June 29, 2016 | less than a minute read

Do you ignore people on social media? Here's why you shouldn't

Passle

Elizabeth Cunningham makes a fantastic point below. Good or bad, you should never ignore feedback on social. Indeed, I think the same is true when someone comments on a piece of content you've shared.

They may be praising you, they may be disagreeing with you, they might even be disputing something, but the bottom line is: they are engaging, and what's more, they're engaging in the eye of the general public. More often than not, social interactions with your content will afford an opportunity to showcase your expertise and tell your audience that nobody knows more about the topic in question than you.

Even if someone has left a short comment, why not answer them with a simple thanks? It takes no time and might help to foster brand advocacy. It's also a perfect segue to share additional content. I recommend signposting them to relevant downloadables that ensure you capture the person's contact details; turning them into a lead.

As brand guardians, we may clap our hands with glee at lovely public comments about how awesome our products are, but brows will furrow when we see customers venting their frustration publicly about shoddy customer service. The issue is that social media is a very public forum, and knowing how to manage those all-important comments is critical. Here are a few tips we give to our social clients. 1) Don’t ignore it Whatever you do, don’t ignore comments/tweets. You should always respond to both positive and negative interactions your company receives. When someone complains via social media, comments and tweets are visible to your whole community. It is therefore also visible if you do not respond and also may prompt the disgruntled party to vent even more. Always respond promptly.