You have more than likely heard of how Play-Doh has a new toy called the “Sweet Shoppe Cake Mountain Playset” which allows kids to make “delicious-looking” cakes with pretend frosting complete with an extruder. The problem is, the extruder was not exactly received well by the general public.
In short, below is an image of the Play-Doh set and the “extruder” is circled. Use your imagination.
Many parents who were unhappy with the applicator decided to take their complaints to social media. Unfortunately, instead of quickly brainstorming how to best approach the situation and address customer complaints, Play-Doh instead decided to start deleting posts.
The result? They got a lot more attention, a lot more posts, and simply made customers mad.
However, when someone messes up and faces backlash, it is a great time to learn from their experiences.
Lessons Learned from Play-Doh’s Mistakes
So, what are the lessons that we can learn from this experience?
#1: Do not delete customer complaints or concerns.
Don’t get me wrong. There is a time and situation in which you can delete posts and comments from your business Facebook page. For example, if someone posts a comment on your page that says, “For $20 you can get 500 page likes.”
Other times when it is acceptable to delete comments is when foul language is used or people are merely spamming your page.
However, never delete legitimate complaints and comments from your customer. Instead, you should use these opportunities for your business’s benefit. How? Reply promptly and with a mission to do whatever it takes to make the situation right for concerned customers.
The result? People see your kind, compassionate, caring response and your backlash is minimal. In fact, you can even gain business by these types of responses.
#2: Carefully choose who handles your social media management.
You should always ask anyone you plan to have manage your social media campaign how they will handle customer complaints that are made online. It is best to be on the same page and to have a plan before a situation like Play-Doh’s experience arises.
If they tell you that they simply plan to delete customer complaints or ignore them, then you should reconsider having that person manage your social media presence. Remember, whatever you say on social media is broadcasted to the world. How you respond matters.
#3: You should always have someone managing social media for your company.
The Play-Doh situation is another prime example of the importance of having someone managing your social media accounts and checking them on a regular basis. How often are your company pages being monitored? How quickly are you responding to comments and messages?
To keep situations from getting out of hand, and to best manage your reputation, it is essential that someone is dedicated to watching over these social media profiles.
In addition to the above, we have seen countless examples of business owners running their own social media and have found that this is typically a disaster in these types of situations. Why? Because you are not viewing the situation from the perspective of an outsider looking in. Instead, you are more likely to respond with frustration or resentment, or in another way that will likely hurt rather than help your business.
Check out the two articles below to learn more about the importance of using social media correctly for business reputation management.
Social Media – Doing It Yourself Could Cost Your Business
Should you hire someone to do your business social media for you, or should you do it yourself? Doing it yourself can cost your business; read the full post to learn why. Click here to read “Social Media: Doing It Yourself Could Cost Your Business”
Customer Experiences Go Viral on Social Media Platforms
When it comes to reputation management, social media plays a major role. How you respond to customer complaints matters.
Do you need help with online reputation management and controlling your business message through an intentional social media strategy? If so, Uptick Marketing has you covered.
Contact us today for a free consultation. Simply fill out the contact form on our contact page or call (205) 271-8446.
