How good are you at supplying an excellent customer experience and wonderful service? I bet in your head you just answered “Yep, I’m pretty good…” And I’m sure you are! When someone walks into your retail store or place of business if they comment on a product for sale or a service you offer, do you ignore them or do you respond to their comment? Again, I bet in your head you just answered “Of course I respond, it would be really rude not to!” And it would!
So let me ask you a question, can you honestly, hand on heart, say that you always respond or engage with the comments that people take the time to type on your social posts? I’m not just talking a thumbs up….
In fact, I often refer to the “Like Button” as the “Lazy Button”, it’s so easy….
Now I’m not saying I don’t use it, I do! I scroll through my social feeds and stamp my figurative seal of approval on things that take my fancy, but if I’m really impressed with, or impassioned by something, I’ll speak out. I’ll take time out of my day to give feedback or share my thoughts, and I’m sure you do too. If that moment that we both took isn’t acknowledged we feel like we don’t count… Would you bother again? I know I wouldn’t.
I often hear that digital communication is killing the art of conversation, but it shouldn’t be. Engagement online is as important as it is offline, it still offers us a unique opportunity to find out more about our customers and prospective clients. If you don’t engage with your audience, you’re in danger of turning your social platforms into your business or brand’s soap box… There’s a key word in the term “Social Media” and that word is “Social”, it’s supposed to be a two way conversation, so when people take the time to talk to you, please respond.
A few tips on engagement and responses:
- Be timely: Now I’m not a fan of the auto-post. My main reason being, if you’re not present to make the post you’re not present to respond. Try to respond to comments within a reasonable time frame. Sometimes comments come from different time zones, they may have been placed while you were getting your beauty sleep… Check your “notifications” in the morning and in the evening.
- Be consistent: Don’t reply to some people and not to others. In a way that’s worse than not replying at all, because if you have responded to some people and not to others it’s doubly insulting to those who you haven’t engaged with!
- Keep it going: Wherever possible ask open questions in your responses. Your social channels are a perfect platform for you to do some great market research. This is doubly important on Facebook because of course the more you can keep the conversation going, the more comments you have on your post, the more you’ll go up in the Facebook algorithm, the more people will see your post!
- If the worst happens: If you receive a negative comment about your brand, product or business, please do acknowledge it online, but move the conversation offline to resolve the matter.
I’m going to leave you with a quote from DJ Waldow.
Respond as much and as often as you can. Years ago, I heard the analogy that social media is like the new telephone. If someone calls your office, you answer the phone. My advice: Do the same when it comes to social media. Do your best to respond to everything. You never know where your next client, partner or friend may come from.
