Tips For Maintaining Your Online Presence

Once you have entered the social sphere, the real work begins. It is crucial that you work hard to maintain your brand's image in the wide-open world of social networks. Remember, once you venture into the social space, people can, and will, say whatever they want about your brand. You must keep up with these comments, responding when appropriate and making decisions about how to handle inappropriate comments. All this can be overwhelming for the intern or marketing associate in your office. Many businesses we speak with just don't have the resources to keep up with what's happening on the various social networks. Moderation is your key to success.

Community managers, among other things, help your firm maintain its brand image while participating in the social space. Thanks to existing moderation tools, we are able to effectively maintain and manage a brand's presence in the social sphere.

Here are a few tips on how one may successfully use a moderation tool to manage and maintain brand image while still participating in open, honest conversations. When we are engaged by a firm to handle the moderation of their social presence, these are some of the things we do.

SET SOME STANDARDS

Before you get deep into the social networks it is imperative you set moderation standards. Your must decide what words are allowed, what words are unacceptable, the questions you want to answer, the comments you will reply to, comments to be deleted and what suggestions require a response. Be specific. Decide what will be tolerated in advance so you are prepared for the worst-case scenario. Once these standards are set, the moderator has a clear understanding of how to move forward and how to set up the moderation tools being used.

CHECK IN OFTEN

Social networks operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year. They never stop operating. This means, there is the postential for someone to post a comment on your page every minute of the day. We're not suggesting you place someone in front of a computer and refresh your social network page every few seconds. We are suggesting you use your moderation tool wisely. If you've implemented a system that tracks inappropriate words posted on your site, don't ignore the emails you receive when that occurs. Keep and eye on your pages, especially after you post a status update. Use your moderation tool to keep track of where you left off so you can pick right up again the next time you log in.

LISTEN AND RESPOND

Like it or not, it is important you read every comment posted to your social sites. Failure to do so risks an opportunity to convert a visitor to a client. Respond to comments according to the plan we discussed above. Use your moderation tool to “escalate” specific comments for additional review. This way you do not act hastily and fail to follow your plan. It's also not a bad idea to do some brainstorming and make a short list of responses that can be used in specific situations, like when a visitor asks for information about your firm. Always remember that people who comment on your site are looking for some sort of interaction with you. Don't provide them with a canned response they can scroll down and see you provided to an earlier visitor. Be honest, open and professional.

BE CONSISTENT

If you've met with us before, you know how strongly we feel about this tip. Not a meeting takes place where we don't make every effort to explain why being consistent is cruicial to your success. Clients, potential clients and referral sources will notice if you aren't consistent. If you answer one question, you should answer them all (according to the plan you have put in place). If you delete one curse word, you must delete them all. Most importantly you must be consistently interacting with the people commenting on your site. If you aren't available for several days to respond to a question about the services you offer, people will notice, and you will lose the opportunity.

Managing your firm's social presence is a big job that is critical to your success in the social sphere. Take full advantage of the tools available in order to make your experience and that of your potential client's a positive one.