This article is part of our blog series, Social Media for Landscapers, featuring tips on how you can take advantage of social media for your business. 

It will happen. You’ll be going through your day when you get a notification. Someone commented on your business’ social media post. You made a mistake and they called you out.

Don’t panic. It happens.

When you use social media, you’re bound to make a mistake here and there, but it can be more problematic when you’re using social platforms for business purposes. While social media is a casual way to connect with customers and potential customers, you still want to appear professional and knowledgeable, something a mistake can negatively impact.

However, a fast recovery and a little humor can fix almost any social media faux pas.

Don’t delete it

When you’ve posted something with a mistake, you’re initial reaction might be to want to delete it, but fight the urge to erase the mistake! Everyone makes mistakes. When someone catches one you’ve made, use it as an opportunity to show your followers the more human side of your business.

If you’ve made a spelling error or posted something with incorrect information, own up to it by acknowledging it. Allowing customers to see mistakes you’ve made will help them see your company as transparent and honest, regardless of the situation.

Respond quickly

Once the mistake has been pointed out, it’s important to respond quickly. Try to avoid leaving the mistake uncorrected for a long period of time. Address it as soon as you can to show followers you’re active on social media, as well as paying attention to what you’re posting.

While you may want to take some time to craft a perfect response (and make sure you don’t make any additional mistakes), responding quickly will allow you to get it corrected and get your voice heard before too many people see it.

Use humor

Most situations—regardless of how embarrassing or difficult—can be defused with humor. Use humor in your response addressing the mistake.

Social media is a platform for you to showcase your business’ personality, so making fun of yourself is a great way to show that you have a sense of humor.

This will, again, showcase the human side of your business and help followers see your business as trustworthy and enjoyable to work with. It shows, you’re working to remedy and resolve the issues while having a good time, something that could easily translate into a display of great customer service.

[box]Example:

Ewing recently posted a graphic of an equation for precipitation rates with a mistake in it. One of our dedicated followers caught it and let us know. This was the result:

Like we said, it happens.[/box]

Have you made a mistake on social media? Share your experience in the comments.

Keep an eye out for future tips on social media to promote your business. Have a question? Post it in the comments.