The Dos and Don’ts of interacting with Comment Sections
The comment sections on social media can provide some terrifying waters to navigate and, if not navigated correctly, can open your business up for all kinds of criticism. However, it can also be your friend and an incredibly useful tool for forging genuine connections with your clients and customers. Here we go through the dos and don’ts of interacting with your comment sections.
DO Respond to questions:
It seems like an obvious one, but a lot of people are scared to reply to comments in case they dig themselves into a hole. Trust us, ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away. Instead, see this as an opportunity to cement your customer service reputation. When replying, always use their name, answer clearly and try not to sound like you are using canned answers. Don’t be afraid to use emojis if you feel it is appropriate but make sure they don’t come across passive-aggressive.
Don’t forget, if it’s a query that will take more than one comment to answer, try signposting them to a direct support email address, phone number or ticketed support area; this can help move the conversation away from your social media feed.
DON’T Engage with trolls:
You don’t have to reply to every question. If you spot a comment that is obviously intended to cause mischief then sometimes it’s best to ignore it. Don’t feed the trolls!
DO Ask questions:
Yes, the comment section works both ways! If someone says something interesting, why not ask them to divulge more? Not only does this show that you take an interest in your customers, but you might learn something. Customer feedback is always useful, and you should be searching for every opportunity in which to receive it.
DON’T Copy and Paste the same answer:
We see this all the time, and it’s a definite no-no. People can tell, and it comes across like you don’t care enough to put effort into a genuine response. If you do this multiple times in the same comment thread, then it looks even worse!
DO Write in the brand’s voice:
Even though you might be used to writing more casually in comments, especially as you often don’t have the time to draft and edit your responses to quick-fire questions, it’s important you don’t slip up and write too informally.
DON’T Comment on matters that could risk harming the brand
In the same vein, remember you are writing as the voice of your company. You should, therefore, take care before posting something that might reflect poorly on the brand. Ideally, it would help if you had a strategy in place for dealing with problematic areas. Don’t make any statements that could be influenced by your personal beliefs.
DO Delete offensive things.
You don’t need to go full “thought-police”, but you do have a responsibility to make sure offensive comments don’t slip through the net. If you see anything particularly repulsive, especially anything racist or threatening, then you should remove these comments.
DON’T Delete all criticism
If your customers get the idea that your page is a dictatorship where no negative opinions are allowed, then it’s not going to reflect well on your brand. If you are caught deleting valid criticisms rather than responding to them, you are by default acknowledging that the issue is actually an issue. It doesn’t look good, and you will see far better results from handling criticism with tact, and you might even win yourself a new customer.
Some people switch off comments altogether; this is best avoided as it might look like you have something to hide; however, there’s a time and a place for all these options.
DON’T Comment on your own posts using an alt-account.
You will get found out, trust us; it does not look good!
Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Don’t be. Air Social can deal with all of this for you. Social media can be a rough sea to navigate, but we’ve got the wind in our sails and are weathered for the storm! We are a full-service agency and can put our digital marketing experts to work to provide you with the best social media presence on the map. Get in touch today.
