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Eight Effective Approaches To Rectifying Social Media Snafus

Forbes Communications Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Expert Panel, Forbes Communications Council

With sensitivity about social and cultural issues at an all-time high, making mistakes on social media can have wide-reaching consequences. Dealing with social media problems like these requires knowing what the challenge entails and decisively offering a solution.

There are several ways a business can attempt to rectify an issue on social media, but some of these work better than others. Not all of them preserve customer relationships either. For marketers who might not have had to deal with social media issues just yet, when the inevitable happens, these eight members of Forbes Communications Council have useful advice that can help resolve the problem while preserving customer relationships.

Photos courtesy of the individual members

1. Address Issues And Offer To Rectify

While the entire customer journey is important, the “get help” stage is a key “moment of truth.” Getting support must be easy. Responsiveness matters. Social media is a great opportunity for brands to show commitment to customer excellence. I suggest addressing public complaints authentically (as others are watching) and offer to rectify issues offline via phone. People buy from people they trust. - Stacy Sherman, Schindler Elevator Corporation

2. Assess And Respond As Quickly As Possible

Don't panic if your company is trending for all the wrong reasons. Find the post or tweet at fault and determine if it really is a mistake before reacting. If a community or individual has been offended, be swift in your response on social media, but consider doing something in real life that customers can share on social media platforms when discussing how you handled the situation. - Ken Gibbs, Viacom

3. Use Humor And Authenticity

Behind every company are human beings, who are fallible creatures. Making mistakes is to be expected, but making excuses for those mistakes is not good. Be authentic, respond quickly and specifically, and, unless the error is grave, use humor and self-deprecation to lighten the mood. Don’t shy away from words like “oops” and trends in slang like “epic fail” to show you know (now) which way is up. - Eugénie Bisulco, Choose Your Words Wisely Communications

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4. Build Trust Through Transparency

If a business makes a public mistake on social media, the ideal approach is to address the issue head-on with either transparency, humor or an apology, depending on the context. Due to the flow of digital information, it is easier to spot if a company is glossing over a problem. Doing so generates more ill will than admitting the initial error, whereas rectifying the issue can strengthen trust. - Gerard Escaler, Lyrium Venture Partners Limited

5. Be Responsible, Not Reactive

When businesses make a mistake on social, the first step is to ensure it is truly a mistake, as opposed to misguided "outrage." Often, when a business is reactive and apologizes too quickly, it fuels the fire more and creates a mountain out of a molehill. Once the mistake has been identified, a calm, sincere and measured response is best to restore trust with customers and stakeholders alike. - Patrick Ward, Rootstrap

6. Use An Appropriate Tone Of Voice

Use a tone of voice that is appropriate to the size of the mistake. If the mistake is a big one, the tone of voice should be professional and committed. Quickly repost and apologize, indicate corrective actions and share where customers can get more information. If it’s a small mistake, it is OK to throw a little self-depreciating humor into your apology -- customers may find your response endearing. - Leela Gill, Intelligence Node

7. Remember To Be Human

We've all read that scripted so-called apology post, pumped out by some soulless press office. It has all the ingredients but no flavor. The solution? A human tone of voice. Achieving it is harder than you think. Customers should hear your voice, recognize and empathize with the people behind the brand. Write as if texting a friend and don't be shy in showing some character (flavor). - Sair Mir, Zorka.Mobi

8. Move From Telling To Showing

When brands feel sociocultural backlash, their default response is often to tell their followers "this isn't who we are." This is fine, but I'd encourage them to both tell and show -- by mindfully linking to a study, for example, showing they're the only company in their sector to reach gender pay equity. This move feels risky, but it juxtaposes a large company next to the smaller social mistake. - Cameron Conaway, Solace