When you post something terrible on your social media account, you have to clean it up immediately. You might lose your friends, and everyone will think of you differently as a result of your post. It’s even worse if you posted something back on your company’s official social media account. It doesn’t matter if it was an unintentional mistake. You have to deal with the backlash and stop things from getting worse.
Own up to the mistake and apologize
When you posted an advertisement or an announcement on the social media account, you didn’t know that a certain segment of society would feel offended. After realizing that there was something wrong with your post, you had to own up to the mistake and apologize. It doesn’t matter who posted it. Even if you hired a social media manager, you should still apologize as the leader. The fact that the post made it online shows that everyone in the business approved it. If not, it indicates that you don’t have a clear vetting policy on what to post on the official social media account.
Don’t blame interns
Some companies tend to blame interns because of these mistakes. It’s a way of deflecting responsibility and telling everyone that the upper management has nothing to do with what happened. Again, even if it’s true that interns posted the information, the management should still check everything. The lack of responsibility is only going to make things worse.
Promise to do better
After apologizing, you need to promise that you will do better next time. Inform your loyal followers that you didn’t intend to hurt anyone, and you don’t plan to do it again. You can also announce the steps that you’re going to take to prevent the same mistake from happening again. Most people will forgive as long as you apologize and promise to do better.
Respond to private messages
Not everyone will feel satisfied with your online response. Some will send private messages and air their disappointment. Make sure that you respond to all these messages. It doesn’t matter if you received a terrible statement. You should remain diplomatic and try to explain what happened.
Don’t overcompensate
Some companies overcompensate by handing out free stuff or offering a promotion. If you think this will make people feel better, you’re incorrect. If anything, everyone will feel like you’re only after the financial impact of what happened. Your goal is to provide quality services, and it should have nothing to do with how much you’re going to lose financially.
Giving free merchandise could be an excellent way to apologize. However, you shouldn’t do it to promote your product. You can partner with a t shirt graphics designer to come up with a design that your customers will appreciate. Of course, you can’t expect them to feel good about your business right away. The goal is to take steps to apologize for what happened.
Make sure the same mistakes won’t ever happen again; it would be difficult for people to forgive your business twice.
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