Social Media Tips: Responding to Comments

How do you respond to comments on your social media posts?

It goes without saying that you should always respond - and preferably as soon as you can.

If possible, try to encourage conversation - answer their comment, and then perhaps ask a question. That way, your other followers might join in too - great for engagement.

Customer Service

Many people now see social media as a route for their customer service queries - so comments can be about everything from your opening hours, to product availability. They might even include negative comments or complaints. So how should you deal with those?

No one wants to have a length interaction with a disgruntled customer in a public place such as a social media feed

Dealing with Grumbles

No one wants to have a length interaction with a disgruntled customer in a public place such as a social media feed. The last thing you need is other followers chipping in, and an audience can often raise the temperature of the conversation in an unhelpful way.

However, it is important that you are seen to respond, and how you do this can have a lasting impact on how your customers, and potential customers, perceive your business.

So, this is what I find works well.

• Respond quickly to the comment in a positive way (even with a little humour if that’s appropriate)

• Take it away from the public feed - say something like “I’m really sorry you’re unhappy - I’m going to contact direct so we can talk about how to fix that for you.”

• Then direct message or email the customer to deal with the detail of the problem.

Plan Ahead

Sometimes the person dealing with day to day with your social media may not be able to deal with a complaint themselves. It’s a good idea to have a simple process in place. This might include:

• What they can agree with the customer themselves, there and then

• Who to pass a complaint to, if it needs escalating to someone more senior

• Agreed response times - so they can tell the customer when to expect an answer.

Happy Customers!

Hopefully, the customer will be so delighted with your response, that they will post a great comment to say thank you!

Social Media Tips: Post with Purpose

What do you want your social posts to achieve for you?

When you are busy running a business, it’s easy to feel as though social media is just ANOTHER THING for you to fit into your day.

It’s the middle of the afternoon, and you suddenly remember, with a sinking feeling, that you haven’t posted anything today - and you promised yourself you would.

So you sit there, scrolling through your photos, racking your brains for something - anything - to post.

Sound familiar?

Having a bit of a plan for your social content can really take the pressure off. Instead of feeling like a burden, your posts can start working for you.

So, what do you want to share with your customers, and potential customers? What do you want them to know about your business?

Behind the Scenes

People love to get an insider view - we all pretty nosy, after all! So, posts about your working day, your team members, your workplace, are likely to go down well with your audience. Take photos throughout the day. Try giving the to different team member each day, to get a new perspective on the life of your business.

Inspiration

Have you got a new product you want to promote? Is your business changing in an exciting way? Share the inspiration behind these developments.

• Where did the idea for the product come from?

• How did it evolve?

• Why is your business changing and what will it mean for your customers?

Sharing these stories helps people to feel involved in your business.

Research

Why not use your social posts to get ideas and opinions from your followers. People like be asked, and are more likely to feel they have a stake in your product if they feel they’ve been part of the process. It’s easy to create a poll, or just ask a question, and get feedback that can be really valuable to your business.

A bit about you

People love to get to know the person behind a brand or business - it helps to build a sense of connection and engagement. So think about sharing:

• Why did you set up the business?

• What did you do before?

• What inspired the values of your business?

• Your passions and interests

• A bit about your daily life

• You!

You might feel a little awkward about sharing photos of yourself, but people really like to see the face behind the business.

If you really don’t like having your photo taken, (and you’re not alone!) why not think about having a photo shoot with a branding photographer? You’ll get a whole set of great, professional photos which will provide you with content for many months.

Otherwise, a selfie will be fine!

Do More of What Works

By posting different types of content, you will be able to see what resonates with your target and audience.

• Do you get more comments on posts where you ask a question?

• Do your followers love to see behind the scenes?

• Do shots of products do better when they shown being used in a real setting?

• Do staged, aspirational shots perform best?

Once you can see which type of post gets the most engagement, you can plan to include more.

Post with a Plan

If you are clear about what you want your social media posts to do for your business, you will feel more confident about your content and more importantly, you will start to see results!

If you would like more help planning your social media content, with personalised tips for your business, get in touch!