Originally posted on ContextOptional.com.
One of a brand’s biggest fears when venturing into the social sphere is maintaining brand image in the seemingly open forum of social networks. The fact is—once you step into the social space, people can say whatever they want about your brand. The idea of keeping tabs on these comments, responding when appropriate, deleting when inappropriate, etc. seems overwhelming and is overwhelming for many companies. The bottom line is that many just don’t have the resources to be the “watchdogs” of their various social entities. Moderation is key to success.
A big part of a Community Manager’s job is to help brands maintain brand image while still participating in the social space. Thanks to a few fantastic moderation tools (including the moderation tool in our own Social Marketing Suite), I (and you, too!) am able to easily and effectively manage these presences.
Here are a few tips on how you can successfully use a moderation tool to manage and maintain your brand image while still participating in an open, honest conversation:
1. Set the standards
It’s crucial to the success of maintaining your brand image on social networks that you set moderation standards beforehand. Decide what words are allowed, what words are unacceptable, what kinds of questions you want to answer, what comments you’d like to reply to, what comments should be deleted and what suggestions deem a response. Be specific. Decide what is tolerated and what is not beforehand; that way you are prepared for the worst-case scenario. In Context Optional’s Moderation module, you are able to set up email notifications that alert you of offensive words that appear on your Facebook page. These word lists are completely customizable, so you can import the list you develop while setting the standards, and let the tool do the rest for you. It watches over the page 24/7 and can automatically delete comments that contain certain words.
2. Check in several times a day
Social media doesn’t stop, even when you have to. People are always on social networks; therefore, they are potentially always able to comment on your page. Of course, you’d drive yourself mad if you were online refreshing your page 24 hours a day waiting for a comment, so use your moderation tool wisely. If you’ve implemented some sort of “bad words” tracking system, don’t disregard the emails you’re sent. Keep an eye on your Facebook page – especially after you post a status update as that pushes content into the users’ newsfeed, thus making commenting easier. Keep tabs on where you left off so you are able to pick right up again the next time you log on (our moderation tool does this for you).
3. Listen and Respond
Read every comment. As tiresome as this sounds, you don’t want to miss a potential opportunity for communication that could in turn convert a visitor to a brand loyalist. Respond to comments according to your plan (see number 1). If you don’t know the answer to a question or you’re not sure how to respond, ask someone who might know. Within our moderation tool, there is an option to “escalate” specific comments for further review. This allows you to come back to the comment at a later time and respond appropriately. How do you know what is an “appropriate” response? It depends on your plan from tip number 1. Put some responses in a bucket that can always be used to respond to a product request, frequently asked questions or suggestions. The main tip to remember when responding is people want to interact with another person. Don’t can your responses. Don’t sound like a robot. Be honest, relatable, friendly and professional.
4. Be Consistent
This is quite possibly the most important thing you could do when it comes to managing your brand’s social presence. One aspect of your social media plan that your customer will notice is inconsistency. If you answer one question, you should try and answer them all. If you delete one curse word, you must delete them all. This is true unless there is a specific differentiation among comments – otherwise, your fans will catch on. This also goes back to tip number 1—if you stick to your plan, this shouldn’t be a problem.
While managing a social presence for a brand might seem overwhelming, if you use the tools available to you, it will make your experience and your customer’s experience a positive one.
