By Kacie Berger, Social Media Specialist
When was the last time someone on your team checked your brand’s social media notifications? If you’re not sure of the answer, keep reading.
How your business monitors and engages on social media can make or break your brand’s reputation. Every day, customers ask questions, share experiences, and talk about brands online, whether those brands are paying attention or not. By actively monitoring these conversations and engaging in a thoughtful, timely way, you can strengthen customer relationships, build trust, and improve your brand’s reputation.
If you’re not actively monitoring and responding to the conversation about your brand on social media, you start to lose control of the narrative.
Customers are increasingly using social media the same way they use email or the phone. They head to your comments and DMs to ask about business hours, service areas, product availability, and shipping updates. If you’re not there to respond to their queries, they’ll find another brand that will.
Tuning in to conversations about your brand on social media is also an essential part of protecting your company’s reputation. People are going to talk about your brand on social, and whether it’s good or bad, you should be there to respond. If someone makes a post gushing about how much they love your product or service, jump into the comments to share your appreciation! Or, if someone makes a post trashing your brand, a swift, thoughtful response can prevent the conversation from going further.
For a lesson in how listening and engaging can pay off, let’s turn to the drinkware brand Stanley. In 2023, a woman shared a TikTok video showing the interior of her car following a fire. The vehicle and most of its contents were destroyed, but miraculously, her Stanley cup remained intact – there was even ice still in the cup the day after the fire!
Stanley, whose motto is “built for life,” couldn’t have asked for better publicity. While they could have chosen to passively ride the wave of positive comments, Stanley responded to the viral post with their own video, in which the company’s president offered to replace the woman’s car, as well as send her some additional Stanley products. Thanks to the company’s swift response, the story got even bigger on social media and earned heaps of positive press coverage.
Even if a new car isn’t within your company’s budget, small and medium-sized businesses can still learn from this story. Because Stanley was actively monitoring the conversation about their brand on social media, they were able to react quickly while interest in the original video was still at its peak. They understood the value and impact of the story and responded in a way that kept the story going.
The next time someone mentions your brand on social media, consider how you can keep the conversation going. If someone posts about how much they love your brand, repost it to your own page. If an influencer or public figure tags you in a post, send them a quick “thank you” and ask them if they’d be open to collaborating.
There’s no set guide for how brands should engage on social media. The types of interactions you’ll see and the appropriate responses will be highly specific to your business. However, we’ve managed many brand accounts across different industries, and our experience has helped us develop a few best practices for engaging on social media.
You’ll inevitably encounter negativity online at some point. Here’s a quick guide to help you craft your response to some of the more common types of negative comments.
Managing your brand’s social media accounts encompasses much more than just posting. Effective social media management requires monitoring, listening, and engagement. A full-service marketing agency can monitor your profiles for comments, questions, and engagement so your audience feels heard and nothing falls through the cracks. Contact us at Alpha Dog Advertising to discuss a social media management plan for your brand.
