Have a Social Media Presence? Have a Plan for Responding to Unhappy Customers?

HOW TO: Respond when Social Media Attacks Your Brand

This is a great story/post from Mashable. Social Media is such a powerful tool for companies to engage their customers and potential customers. But it is the attributes that make social media so powerful that pose the biggest risks to a company. Ad dollars don't matter when everyone has a voice and each individual is deciding to whom they are going to listen and trust. Think of it as customer service in a fish bowl. What if every unhappy constituent had an audience? Well, that is exactly what social media can become.

So companies have to be prepared for criticism because it will come. They need a plan of how to respond. They need to be sincere, human and understand the customer is always right. The Ritz Carlton doesn't try to convince an upset guest that they shouldn't be upset. In the same way, companies with social media presence should try to convince their customers they are wrong, incorrect or don't understand.

The last one there is probably the biggest trap for companies and marketers. "If our customers only understood" or "The customer doesn't understand" are dangerous phrases. IT may be true that the customer doesn't understand. But that is your challenge that theirs, assuming you want them as a customer.