By George Nott2021-07-30T00:18:00+01:00
Online feedback allows for legitimate complaint, fishing for freebies, and outright trolling. How do you differentiate between them? And what’s the best way to respond?
At 2am one night a few months ago, a former customer of online butcher Wild & Game posted a rant about the company on Facebook. The brand’s pies were “dire”, she told her followers, warning them off the company’s “unpleasant” products.
The late-night poster didn’t have a genuine grievance but was instead “fishing for a freebie”, says Luke Angus, e-commerce director for Wild & Game.
As unfair as it may seem, it’s far from an isolated incident. While social media can be a powerful promotional tool, it also exposes brands to instantaneous negative feedback – and, in the worst cases, trolling.