What procedures do you have for handling unpleasant comments on your veterinary practice social media accounts?
(Updated October 2016)
A sad but true fact is that the horrible people known as ‘Trolls’ who post garbage on Facebook pages, Twitter, etc. for no apparent reason other than to cause grief, never seem to sleep.
This means that even though your veterinary business may not be open 24 hours a day, your website and social media presence certainly are.
I’m not suggesting you sit glued to your computer 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just in case someone posts something that either needs to be removed completely (trolls!) or that needs to be addressed immediately (a valid complaint or concern). You do, however, need to have a few procedures set up to handle such situations.
1. Who’s responsible?
Ensure one person is responsible for your Facebook page, blog posts, etc., and they have the time to monitor posts, comments, and feedback regularly. Your ‘Social Media Coordinator’ should have the responsibility and authority to deal with negative posts or complaints in a timely and professional manner.
2. The secret is in the T & C’s
Ensure ‘Terms and Conditions’ are set up on your website, Facebook Page, etc., and they outline precisely what is and isn’t acceptable. You can check out the Vetanswers T & C’s here – feel free to ‘borrow’ any part or modify it to suit your social media needs.
3. Smart Phone Apps that can help
If your business has a Facebook Page, then download a ‘Facebook Pages Manager’ App (iPhone or Android versions) to your Smart Phone. This App allows you to keep up with activity on your Page and will alert you when a comment has been posted. This App is useful when you’re not connected to your computer, although the iPhone version seems to have a few bugs and doesn’t always alert you to a new comment very quickly.
- To download Facebook Pages Manager for iPhone – click here
- To download Facebook Pages Manager for Android – click here
4. Want more information?
For more information on handling negative comments, check out a previous Vetanswers Blog post: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
So…. do you have any other useful tips and tricks for keeping track of comments and posts on your Business Social Media sites? Tell us in the comments section below.
