Get All Access for $5/mo

When Dealing With Negative Comments Online, Be Kind, Compassionate and Diplomatic Join our live discussion about best digital marketing tips with experts Jason Falls and John Jantsch, hosted by Entrepreneur's Jason Fell.

By Jason Fell

For brands, receiving comments over social media can be a double-edged sword. In one way, it's a fast and useful way to get feedback about what you're doing well and constructive criticism about what you can be doing better. On the other hand, it can be an outlet for people to bash your brand -- sometimes without provocation.

"When you get negative comments over your social-media channels, marketing consultant John Jantsch recommends business owners "be kind, compassionate and diplomatic," when dealing with "haters."

"I have a one-and-done policy," said Jantsch, founder of the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network. "Every now and then I get something from left field and I'll always respond, but only one time."

We chatted with Jantsch and digital marketing expert Jason Falls in the fifth installment of our Google Hangout Series, "The Best Marketing Advice You're Not Following." Falls is founder of Louisville, Ky.-based digital marketing consulting service Social Media Explorer and vice president of digital strategy at e-retailer CafePress.

When you get a negative comment you should avoid any initial reaction to simply delete it. "Should negative comments be removed? Not without responding to the customer's concern," Falls said. "Then you can remove it later."

If your problem is that you aren't getting enough comments over social media -- either positive or negative -- Falls recommends slowing down on the marketing messages, show your brand's personality and have an opinion on topics. Just know your limits with your followers.

"The best way to get people to engage more is to stir shit up," he said. "Take a stand and let people react to it."

Jason Fell

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Managing Editor

Jason Fell is the former managing editor of Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Transformed a Graphics Card Company Into an AI Giant: 'One of the Most Remarkable Business Pivots in History'

Here's how Nvidia pivoted its business to explore an emerging technology a decade in advance.

Business News

Want to Start a Business? Skip the MBA, Says Bestselling Author

Entrepreneur Josh Kaufman says that the average person with an idea can go from working a job to earning $10,000 a month running their own business — no MBA required.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Says He Was an 'Awkward' Leader When Creating Facebook: 'Still Not My Best Thing'

Meta's CEO said being Facebook's founder and leader at age 19 required lots of "feedback loops."