CHARLOTTE – Things don’t always look the way they seem on social media.

It’s easy to assume displeasure with a business or brand is greater than it really is in reality.

Most people are more likely to create a complaint online than a compliment, so what might look like overall dissatisfaction with a business, brand, or service may actually be quite mild.

The better known a business is, the more likely it is to have at least one to a few bad reviews online. I often tell my clients that a brand hasn’t made it online unless someone has left a complaint or bad review.

That doesn’t mean bad reviews aren’t a warning for businesses to be wary of, but take them with a grain of salt and look at the overall picture.

Businesses—if your brand has received bad reviews, this is why it’s so important to respond to them as nicely as possible. Potential customers see that and can easily tell that the one bad review with a polite response does not mean they should avoid patronizing your business. However, the absence of a response gives a bad review validity to new customers.

People are drawn to sensationalism and as a result social media thrives on it, don’t be fooled and make quick reactions online though, often that rage is manufactured and misrepresented.