Nobody likes it when someone loves to talk but refuses to listen. It’s dull and rude to hear them drone on and on about themselves. And ultimately, there’s no real value to it, either – the culprit isn’t convincing anyone how great they are.
That’s not only true in personal interactions. It’s an equally valid complaint about a business’ social media interactions. If all you do is talk about yourself and constantly push your agenda, your audience will tune out.
The way you interact with people on social media is a public manifestation of what your company is all about. It reflects your company’s values and priorities. Both that you answer and how you answer speak loads about whether you value your customers.
So what should you do? How do you interact with your audience?
Let’s look at some simple steps. These apply to any business page, including comments on posts, reviews, and other publicly-visible sections of your social media.
Answer
You may be the one making the original post, but your job doesn’t end there. If you’ve started building an audience and your posts are decent, then you’ll get questions and comments.
Taking the time to reply, even if it’s a simple “thank you,” goes a long way to building goodwill and confidence in your brand. It’s a matter of basic courtesy.
Yes, it’s time-consuming. And yes, it can be tough to come up with replies at times. But neglecting it can lead to ill will.
Of course, you may set a time limit for older posts. It might not be worthwhile to reply when someone comments on a post from months or weeks ago. However, there might be cases where it’s important, too, so it’s worth reading the comment before simply dismissing it.
You won’t be able to answer every question directly in the comments section. But if it calls for a more detailed answer, still acknowledge the post. Thank the person for the comment and let them know that you’ll message them directly for more information. This helps show to others that you aren’t simply neglecting your followers.
Yes, Even The Negative Ones
No one likes negative feedback, but it will come; there’s no escaping it. Whether it’s valid or not, there will always be some criticism. It could be related to product quality, prices, or attention.
It’s important to address these comments, too. Don’t delete them – besides being dishonest, it’s also obvious to your followers. Other people will see the comment and then see that it’s no longer there.
Instead, address the issue. Don’t attack the person who wrote it. Be kind and patient, even when you know you’re not at fault. Remember, you’re representing your brand. If you start attacking someone, you’ll alienate many more people than just that individual.
As we mentioned above, you can respond by saying something like, “We’re sorry you had a bad experience”. Then invite them to take the conversation into a direct-message situation to better address it.
Remember that criticism is often valid, too. Use it as a chance to grow and improve. It may be natural to shut down, but you could be missing out on helpful feedback.
When It Is OK To Delete Comments
We said above that you shouldn’t delete negative comments. However, there are some rare occasions when it’s suitable to remove them.
Obvious abuse or trolling is one. If it’s clear that someone is commenting only to generate an adverse reaction, you can remove their comments and ban them from commenting.
Racist, sexist, homophobic, or other such comments also should be removed. You might also want to remove comments that are heavy on foul language. Remember that “free speech” applies to government restrictions on speech. Yours is a private business, and you’re within your rights to limit speech.
It’s also perfectly valid – and useful to your audience – to remove scams from the comments section.
Of course, these apply to the general comments on a page. If you run a group or other such “membership” function, you can set rules and ban any type of comment you’d like. Still, it’s always a good practice not to impose uniformity of thought. Allowing disagreement and criticism is always good practice.
You Don’t Need The Last Word But At Least Participate
At times, it can be hard to know when to cut off a conversation. But it’s impractical to continue forever.
You don’t have to reply “You’re welcome” to every “Thanks.” You can also ignore questions you’ve already answered, especially if it’s in the same message thread. For instance, you’ll often see that someone will reply that they had the same question. If you’ve already addressed it within that thread, you don’t need to answer them again.
If it’s a separate reply, though, they might not see the first answer. So it’s good practice to answer them.
It’s fine to direct commenters to where they can find the information. This is often easier than writing out the answer. It can also help drive traffic closer to a conversion. A short reply telling them that they can find the information on a particular page of your website often suffices. Be sure to include the direct link!
Make It Personal
People always feel good when you address them directly. When possible, reply to them by name. This shows a higher level of care on your part. It also helps make sure they see the message.
You may want to develop templates that answer common questions. Adding names can keep you from seeming robotic. Also, be sure that you only use the template answer where it fits.
Be Patient
For many people, dealing with customers or clients is the hardest part of the job. You need to show patience in all your online interactions.
You’ll likely receive the same question or comment dozens of times. That might even happen on a single post. That can be frustrating. So can dealing with what seems like unfair criticism.
That’s why it’s always important to think things through before firing off an answer. Do everything you can to avoid showing frustration. Remember, you’re responding to people whose patronage pays your income!
On the other hand, remember that your audience expects an answer promptly. Keep tabs on what’s going on so you can provide an answer as soon as possible. That’s usually measured within hours rather than days.
Need A Professional?
A community manager is a professional who works with your social media audience. If it’s too big a task for you, you may want to consider hiring one. They sometimes handle the creation of posts as well, depending on the size of your marketing efforts. Their main task, though, is interacting with and encouraging comments on the page.
If you’re in the market for a community manager, please get in touch with us!