is okay to repeat yourself. You have the right to set a boundary regarding how you will reply to negative statements.
- Call the Cops
If a person makes abusive personal attacks, or continues to make unfounded negative tweets despite being repeatedly asked to contact you directly, then don’t hesitate to report him to Twitter. This person obviously just wants to abuse you, and has no interest in ever becoming your customer, so you have nothing to lose.
The powers that be are usually on the ball when it comes to shutting down abusive accounts.
- Don’t Throw Water on an Oil Fire
However, if Twitter’s moderators do not immediately take action, do not continue to engage with the abusive person.
The absolute last thing you need is to get dragged into a shouting match on Twitter. If there is no pleasing a person, don’t even try. Disengage entirely.
At the same time, push harder for the Twitter mods to do something about it. Email and call them until they act. Document the time of every abusive tweet and send them updated histories of the abuse. There is no reason that your brand should get dragged through the mud just so some jerk can get his jollies on Twitter.
Like a real life conflict, there are a lot of ways to resolve the situation without getting abusive or insulting. Keep to the high road, stay assertive, and you’ll control the damage of a negative tweet just fine.
Steve is a Social Media Manager and Google AdWords Certified Individual at TechWyse, an internet marketing firm based in Toronto, Canada. TechWyse specializes in SEO, PPC and Social Media Marketing. You can read more of Steve’s writing at TechWyse.com/blog.
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These are the way by which we can respond to negative tweets for our company. Thanks for sharing this. This is really helpful for us.
Prakash recently posted..Hike Messenger Download for Symbian, Android, PC, iPhone, Blackberry
Haha , im spammer on tweeter . sr about that .
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Twitter: Ajayudayagiri
says:
The bad publicity destroys the fame of our website and one must take some steps to prevent this publicity.
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Twitter: Huislijnen
says:
Twitter has yet to make a point about that. I think with the company itself holding down on information to spread around about how to tackle such problem is a major disadvantage.
Twitter: australia_daily
says:
Twitter have a disadvantage that it will create bad publicity, sometimes it will affect our reputation of our company or brands.Thank you for this post.This post made me to think about this problem.
Very true. Nice subs by the way.
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Thank you for digesting taking action on a negative tweet.
I think the worsed thin you can do is ignore the bad tweets.
Just make clear that you don’t want to have anything to do with it, but not reacting is deadly!
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Twitter: taxfile_india
says:
Twitter has empowered people. Wrong them, and they will avenge. Perhaps the best way out is to apologize, offer a freebie or something, and move on. Better be safe than sorry.
Negative publicity definitely will hurt any business. These are some great tips you have mentioned in this post. Avoiding them will never work. Thanks for this useful share.
Twitter can definitely mean ones end. Criticism as a whole can spread beyond any kind of boundaries there. No one should take lightly the power of a negative comment, but I personally believe that we must address these issues at all times. Disregarding it will only worsen it, so will defending against the abuse. However, if you are able to create a good comeback, both the person and the community will be put at rest. Actually, I’m seeing this in almost all of the larger establishments today.
Twitter: lifenleisure
says:
Nice tips you mentioned here, Steve. Deal with the negative tweets immediately. At the same time, be open and honest with yourself. It’s one thing if it is just one or two people. But if there are lots of people already tweeting the same complaints in different occasions, you may want to also take some time to assess and evaluate yourself and your business since the massive amounts of negative tweets might be a sign for you that there is something that you need to adjust or improve.
Adeline Yuboco recently posted..[Infographic] Going on Vacation the Social Media Way
Tackling criticism is indeed not a child’s play. It takes a lot of strenuous efforts to accept the negative tweets. These are great pointers which can be of much help. Thanks for the share.
Thank you for digesting taking action on a negative tweet. Twitter is a huge social media. Whatever written spreads like a wildfire especially if it’s negative. I love it when you point out “Let’s Take This Outside”, to me it’s a way of showing calmness and care. We don’t want to drag the issue elsewhere, we want it resolved. Very good points! :)
Veronica Payne recently posted..12 Frugal Tips for Saving Money this Christmas
Negative tweets regarding our business, no matter how obscure, do hurt. And when random people tweet without even contacting the business owner beforehand, are so inhuman. If our competitors plant such abusive ones to get us out of business, we do need to stay put and not let the dog loose. Great advice, well written! Thanks for sharing.
I totally agree that this is not one of the cases when we should ignore the bad rumors and to move on. On the contrary, the silence might even strengthen the doubts, therefore we should always take action, in such cases.
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The most important thing is to respond. Ignoring a negative comment will only make it worse and others will see that it is being ignored. An online reputation is everything today and social media plays a huge role in how your brand is perceived.
Two tweets for giving the exact information and asking to contact personally is what i believe the best strategy to have.I think by this one can at least move a step ahead and take things further for resolving the disputes.
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Twitter: chrisnpi
says:
Hi Steve,
negative tweets (and not only tweets) may hurt online reputation. We must treat them really seriously but also gently – readers should know, what’s true and what’s not.
Thanks for sharing,
Chris
Chris recently posted..How To Use Pinterest In Your Marketing Strategy
Twitter: jayblogtips
says:
I think call the cops point will not work because we the bloggers should avoid such things and this would be our last option though .
Jaykrishna recently posted..Killer Tips by Pro Bloggers: Before You Start Your Own Blog
Responding to “hate” tweeks is like responding to “hate” comments. It’s more dangerous in tweeter since you do not have control as to the message and to the people who will see them.
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Twitter: SamuraiTradingA
says:
You’re definitely right about anonymity being a recipe for disaster when it comes to these things. It can be very, very frustrating when someone hides behind that and seems to want to cause you issues just for their own personal entertainment. Knowing how to respond, and how to control your emotions, is key to providing an answer that will not only wrap the issue up but resonate with others.
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Twitter: PMStudyCircle
says:
I think it is better to keep our energy to invest in some productive tasks instead of going after these kinds of tweets. If you simply can not satisfy them with your communication and if the person is not interested in talking with you directly, ignore him.
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What a great topic of yours about best practices for responding to negative tweets about your company ! Totally I support your thinking also I agree with your about your nice post. Thanks for your awesome sharing.
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Twitter: Elena__Anne
says:
Perfect advice. The last thing anyone needs – especially when trying to develop a good online reputation for their business – is to be dragged into a squabble on Twitter. I agree with the two-tweet response. Get in. Say what needs to be said to address the complaint in the most professional, non-antagonistic way possible. Follow up with thorough contact information. Get out. Thanks for the great information! :)
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Twitter: 9to5Blogger
says:
Negative comments will hinder our blog/company’s reputation in a negative way but sometimes they’re really helpful to correct ourselves. So, we should try to reply to each negative review or tweet in a positive way.
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Twitter: NexusRVs
says:
This has not been a problem for me yet, but it is good to see some clear and intelligent advice on how to deal with this if it happens. Thanks for the post.
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Twitter: ikenedu
says:
Its really great way to respond to negative comments. we need to stay calm and reply in a positive manner. thanks for the tips.
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Twitter: bbt0786
says:
Yes,
Good with your all these points but i completely agree that if someone is not wants to enter then it is not right to have other query with them.it is all like your strong good as you said there that don’t throw water on an oil fire.
Thanks for wonderful post.It also make me clear at some points.
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