When Social Media Goes South, Do These 3 Things

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WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA GOES SOUTH, DO THESE 3 THINGS

If you have a growing business it is likely that you will experience negative or challenging feedback on your social media platforms. The experience of being dressed down on social media feels hopeless and lonely, but there are some things you can do to help the experience and show your potential clients that you care about them through your responses. Here is an article on how to do social media right.

Check Your Motives

The first thing you will want to do before responding to negative or challenging feedback on social media is to check your motives. This step is paramount because in the heat of the moment we can say (or want to say) very harsh words towards the other party. Therefore, ask yourself what you really want. Do you want to restore the relationship with this person? Do you want to fix incorrect information about you? And do you want to ensure that your reputation stays intact through this experience?

When you start with your motives the method and content of what you say changes. In those heated moments staring at the glow of your computer screen, it is tempting to fire back with the right phrase that will impact the other person. But if you take a moment to check your motives, you can find yourself responding with kindness and gentleness.

Find A Mutual Goal

Finding a mutual goal can be incredibly restorative to bring the conversation to a productive place. Remember, that even negative or challenging feedback is just information for you to improve your processes and your business. Therefore, ask yourself what the other person might want and then see if you want the same thing.

Often times you will find that you want the same thing and can work together to improve whatever the issue was. It is important to find a way to agree together on the objective and then negotiate what each party’s responsibility is to bring resolution to the table.

Choose Your Words Carefully

In those moments where we want to respond with an ad hominem response, it is critical to understand that the intensity of your response will be interpreted much higher than you intend. Therefore, it is important to choose your words as to not inflame the situation any more than it has been.

By selecting the words that you want to use carefully, you will show thoughtfulness and care toward the person and the situation.  Replace words that might inflame the situation with words that are more diplomatic. For example, if you were going to use the word “idiotic”, you could use “misunderstanding/misunderstood”.

Conclusion

Hard moments on social media can be difficult to hear. But remember those interactions provide you with great information about how to improve and scale your business. You can use those opportunities to your advantage by listening to them and taking action. Finally, you can actually improve your reputation if you respond quickly and professionally by checking your motives, finding a mutual goal, and choosing your words carefully.

Jeremy grew up in the Pacific Northwest where he discovered his passion for people. He decided to go to college in Chicago to further develop his skills working with people and pursue a degree in counseling. While in Chicago he worked for a group practice as a practice biller and marketing manager. This initiated his desire to pursue learning about the business of Private Practice, particularly medical billing. Jeremy’s website: https://www.practicesol.com/

He now lives in Michigan with his wife of 3 years. They both are pursuing their passion of helping helpers maintain sustainable and compliant billing practices. In his free time, Jeremy loves reading, fishing, biking, hiking, and camping.