Most people are nice enough, but on social media, things can go south very quickly. <\/p>\n
Anger, trolling, negative feedback, and NFSW topics are just some of the issues you need to learn to handle as your business navigates social media for customer care and marketing. <\/p>\n
It’s clear that social media’s wide access and popularity make it an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to social media marketing<\/a>, but this same power also makes it highly destructive if not managed properly. <\/p>\n Dealing with difficult situations requires tact and knowledge of the people behind the keyboard.<\/strong><\/p>\n The following tips will help you deal with some of the most common social media comments that come up time and again. <\/p>\n We have established that it is critical to keep track of and reply to social media comments about your business. <\/p>\n However, do you know how to find these comments in the first place?<\/p>\n As your customers are likely to be talking about your company on multiple social channels, being able to track these cross-platform is an important skill. <\/p>\n Here are some suggestions to implement now:<\/p>\n There is an array of social media tools that social media teams can use to keep an eye out for comments and mentions relating to your brand. <\/p>\n This is the easiest and best option, and these tools are usually very affordable. <\/p>\n For example, TweetDeck creates streams and lists of social media comments<\/strong> from different platforms, all on one convenient dashboard. <\/p>\n Brands that don’t have the budget or need of a dedicated social media moderation tool yet can use the native features integrated in each platform. <\/p>\n These tools are often quite powerful, but they can take more time and effort. <\/p>\n For instance, Facebook has a notification tab where you can get information about all replies, tags, comments, and other activities taking place on your account. <\/p>\n Twitter also shows notifications whenever you have inboxes, mentions, retweets, comments, among others. <\/p>\n With many of these brands, you can customize which events trigger notifications<\/strong> to help with filtering. <\/p>\n Similar features extend to Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and more. <\/p>\n Once we find what customers and other social media users are saying about a brand on social media, the hard part is still to come. <\/p>\n In this case, finding the right thing to say, in exactly the right way, can be more difficult than expected.<\/p>\n There are different types of social media comments and interactions that every brand encounters at some point or the other. <\/p>\n For example, here are five common scenarios and how we would recommend you deal with them:<\/p>\n This is one of the most common comments we see.<\/p>\n Some will be practical questions regarding your products or services, while some might be personal or even provocative, going into company culture, personnel, values, and vision. <\/p>\n Whether the person behind the comment is genuinely confused or just curious<\/strong>, it is important to acknowledge the question and get an answer as soon as possible. <\/p>\n Disgruntled customers are a regular occurrence. <\/p>\n They could be unhappy with a product, a service you offer, or just disappointed with your brand in general.<\/p>\n In this case, it is important to reply as soon as possible<\/strong> and let the customer know that you are working to resolve the issue. <\/p>\n Then, find the cause of the problem because, in many cases, angry customers are the result of repetitive issues. <\/p>\n If you spend much time on X (or whatever we\u2019re calling Twitter this year), you\u2019ll see real-time examples of brands either defusing or igniting anger, minute by minute. There\u2019s a certain theater to it. Sometimes, a single well-timed joke or apology can flip the script\u2014and you might even see a frustrated customer defending you in the replies after feeling heard. Of course, it can just as easily go the other way, so double-check before firing off that reply on a bad day.<\/p>\n It probably sounds like something out of a textbook, but brands genuinely have to pick their battles. Not every angry comment deserves a detailed reply. You\u2019ll figure out pretty quickly when someone wants a solution versus when they\u2019re after attention or just venting into the void. Reading between those lines\u2014not just what\u2019s written, but the tone and timing\u2014takes practice, and frankly, a bit of gut instinct. Miss the mark too often, and you might end up as someone\u2019s viral example of what not to do.<\/p>\n Social media has become a legitimate customer support channel for most brands today.<\/p>\n From shipping inquiries to requests for refunds, you can expect to handle a lot of these every day. <\/p>\n Sometimes, it helps to have separate customer support channels. <\/strong>If not, you can simply take these issues up immediately.<\/p>\n Just remember to be professional, polite, and helpful. Also, don’t be defensive but be quick to take responsibility and act fast. <\/p>\n Some comments are just users thinking out loud. <\/p>\n In this case, you could choose to reply or not depending on the potential for further engagement.<\/p>\n It is great when social media users take notice of what you post and like, retweet, comment, and share your posts. <\/p>\n Some will also quote what you post, which is a great way to validate and grow your social media presence<\/a>. <\/p>\n You don’t have to reply to these, but it would be nice to acknowledge the person<\/strong> and encourage them to continue doing that.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s almost impossible to anticipate every social media interaction and how a brand is supposed to respond. <\/p>\n In many cases, just having a sound <\/strong>social media strategy<\/strong><\/a> and guidelines<\/strong> will keep a social media team in line with business objectives.<\/p>\n There are some best practices that we highly recommend when it comes to dealing with social media comments. <\/p>\n Whether you encounter customers who are joking with you, using sarcasm, or outright provocative, retain a professional attitude when handling these comments.<\/p>\n Being professional doesn’t mean lacking in character. Customers love brands with bright and memorable persona. Feel free to use memes, GIFs, among others to add warmth to your tone.<\/p>\n When you don’t have an immediate answer, say so. If a product has a problem that you are aware of, acknowledge it and say what you are doing about it. <\/p>\n Being transparent and vulnerable is better at pacifying customers and building loyalty<\/a> than ignoring comments or offering promises you can’t keep.<\/p>\n Interactions that could be potentially inflammatory, sensitive, or require sharing of personal information should be moved to private chats, phone, or email support.<\/p>\n Keep track of user feedback, customer sentiment, and the levels of interaction to help you improve your services. <\/p>\n You are now better prepared to handle sweet (and complex) social media comments.<\/p>\nHow to Track Social Media Comments: Tools and Tricks<\/h2>\n
Set Up Monitoring Streams<\/h3>\n
Track Mentions, Comments, and Replies on Each Social Media Platform<\/h3>\n
Different Types of Social Media Comments and How to Respond<\/h2>\n
1. Questions<\/h3>\n
2. Angry Customers<\/h3>\n
3. Support inquiries<\/h3>\n
4. Indirect\/neutral comments<\/h3>\n
5. Shares, retweets, mentions<\/h3>\n
Best Practices When Dealing With Social Media Comments<\/h2>\n
Always stay positive and professional<\/h3>\n
Develop and maintain a distinct personality<\/h3>\n
Be honest<\/h3>\n
Take things offline when necessary<\/h3>\n
Always measure and report on your social media activities<\/h3>\n
Wrap Up<\/h2>\n