Before I purchase anything, I have a habit of doing extensive research to ensure my money is well spent. The most important things I look for are the sizing guides (if it's clothing or shoes) and REVIEWS! Ooooh boy are the reviews important! The easiest way is always done on the website directly, but I've noticed some companies don't have that embedded (huge fail on their part), thankfully, social media has made it easier than ever to find reviews from people. It has been a game changer for businesses in both accountability AND brand awareness. As an avid social media user, I've found most of my favorite brands through platforms like Instagram.
Before the birth of influencers, we relied on written reviews by people who normally wouldn't post photos of themselves in the clothes or show them actually using the products. Now we get to see what they look like on real people who give their feedback on their likes AND dislikes. For companies, this makes it a lot easier to see who is really using their products and for customers to see how brands publicly handle negative feedback. In my opinion, when handled correctly, this can gain loyalty and respect for those brands on a much broader scale.
Upon my research today for written reviews, I expected to see more negative comments but was surprised at the amount of positive AND helpful comments I read. Users can post on sites like Amazon (if purchased there), Reddit, or even review sites like Trustpilot. I'll use Reddit for the more unfiltered comments around the products/places, with the knowledge that it will be a community-based conversation rather than a review for the company to see and respond to. Trustpilot is great for seeing how companies handle their customer reviews; when they respond to all comments, both good and bad, I find myself respecting the brand more and even slightly influenced (says the influencer, haha) to try them out myself. However, I noticed some reviews that were a bit harsh and rather hateful, which I don't understand. But the majority of the comments were honest about their personal experience. For example, a negative review would be about how the shoe doesn't support their lack of arch, so it didn't work well for them. A positive example would be how they think the shoe is great for HIIT workouts but needed to size half a size down.
Me though... I've never been one to leave a written review, whether good or bad. I do, however, leave reviews on my stories for my followers to see. When I do decide to share my opinion, I've noticed I tend to leave positive and honest reviews for the products I do like. If I don't like a product, I simply move on. But after reading in our assignment description, "your positive review can really help a small business grow," I realize I should expand my positivity through written, more PERMANENT means as I know I tend to rely more heavily on those when I'm looking to purchase, than Instagram stories. Those are fleeting anyway, and only visible to my followers and the company stories (if they respost) for 24 hours.
When asked, "How would I respond to positive or negative comments?" I get stumped. Since I have a personal brand already, I've had to pivot on this strategy many times. But I love that I'm in a social media for BUSINESS class because now I'm challenging myself to see myself as that rather than just a person. I have always responded to positive comments with fun emojis and "thank you" (with a ton of happy emojis to follow hehe). I think I would continue that strategy even when I start selling products or services. I love companies with personality and aspire to be like them.
Fun fact: X and Threads are the BEST places to follow brands/businesses for inspiration on how to be a company with personality - check out Gymshark on X, or Sour Patch on Threads. Example: On 1/19/25, Sour Patch posted a thread in response to TikTok being taken away saying, "tiktok really said sour, sweet gone." SO FUNNY!
My responses to negative comments have been my struggle. They have ranged from loving responses to no response to apologies to sarcasm. (at one point I started getting hurt by some of the things people would say to me, especially when they didn't know me at all). But after learning from this assignment, it has me thinking I should go back to my "pre-influencer" stage of responses, where I chose to respond with kindness and understanding. Since I'm not selling a product at the moment, I should continue to let my true self respond and not allow the negative and unnecessary comments to get to me. I would like to maintain the understanding that hurt people hurt people and are normally the ones who need love the most.
When I move into more of a business, I feel I will want to keep the same integrity and kindness while ensuring the customer is heard and taken care of in a professional way. My mission in life has always been and always will be to spread love and understanding because the world needs it more today than ever before. Whether it's my name or the name of a company I create, I choose to be a company that responds with a human heart.
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