Community Moderation: Building Loyalty and Attracting Customers

…to buy a washing machine. A sales assistant comes over, suggests suitable options, checks the size and features, compares prices and answers your questions. Moderation is the same kind of helpful sales assistant, but in social media..

Moderation affects a company's reputation and sales, and helps identify and address negative feedback.

Company reputation. Moderation can help build customer loyalty. Negative comments may reduce loyalty among existing customers and put off potential ones, so the speed and quality of your response matter.

Sales impact. A potential customer may ask a question in social media. expecting guidance that helps them decide to buy. Respond promptly and clearly, and use open questions to continue the conversation—just as you would in a traditional sales interaction.

A useful response to criticism follows a “positive–negative–positive” structure. Start the conversation on a positive note:

Trolls If someone is trolling and your brand is open, positive and informal, you might respond with a polite joke. If your brand is more serious, remove the comment or do not engage.

A poor customer experience When someone is unhappy with you, for good reason or otherwise, avoid escalating the situation. Take time to understand what happened. You can publish a post explaining your policy and how the company handles similar cases, without identifying the individual.

Consider the nature of the business. For example, a decision to undergo treatment at a plastic surgery clinic can take years, so it is important to respond promptly and without pressure.

A woman sent the clinic a private message asking about a procedure. We replied on the clinic's behalf and booked a complimentary consultation with a surgeon. We kept in touch, answered follow-up questions, shared pricing and helped her choose a doctor and appointment time. She eventually had two procedures at the clinic.

If we had not replied promptly, she might have chosen another clinic or postponed the decision indefinitely.

To answer questions, we consult with clinic administrators who know the procedures, their pricing and their specifics. But automated replies are common, and they often fail to solve a potential customer's problem.

A woman asked the clinic's social media community about loyalty programmes for pensioners. The administrator replied, “We don't have any.” Instead of stopping there and losing a potential customer, we looked for other ways to help.

Instead of a loyalty programme, we offered promotions: a complimentary consultation with a surgeon and the option to pay for the procedure in instalments.

Content matters, but so does the way you communicate. Define your tone of voice in your editorial policy and use it consistently across all brand communications.

The brand's voice should remain consistent in outdoor advertising, on social media and on the website:

Social media moderation is like having a sales assistant who helps customers solve a problem, find the right option and choose a product.

Choose a tone of voice. Choose how you address people—formally or informally, with a more respectful or friendly tone—based on your brand and social media strategy.

Response time, clarity and your ability to solve the problem all matter.