There are still some brands that don’t have Facebook. That statement isn’t a judgement, it’s an observation. One objection I hear from many credit unions that are hesitant to join their peers on social networking sites is the fear of negative reviews. My first step is to point out that whether your brand is using social media or not, consumers are talking about them. Without having a social presence, they can’t be a part of the conversation. How scary is it to think that people are talking about your brand and you have no idea what they are saying!

For credit unions who are on social media, no matter how great your service standards are there will always be a handful of unhappy (and very vocal) members who want to take their complaints to social networks. Rodney Gin, the co-founder of SiteJabber, an online community of more than 700,000 users reviewing online businesses recently gave his top 5 tips for dealing with negative reviews online during an interview with Inc. Magazine.