Top Tips For Responding to Comments Online

Krista Neher

Jan 24 2023

Top Tips For Responding to Comments Online

Monitoring and responding to online comments or mentions should be a part of any social media or online strategy. Any brand with a presence online should have notifications in place to know when they are mentioned and determine how to reply.

Businesses often spend a lot of resources to build a presence online, but then drop the ball by not responding to comments or responding late.

If you are active online or have a business that generates mentions, consider implementing the following our top tips for community management:

Get Notifications – Get notifications when people mention your business. You may need to get notifications for multiple channels or networks.
Know Who Will Respond – Have someone responsible for responding to comments or mentions. It can also be helpful to set an ideal response time, so there are clear expectations.
Establish a Tone of Voice – If you have someone responding on behalf of your business, it is important to be sure that your business is represented consistently and appropriately.
Create Policies or Guidelines – Create guidelines for responding. A quick review of your customer service and sales questions will give you a feel for what you are most likely to encounter online. Use these as a starting point to build some general guidelines about what to respond to and how to respond.
Know When To Escalate – Sometimes a community manager can’t respond or a difficult situation arises. Know when to escalate or get a second opinion.
Have FUN! – Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun and participate authentically.

Power Tip:

Respond to EVERY comment or mention, or at the very least give it a “like.” Your responses are public – show that you appreciate interactions!

BONUS Tool: Social Media Management

Consider using a tool for community management. Many will bring all of your mentions onto a dashboard and allow you to respond from one place. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of social media management tools, each with different strengths, weaknesses, and price points. Based on your site and need, evaluate the features to see what works best for you.

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Community Management, Customer Experience, General, Reputation Management

Top Tips For Responding to Comments Online