5 Tips for Managing Social Media Comments
Social media is an essential tool for companies to market products and services. It is a great way to share content, build customer relationships, and run ads for a wider audience. However, with the positives of social media, there are negatives too. Sometimes people leave comments that do not align with the company’s message, and knowing what to do with those comments can be challenging. There are several ways to manage social media comments effectively.
Plan Ahead
While it is hopeful to think everyone will always leave positive comments in response to videos or posts, it is important to be realistic and know that won’t always be the case. Planning ahead to know how to handle those situations will help you in the heat of the moment. Create a policy for what types of comments are acceptable and what types of comments will not be tolerated. Keep it clear and concise. Be sure to share it with anyone who supports the management of your social media accounts and be clear that everyone is aligned with following this comment policy. Detail how you will respond when inappropriate comments are posted. Knowing if you will interact with them, delete them, or block them, will help save time and stress. Do not be afraid to remove people from your social media accounts! Their negative interactions do not have a place on your posts.
Respond Quickly
Because of how fast-paced social media is, it is crucial to respond quickly to comments. Responding to positive comments shows that you value your followers and appreciate their interactions on your posts, which can help grow your account. But responding quickly is also vital to preventing the spread of negative comments. When left unattended, the interaction can escalate quickly between others in the comment section. While this is a daunting task for one individual, you can bring in the help of professionals who provide moderator services for online content, such as the Mod Squad.
Set Up Filters
Using filters on comments can help you reduce the time spent patrolling the comments on your social media posts. Filters can be set up to remove comments that contain specific words or phrases automatically. This will reduce the number of inappropriate responses on posts and allow followers only to see appropriate, high-quality interactions. In addition, many social media networks are starting to automatically use filters to remove comments that are universally vulgar or offensive.
Know Your Audience
Understanding your audience and monitoring what posts they interact with and which they can’t help you gauge the future of your social media accounts. Users can look at analytics to keep track of likes, comments, and shares. While this helps plan your posts, it is also helpful in showing your followers that you value their opinion. It is also important to personalize your responses when interacting with comments. This can help foster a positive relationship with the audience and encourage them to continue engaging with your company and sharing with friends and family.
Be Professional
It can be disheartening to receive negative comments. It is natural to feel upset or hurt by what someone says, primarily when you have worked hard to curate a post. Knowing how to positively respond to negative comments is hard, but it is important to remain professional in your interactions with them. If you are deleting the comment or blocking the user, there is no need to respond to them. Take a zero-tolerance stance and just remove them from your page. Keep it simple, polite, and appropriate if you interact with them. Remember that even though constructive criticism can hurt to hear, it is meant to help your company grow. Being defensive or disrespectful can escalate the situation and damage your company’s reputation. If you are struggling with responding to someone, you can tell them that you saw their comment and will get back to them shortly!
Managing social media comments is a difficult task. It takes practice and consistency. Staying ahead of the comments and having an action plan for how to tackle negative responses will help prepare you for the moment that they happen. That plan will give you a clear-cut way to respond quickly and professionally when a negative comment does pop up.
