You Blew It (So Have Many Others)
Ok, so you’ve made a social media mistake – a big one, even. The first thing to remember is that so have many other individuals and businesses. From startups to mom-and-pop shops to large corporations, social media fails have affected businesses of all sizes across all industries. You’re not alone, so don’t be too hard on yourself, but don’t just “sweep it under the rug,” either.
As a real estate agent, if you want to come back from a social media fail and get back into your audience’s good graces, follow these tips.
First Things First – After the Fail
1. Immediately acknowledge your mistake
The best thing you can do when a mistake happens – whether it’s a typo or an offensive tweet – is to immediately respond and apologise. Social media users expect speed and transparency from your business. When you mess up, other users will actually watch your account and wait for a response. Writers will draft a blog post while they wait for your response, and others will call you out or even unfollow while awaiting your response.
Even if you’re unaware of what exactly happened, respond and state that. Acknowledge that there is an issue and you’re doing everything in your power to resolve it. This acknowledgement gives you control over the conversation and quiets down talk about your lack of concern or a cover up.
2. Do Not Delete Negative Feedback
In 2012, Volkswagen polled its Facebook followers and asked them what they wanted the company to accomplish that year. Over a thousand people asked them to become more eco-friendly and to improve their environmental footprint. Volkswagen didn’t anticipate that response; they also didn’t respond properly. They ignored the comments and deleted many unfavourable ones, which led to even more backlash.
Hootsuite, on the other hand, used negative feedback in a brand video, emphasising how they heard the feedback and improved their platform. This resulted in customers who were pleased with their transparency and willingness to listen.
3. Sincerely Apologise
When you apologise, be sincere. Don’t shift the blame to the people who were offended (i.e. “I’m sorry to those who we offended…”). Take responsibility for your mishap and acknowledge that you did do something wrong and you deeply regret it.
Fixing the Fail
1. Be Transparent
Show your followers that you really are fixing the problem by walking them through the steps you’re taking. This proof will give them greater confidence in your word and in your brand. If you referenced an offensive term or misused a hashtag, tell your followers what you’re doing to prevent that same mistake in the future.
2. Reach Out to Influencers for Support
Reach out to your brand advocates and supporters. Let them in on the details of the mistake, and rally them around you. Ask your advocates to address the issue with their followers and to spread the correct information, so your business can regain control of the situation.
If your supporters do help you, make sure to thank them and to reciprocate the favour should they ever need your support.
What to Do After the Fail is Fixed
1. Learn From It, Don’t Forget It
When you’ve made a mistake, you often want to forget it and move on. Social media doesn’t forget, however, and mistakes can be shared, posted, tweeted, and retweeted, ensuring that knowledge of your mistake is permanently available online.
If someone asks you about the incident a week down the line or a month down the line, be open. Discuss what you’ve learned through the experience, how you’re working to mitigate further mishaps, and your record since the mistake. Transparency will only help your brand move back into a positive light.
2. Share Your Experience
The lessons you’ve learned from your mistake might prevent others from making the same mistake. Share your experience via a blog post or video. Tell your audience how your business has changed since then. Be open and genuine. This will help your audience be open to you and more willing to forgive. Their forgiveness is crucial to the sentiment within your online community and further referrals down the road.
3. Follow Through On Your Word
If you’ve verbalised the steps you will take to prevent any future mishaps, make sure that you follow through on those steps. Worse than making a mistake is repeating the same mistake. Look at the mistake as an opportunity to bump up social media security, further train your staff, implement another level of approvals, and so on. Glean everything you can from your social media fail, so you grow leaps and bounds and avoid going through the experience again.
4. Don’t Let it Discourage You From Utilising Social Media
When something negative happens on social media, as a real estate consultant you may be tempted to stop using it altogether. Don’t let your mistake deter you. Most brands come back from their social media fails relatively quickly. Scale back on your promotion while you’re busy fixing your fail and implementing safeguards, but then go back to your social media strategy.
Social media is a huge asset to your business and marketing efforts, so to quit altogether would be the worst outcome. Be encouraged, implement these steps, and you’ll be on your way to coming back and getting into your audience’s good graces once again.
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