Dealing with Dissatisfaction on Facebook and Twitter

It’s unrealistic to think that all your customers will always be 100 percent satisfied with you, and it’s improbable that dissatisfied customers will never voice their issues with your company through social media.

But that doesn’t mean you should avoid or limit valuable tools like Facebook and Twitter. As an extension of your customer service, you just have to know how to deal with unhappy customers when problems arise.

Hear Them Out

If you have a Facebook fan page, don’t be afraid it up to comments. Disabling fan comments defeats the purpose of a fan page. The whole idea behind it is to promote conversation—to show who you are as a company and interact with your customers.

At least if someone is bashing you on your wall, you have the opportunity to respond directly to his or her complaint, giving you some form of control over the conversation. Or, better yet, if you’re practicing good business, your loyal, satisfied customers may respond to back you up.

In addition to allowing comments in general, don’t delete the negative ones. If people post negative comments on your fan page, it’s because they want their voices heard. Removing their comments will only make them more dissatisfied. (That said, if what they say is inappropriate, offensive, or profane, you have a right to delete it.)

But in general, if you get negative comments on your fan wall or someone says something against your company on Twitter, don’t stifle those who are dissatisfied. Address the problems directly and kindly.

Ditch Defensiveness and Hostility

On that note, leave sarcasm and hostility at the door. READ MORE

Breaking through the twitter clutter

Talk Back Media quick tip: As people start to tune out tweets, how can you break though the Twitter clutter?

The Top 5 Tips for Connecting with Customers Through Facebook

It’s no secret that Facebook is a powerful tool for boosting business. With fan pages, you can connect with customers to build your brand. But if you’re just using your fan page as an outlet for outbound information about your company, you’re leaving powerful opportunities on the table.

Although it’s great to share specials, discounts, and company news with your followers, Facebook can be so much more. Whether you own a restaurant or boutique, car dealership or accounting firm, you should be using your Facebook fan page as a customer engagement tool. If you can get customers talking to you through Facebook, they’re more likely to buy from you, show loyalty to your brand, and refer others to your business.

To harness all Facebook’s potential and connect with your current and potential customers, follow these five steps. READ MORE