Receiving negative feedback is an unfortunate part of the social media game. The most important thing to remember is that regardless of how discouraging a comment is, you need to stay positive! Mashable has a great article that really goes in depth on how to handle specific kinds of negative feedback.

Here are a few other things to remember when an adverse post appears on your blog or Facebook Page:

1. First and foremost, always thank the consumer for their feedback — this is your chance to get some valuable insight into possible problems with your product or service.

2. Don’t delete negative comments. Your audience will catch on, and begin to equate your brand with censorship—and that’s not a good look for your company.

3. Own up to your mistakes! If you mess up, admit it, make up for it and do it in public! It makes your brand more authentic and trustworthy, and gives your Page that “human touch”. And don’t be afraid of making mistakes—research shows that social media users trust brands more after that brand has correctly addressed a problem, even compared to never having that problem at all!

4. Be specific about how you are going to solve the consumer’s problem, but never make a promise you can’t keep. That will make you look ever worse in the long run. It also helps to follow up with an inbox message from your personal Profile (remember, you can’t send inbox messages from a business Page) to ensure that the user is satisfied with the solution.

5. Sometimes you will get angry beavers who may post negative things about your brand for no apparent reason. If their claims have absolutely no substance or value and/or contain harsh language, go ahead and delete these comments without responding. Don’t leave posts on your wall that may offend the rest of your audience.

6. You may be able to turn a negative into a positive. Try to turn criticism into conversation! Your brand advocates may be tempted to join in the conversation.

Although you can’t control what people post, you can control how you respond. These same rules apply to negative content that may appear on review sites, personal Facebook Profiles or other social media platforms that you don’t own–it’s just as important to address these issues as it would be if the post showed up your own platform.