Social media comment management chart

Whether it’s handling questions, comments, criticisms or thanks, the management of your company’s social media pages requires constant agility, tact and, above all, a proactive approach. To ensure the perfect alignment of your social media management with your clinic’s style and values and to deliver a seamless customer experience, it is strongly recommended that you publicly display your company’s netiquette, or the set of rules that govern how you manage your social media pages.

Once you have established the rules, you can track the daily activity on your page and the impact of your posts (reach and engagement, including the number of likes, clicks or shares). Make sure you respond to each comment within a reasonable timeframe and that you use an appropriate tone and approach.

To do this, we encourage you to print out and display this comment management chart in a location close to your workstation so that the entire team can refer to it if needed.

*Diagram inspired by l’Observatoire des médias sociaux en relations publiques of Université Laval.

Positive commen­t
Obviously, these are our favourite comments! “Like” the comment and/or thank the person for taking the time to write you a positive message.

Neutral comment
It is up to you to decide whether the comment warrants a response or if a simple “Like” will suffice to show that you have read this remark left on your page.

Random comment
Every so often, a seemingly “lost” comment might show up on your page. It’s up to you to decide how to handle it. Is the comment acceptable, or is it inappropriate? If you leave the comment on your page, will it damage your reputation?

Ques­tion
Is someone asking for advice or seeking information about your services? Depending on the nature of the question, you can either respond publicly or, if you feel it’s more appropriate, you can indicate to the person that you will answer in a private message. The important thing here is to let your audience know that you care about them by answering their questions.

Problem
Has a client posted a comment about a problem that occurred during their last visit to your clinic or do they want to share a constructive comment? If the comment is not aggressive or disrespectful, make sure you respond quickly and that you reassure your client, but, most important, try not to take their criticism personally!

Complaint or negative opinion
Social media open the door to complaints from people who sometimes have difficulty controlling their emotions. It is important in such cases to respond adequately and quickly. For guidance, we invite you to read our article on how to manage negative comments. Above all, always keep in mind that behind that unpleasant comment is a human being who has had a bad experience: make sure you respond in the most compassionate manner possible.

Trolls
A troll is a person who likes to stir up trouble or who hides behind a fake profile in order to make questionable comments, provoke controversy or even make propaganda. There is no point in being too patient with these “undesirables”: while a warning can be given for a first offence, there should be no second chances! Get rid of the visual pollution by deleting inappropriate comments or even blocking the user from your page in the case of repeated acts.

Third-party advertising
You shouldn’t tolerate any person or company taking advantage of your page to advertise on it, especially if they have not first asked your permission to do so. It is therefore recommended that you remove third-party ads or even ban the user from accessing your page. Followers of your page are interested in seeing and hearing from you and in learning more about your practice and services!