There is though, as is so often the case, a but: the large presence of a business on a social networking platform increases exposure to the public, and if not well managed, this higher visibility can cause communication problems. With this in mind, there is a growing need to provide shared ideas and rules, as well as trained staff, that will allow businesses to take full advantage of the opportunities that social media offers them.
This is what Jason Keat has done. The CEO of Social Fresh, a market leader in the application of social media in business, has created five simple rules to follow, which help companies better manage comments left by the public:
– declare rules and guidelines at the beginning: this will help moderate the tone of comments left;
– do not delete all negative comments, for reasons of transparency and accountability;
– enforce your rules, to not create either confusion or false expectations in your users;
– practice worst case scenarios, by creating a group of professionals capable of responding promptly to each and any comment;
– get professional help, making use of software specialised in the management of user comments.
Businesses: take heed of these social media guidelines or be left behind. You have been warned!
