We all love it when we get positive feedback on our products/services.  But what happens when we stumble upon a customer who has had a bad experience? 

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on why businesses are afraid of moving forward with establishing a presence on social media.  The number one concern seems to be reputation; the fear of consumers posting negative feedback on a bad experience with their service or product.  The only way to get past it is to learn how to embrace the good and the bad from social media.

I recently got introduced to Jenise Fryatt Co-Owner/Marketing Director of Icon Presentations (@lyksumlikrish) and her philosophy on Twitter, “Engage, Inform and Retweet.”  As the founding mother of the hashtag #EIR she has educated many on the importance of communicating properly on twitter to maximize your investment.  Engage:  the essence of participating in conversation, whether you agree or just liked someone’s post or link.  Inform: pertains to posting relative information within your community and/or posting links that you find useful or worth hearing about.  And finally, Retweet:  if you come across a great post or link repost (retweet) the information and make sure credit is given where it is due. 

Jenise’s philosophy on Twitter can easily be adopted by anyone, and can contribute to having a positive and successful experience on social media platforms such as Twitter.  If you’re engaging it means that you are listening to what everyone is saying about your product/brand.  These types of social platforms can facilitate a discussion, answer questions, or perhaps even solve concerns customers may have.  In addition, you will have access, in real time, to address any negative feedback.  I like to think of negative feedback as useful feedback.  This always provides an opportunity to improve and refine a situation.

Another important aspect to remember when using social media for your business is that it is imperative to be transparent with your customers.  In other words, don’t be afraid to show your face as you represent your brand.  Add a picture of yourself to make it more personal.  Consumers need to be able to identify who you are rather than be under the impression they are speaking with an icon.  Be professional but don’t be afraid to be who you are.  This extra step will make it easier to communicate with your customers. 

It is important to be accessible during a bad storm.  Don’t hide behind the storm but rather be in front to help guide the ship.  Your brand cannot afford to be drowned especially during a recession.  Customers will likely show compassion and forgive if issues are dealt with upfront in an apologetic way and establish a means of moving past it by having a plan.

Monitor your social media platforms.  It is meaningless to establish social media accounts if you’re not going to pay attention to what is going on.  There are many Twitter management tools on the market such as, TweetDeck and HootSuite, to help you keep an eye on your accounts.  These applications make it easier to manage your accounts since they are centrally located in one place and readily available in the palm of your hands via your iphone, blackberry, etc. or your desktop.  

The number one practice to remember and apply when participating in social media systems is to always listen.  Listening and responding to what customers are saying about your brand is essential to growing your business.  There is no point in trying to make a presence on social media platforms if you’re not taking action on what consumers are saying about your product or service. 

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs have allowed us to further brand our product and to connect with different industries and generate leads.  In addition to connecting with new people, social media can solidify existing relationships and help them grow into partnerships.