<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Megan Berry is Marketing Manager for Klout, the standard for online influence. She also blogs at The Huffington Post and Brazen Careerist. You can follow her on Twitter at @meganberry.\nEvery business, blogger, and the rest of us on social media have experienced it: someone just called you out on Twitter or in a blog. It\u2019s all too easy to get frustrated and respond with something that will just make the situation worse (\u201CI\u2019ll give you a refund right away... oh wait, you didn\u2019t actually pay for this!\u201D) or to take it personally and get upset. \nWhile there is no magic formula for dealing with complaints in social media, I do have a few tips that have helped me. \n1. A Quick Response Goes a Long Way\nI can\u2019t tell you how many complaints I\u2019ve seen turned around with a quick reply. If someone has an issue with your product or misunderstood your point of view, reach out and explain it to them. Most of the time when they realize that you\u2019re actually paying attention and care, that makes all the difference (for the rest of the time, see number five). \nOf course, this assumes you are actually paying attention. So if you\u2019re not, you might want to look into ways to monitor your brand on social media. \n2. You May Have To Respond As You, Not Your Company\nWhen someone has a legitimate complaint, I\u2019ve found one of the most effective things to do is reach out from your personal account. In my experience, when they realize they\u2019re dealing with a real person who\u2019s trying to help, people are more open and willing to listen. This shouldn\u2019t be done for every complaint, as some people will never be turned around, but I\u2019ve found when there\u2019s a real, resolvable issue this method often works much better. \n3. Give Yourself More Than 140 Characters To Respond\nAt times, it\u2019s just impossible to help someone in 140 characters. Or it\u2019s possible, but you would have to be really terse \u2014 which is definitely not going to make you seem understanding. Instead, ask them how to connect off Twitter (shocking, I know). Shoot the complainant an e-mail or even give them a call and you\u2019ll be surprised how far a little outreach goes. \n4. Let Someone Else Respond For You\nIf there\u2019s no way you can respond in a helpful way \u2014 e.g., if it would make you seem self-serving or maybe you\u2019ve already tried and failed \u2014 it can be helpful to have someone else speak up for you.\nIf you have haters, you probably also have fans, and they\u2019re probably very willing to spring to your defense. Maybe they\u2019ve even already done, in which case, their response might be much more effective than yours and you can just leave well enough along. \nIf they haven\u2019t already responded, consider bringing the issue to the attention of a few of your fans. Do so carefully and cautiously. Only do it with people you have actual relationships with and only in a lightweight, non-pushy way. I find the best way is actually just to privately ask for feedback on a complaint \u2014 maybe it has merit and you don\u2019t realize it or maybe they can help you understand what\u2019s going on. \n5. Know When To Let It Go\nThe truth is, you simply won\u2019t be able to turn everyone around. The trick (I\u2019m still working on it) is to not let it get to you. No business or person is going to make it without having a few haters \u2014 so if you have some, you might just be doing something right. Just don\u2019t take that line of thinking too far!\nBottom line, the complainers won\u2019t go away, but you can choose how you deal with them. Some of them will be legitimate complaints from reasonable people that will be touched when you reach out quickly and earnestly to help them. Others... well you know what they say: \u201CHaters gonna hate.\"\nMore Twitter Resources from Mashable:\n- 5 Terrific Twitter Mapping Tools- 5 Fab Twitter Follower Visualization Tools- 10 Free and Fun Twitter Bird Icons for your Website- 5 Free Ways to Never Miss a Twitter @Reply- The Origin of Twitter\u2019s \u201CFail Whale\u201D\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, swilmor"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2010/08/13/twitter-complaints-tips/?sf855725=1>