Corporate social media during times of crisis or even just any negative social media in general, needs to not only be taken seriously but receive an individualized and personalized response to in order for it to be taken care of. In the article, "Social Media Can Damage Corporate Image" by Rick Nauert of Psych Central News, business's responses to these issues are not only cause of concern and interest to public relations practitioners but to he business world overall.
Public relations practitioners are extremely concerned with how negative social media can effect their PR efforts, but it is important to step back and also think of the lasting impact it has on the consumer and the reputation of the brand in general and not just to them specifically. Nauert makes valid points when he states, "negative messages created by victims significantly increased the negative reputation of an organization, and were more likely to result in boycotts against the organization than when it was sourced to unaffected individuals" in a study published by the University of Missouri.
User-generated content is such a valued aspect of social media given its ability to offer the feature of feedback and for the brand to give a response based on their consumer's feedback. However, that valuable feature is lost and could ever turn sour when not responded to in an appropriate way. Although it is rarely acceptable to delete a post made by your audience (unless it is spam or irrelevant), sometimes it is absolutely crucial when the user is making obscene, violent or threatening comments. Unless the feedback going to an extreme like that, it is important to leave up all responses you or your client gets, even if it is negative, so other visitors can notice that not only do you respond in a timely matter but that you have the consumer's best interest in mind.
By offering personalized responses to your visitors feedback encourages for more so take place, and provided that you appropriately respond to any negative outcry, encourages even more positive posts to be shared.
