The Revolutionary aspect of Social Media Networking!

Jamie Turner, the Chief Content Officer at The 60 Second Marketer, points out a really important aspect of using Social Media to connect with your customers & other stake-holders.
In his words:
Often it seems human nature has taught us to AVOID uncomfortable situations.  Even many CEOs and Public Affairs experts cringe at the thought of negative interactions with the public.
Jamie Turner suggests these straightforward steps to interact with followers & increase product loyalty:

Many of our readers are concerned about negative comments floating around about their brand on Twitter. It can be a big challenge, to be sure. But the truth is, you can turn that negative into a positive by how you respond.

Here are six suggested steps on how you can turn a negative comment into a positive outcome:

• Start by taking a deep breath. It's nothing personal. (Unless it is personal, in which case you can ignore the whole "take a deep breath" talk.)
• Accept the fact that no brand, company or person is loved by the entire universe. That's just a fact of life
• Reach out to the person who made the comment. Really. Go to their Twitter account and follow them
• Then, address their concerns, using the @ symbol (e.g., "Hi, @Bob. Sorry your soup was cold at our restaurant. Please DM me and I'll give you a free dessert next time you're here.")
• By reaching out to them (politely), you'll defuse the situation and get them to take their armor down
• Research indicates that when a customer has a bad experience and it's addressed quickly, they become a brand advocate and tell as many as 3 to 5 other people about the positive outcome
• So remember, a bad customer experience can sometimes be turned into a positive result for your company.

My opinion is that the very worst action you can take in this instance is avoidance!  Any response shows outreach & concern with client satisfaction.  A constructive response can save much negative press, which now truthfully, are really tweets & Facebook comments, and even help to build a loyal brand follower who most likely will virally spread positive comments.
If you have an experience of a turnaround from a product or a company critic into a loyal client & supporter, we are anxious to hear about it.
The main reason many CEO's & Public Affairs officers cringe when faced with negative publicity is traditionally, they are not able to communicate directly with their critics.  This leaves them with the partially effective option of trying to make themselves look good & hope for the best.  They essentially are helpless because they can't deal directly with the (individual) critic.  The blessing of Social Media Networking is now they can communicate directly with the unhappy person to (hopefully) resolve the situation in a win-win way. - Dave Heinrich, www.WebTechUniverse.com