It’s bound to happen eventually – even the greatest companies in the world offering the best products at someday or some point let someone down. In the age of social media when bad sentiment can spread like wildfire, how should brands deal with a negative Facebook post?

While it’s inevitable that you will not always be able to please everyone, how you respond to the negative feedback can help diffuse the situation or potentially make it worse. Deleting or trying to hide a negative Facebook post is never the right answer and will only serve to infuriate upset customers and tarnish your business’s reputation once other consumers hear about it. This Leaders West blog offers some tips about how to positively address a negative Facebook post.

First, it’s important to really read the customer’s comment in order to determine the most appropriate response. Does the customer have a point? Try to take an unbiased look at who’s at fault and what might have prompted the situation.

Next, ask yourself if the negative Facebook post merits a response. Legitimate concerns should be addressed, but sometimes people just want to vent. It’s not a good look to bounce back and forth, arguing with a customer – especially if the negative comment relates to something for which you have no responsibility. In these cases, sometimes the best response is no response at all.

Finally, offer the consumer a workable resolution. This is an opportunity to step up and showcase good service and solidify your reputation. Try to take the conversation offline so that the specifics can be addressed in private. The authors at Leaders West suggest using a variation of the old “Feel, Felt, Found,” method applied in sales – empathizing with how the customer might feel, letting others online know they can come to you if they have felt the same way, and advising what your investigation of the matter has found. This should not be scripted but rather serve as a guide. The last part of this model is to advise the public that the situation has been fixed.

It’s always best in these circumstances to be honest and respond with integrity and respect. Addressing a negative Facebook post in this regard can even help build loyalty as it shows potential customers that you can be trusted to be forthright and resolve a bad experience should one occur.