The following is a post from Brian Bagel, TIG Global Social Media Manager.
To respond or not to respond, that is the question that often goes through the minds of Facebook page admins and that question often reaches our desks. And while a set of response guidelines for reviews on TripAdvisor or Yelp might work great for those sites, it doesn’t quite play the same on Facebook.
The folks over at allfacebook have an article on business’ response rates on Facebook pages after a study put out by Socialbakers showed that 95% of posts on brand pages’ walls go unanswered. While the article goes on to say that Socialbakers recommends that 65%-75% of posts on a Facebook page should be answered. But I thought it important to provide some clarification as to what, and how, responses should be answered.
What should you respond to?
Traditionally, for review sites, we recommend that responses are given based on the following guidelines.
- If a review requires clarification
- Most negative reviews – especially if the review hinges on aspects that a hotel can alter
- The occasional positive review – it contains something you want to draw attention to, or you just want to say “thank you.”
But for something like a Facebook, the rules change slightly. Here’s a quick overview of the types of comments that we feel require responses.
- Any questions posed on the page
- All negative responses – try to get the conversation off of social media, but if you can’t, be professional and persistent in your responses. Try to turn a bad into a good and let everyone see that you’re capable of handling bad situation. But if nothing else, a sincere apology for their bad experience will do.
- All positive comments – You don’t need to write a novel. A simple “thank you!” works just fine.
- Any requests for information – Addresses, phone numbers, etc.
- Anything that is already addressed on your website – “Do you have any specials?” or “What’s your current rate?” can be handled by giving them a link back to your site.
What shouldn’t you respond to? Well, you probably don’t have to worry about responding to answers to questions that you, as a page, pose to your fans. So if you ask “what are you doing this weekend?” And you get 20 comments, then one “thank you” comment at the very end of the thread should suffice unless otherwise necessary.
Be prepared
If you are getting a lot of comments, give yourself a pat on the back, that’s a great thing. It’ll lead to more fans and more marketing opportunities. But if it’s apparent that you respond to comments as frequently as you should, people will assume that you are going to respond. Be ready for that with either additional help, or by checking your page more frequently.
Can you think of any other Facebook page comments that don’t require a response? Let us know in the comments section.
Interested in ramping up your online strategy? Check out the full suite of TIG Global interactive marketing tools, send us an email, or give us a call +1 301.841.4700(US) | +44 (0)20 3004 9468(UK).
