Comments on your blog are awesome and you want to encourage people to respond as much as possible. It gives your blog life and offers an opportunity to interact with your readers/customers. Comments provide feedback on what customers think about your products, services, organization or opinions, all of which is valuable information you are receiving absolutely free.
How you respond to their comments, especially negative comments, is an extension of your online brand and people will take note. As in life, whenever I receive opinions or comments that differ from mine, I use some basic strategies to take the heat out of the situation and improve communication.
Don’t Take It So Personally
It’s important not to take comments personally and to understand the intended message. Assume that the person had good intentions and did not communicate their message accurately. Perhaps they are just trying to correct what they believe is incorrect information or convey a valid point in a tone that got away from them.
Sometimes people have unreasonably strong reactions which may have little to do with you. Without going all Freudian on you, don’t assume that because a visitor is complaining about you, that they are actually talking about you at all. They may be reacting to a personal issue of which you are completely unaware.
Different opinions and perspectives are what spark debate and discussion, and this is an important element in successful blogging. All conversations give you a chance to build a strong relationship with your readers. Not censoring their comments – even if they are negative – demonstrates that you respect their opinions and are open-minded.
What To Do About Negative Comments
Respond to the comment rather than react. Take the time you need to craft a response that will turn the negative comment into a positive one. Thank them for their feedback and encourage them to continue being an active participant on your blog. Or take the time to explain how you are improving your customer service. Treating them with kindness and humility will earn the respect of all your readers.
If the person has a legitimate point, start with that. If the reader is criticizing any aspect of your business or organization, address their concern. Again this gives you another opportunity to provide further details and explain your company’s policies and procedures. You may also take the conversation offline and respond in a private email.
If the comment has inaccurate information, respectively provide the correct information. If you, in fact, posted inaccurate information, admit it and apologize. It happens to the best of us.
Now, if the person is not interested in a discussion and is just looking to start a fight, do not engage. But ignore their comment rather than delete it. Censoring angry customers just enrages them further and kicks them into overdrive. Besides, some of your readers might even step in and defend you which adds credibility to your company. However, personally I would delete comments that are name-calling, personal attacks or use hate language. Make sure you enable spam filters that eliminate hate language, obscenities, along with other comment spam.
Haters Increase Your Ranking
Why yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Search engines love comments, both positive and negative. Search engines see them as new content and new backlinks which makes you rank higher. A fundamental criterion used by YouTube to rank videos is the number of comments. As long as these complainers are increasing your organization’s online visibility, who cares what they are saying?
Besides, allowing negative comments will encourage online conversation, turning your blog from a sales brochure to a powerful online communication tool that will increase readership and RSS subscriptions.
Any comments?
