Social media management can be all-consuming. Finding ways to make your process effective and efficient can feel like a full-time job. Not only do we need to think about when and what to post, but we are also consumed by our response time. Can you ever unplug or not watch your notifications like a hawk?
We think there are a number of ways you can make social media management easier on yourself, especially when it comes to responding to customer/user comments. One of the most beneficial ways you can streamline your social media process is to incorporate canned responses in your workflow. Canned Responses are scripted or templated responses for frequently asked questions or comments your business receives online. Canned responses, when used correctly, have the potential to significantly improve social media management by giving people an automatic or general answer promptly. You’ve probably seen canned responses used email but social media is quickly adopting them because the faster you can help a customer (on any platform), the better.
Beyond taking a lot of the guesswork out of managing your comments and reviews on social media, making canned responses part of your workflow will take the stress off of having to be on all the time. Here are some tips to make sure you’re using canned responses correctly and most effectively:
- Collaborate with your customer service team or social media colleagues to establish frequently ask questions. Doing so will allow you to create custom canned responses to satisfy your most common comments, questions, and critiques.
- Be sure to establish your brand's voice when creating canned responses. So many brands sound robotic or out of context. You want to be yourself and still make users feel you’re responding on par with your brand personality.
- Don't take the social element away (you are on a social network after all). Creating the right response for the right question or comment ensures you personalize your answers. Canned responses should save you time, but you should make sure you still sound human.
- Above all else, always It’s temping to ignore negative comments (especially if they’re false or crude), but not addressing comments of all types demonstrates a lack of value in what your customer/user has to say. You don’t have to elaborate (especially if it’s really nasty) but you should acknowledge that you’re listening.
Let's face it, no one wants to be glued to social media all day, nor do most of us have time for that. Instead of letting social media management can take over all your free time, incorporate canned responses so you can unplug and your customers/users still receive the care and attention that will keep them engaging with you online and beyond.