The adage about sticks and stones was never really considered when people type words from behind a keyboard. As much as the internet has blessed the world with a whelp of information, it has also cursed it. How? With the ability to curse and comment rudely behind anonymous avatars and usernames. How to thicken the skin when it comes to online comments can be a delicate practice for digital marketers. Your job is to build long-lasting relationships with your clients and help grow their customer base. A poor review can feel detrimental, but it does not have to be the end. Your ego and your market affiliate business can survive a negative review or nasty comment on social media. Here is how to handle negative comments online (and in life) as an affiliate marketer. 

Pick a quick and appropriate response.

The first reaction to a mean Tweet may be to rush to judgment, but it is crucial to let cooler heads prevail. You cannot prevent the post from being seen, and any retaliating comment may focus more on the negative comment. Taking the time to evaluate your options may be the hardest thing to do at the moment, but it could present more solutions in the long run. What you say as a market affiliate — and a professional, in general, — matters. 

Many common service-level agreements among other industry leaders state that a response should be from mere minutes to hours after the initial comment. A slow or delayed response can leave a customer feeling ignored and further stoke flames of discontent, which goes a long way for market affiliating. Even worse, no comment could also lead to the negative response becoming viral, and you will end up with a more complicated situation on your hands.

Research affiliate marketing as much as possible.

People pop off on social media for several reasons. Perhaps it was a bad day, or the service or goods they purchased were not exactly what they expected. Before diving into damage control, dig up everything you can from the information provided. Please note where the person is from and how they came into contact with your client. Also, where the transaction might have failed. 

Most of the time, a disgruntled customer wants to feel like they are being listened to. You can take this opportunity to understand better what your customers are expecting from you, even as a digital marketer. In turn, it can become an opportunity to showcase a business’ dedication to resolving any issues.

Apologies can go a long way when it comes to saying sorry about negative comments.

Digital marketers can take control of any situation as long as the response is helpful and genuine. Make sure the commenter feels listened to by apologizing for any inconvenience that the experience may have caused or less-than-stellar circumstances that have led to the situation. 

Avoid using canned language or words that appear fake. Striving to make a human connection and attempting to make amends is not only the proper thing to do. It can also feel like the least the company can do in the eyes of the negative commenter. Be direct, be sincere and be willing to develop a solution to put the past behind you.

Be as transparent as possible, within reason.

Gone are the days of just one-on-one communication. Social media has created a world stage where a digital marketer’s brand may be having a conversation with a customer, but it continues to be taking place in the public eye. A quick response is essential to show that you are transparent and attentive. Your attempt at being helpful can go a long way in displaying how helpful you are in resolving issues. While the initial response is public, it is essential to know when to move the complaint to private messaging. You can offer to converse through direct messages to provide a solution and get more details. Of course, with affiliate marketing and any digital industry, be careful with sensitive information, such as account numbers or other identifying factors.

Take the extra effort to follow up publicly to ensure that customers have satisfaction with how you solved the issue. You may be surprised that even the most malcontent customers swearing that they would never do business with your brand again can be transformed into digital brand advocates when someone is willing to go an extra mile to make it right.

Be careful in deleting negative comments.

While it may seem like a good idea at the time, deleting comments can end up inciting more anger, and additional venom spewed your way. Removing it can create a bigger mess to clean up because no one will ever be able to access the information. If you spot a derogatory post, a better option would be to report it to the social network. For example, Facebook allows you to hide posts from public commentary. Nevertheless, it is still visible to the original posters and friends. This tactic lessens the potential for additional comment.

Make good on your promises as a market affiliate and a professional.

The customer may not always be right. If you have found that your client is wrong, the best advice is to find a reasonable solution. It is crucial not to promise something that you cannot return. Become well-versed in how market affiliates solved similar situations in the past. Furthermore, offer a chance to redeem your brand after carefully analyzing the problem. Offer a customer service hotline number or email. To the rest of the public, it shows an effort to investigate the situation further.

Explain yourself.

Frustrations often result when customers believe that companies are not adequately explaining. They want to know why you did not meet their needs. The social media post presents a great opportunity to let the customer know what caused the problem. Furthermore, what you can do to resolve it. 

It is another way that affiliate marketers can demonstrate how their clients attempt to satisfy customers. You also show your followers that there is no issue too small that they will not receive a response. If an airline cancels a flight due to inclement weather, you cannot blame the airline for the delay. If a popular furniture store no longer offers a color shade because the manufacturer discontinued the hue, the store is not at fault for the order.

Learn from your mistakes — and stop posting negative comments.

No one is perfect, and no one should expect perfection, whether for affiliate marketing or any other profession. If the apology is accepted, most customers will tell you, or they will at least take the conversation offline. People are always watching how companies interact with their customers, and social media is still the best way to engage with potential and current clients. Nevertheless, even negative comments can be an opportunity to learn and grow. 

Owning your mistakes is the right thing to do, even as a market affiliate. Those improvements can not only improve your customer service skills; they can also make you a better digital marketer. In time, you may generate more positive reviews, which will help downplay the negative. You can accomplish this by creating more engaging content that invites more conversation. Reply to every positive comment or neutral social media post. This rapport will build over time, and an excellent social media presence that is fun and humorous is more likely to keep customers coming back for more.

How do you handle negative comments online — and in real life? Please, share your thoughts below. 

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