User Comments - Don't be afraid!

11th Dec. 2015

User comments - whether that be on blogs or on social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube for example - are the ultimate new trend in customer care for the digital age. Enabling and encouraging consumers to comment on products, services, or on the industry as a whole paves the way for a two-way, interactive platform that forms the basis for long lasting B2C relationships, and yet the importance of commenting is often underestimated, particularly by small and medium sized businesses who struggle to embrace user-generated content.

The reason for the struggle is obvious - fear. There’s a fear of rejection, of criticism, and of trolling (if trolls are a problem, prohibiting anonymity and mild moderation can be beneficial), but it appears that the positive aspects of commenting far outweigh the negative when it comes to managing a successful business in the digital age. It’s reported that 85 percent of consumers fully expect businesses to be active on social media - which includes embracing user-generated comments - and yet 30 percent of customer questions (and even compliments) are never given a response. Many businesses are missing an opportunity for promoting their company.

How Comments Affect Sales & Reputation

User comments come in all forms, from compliments and complaints to reviews and general discussion, but one of the main uses for comments is quick and easy customer care. 89 percent of customers claim they would seek out another vendor if customer service via social media and blogs was seen to be poor. Commenting - and responding - helps to promote the business and give consumers the right impression. It acts as a way of showing customers that they’re valued. There have been many cases recently of prolific bloggers banning comments and being publicly branded as arrogant for doing so.

What’s in it for Me?

Businesses all have differing attitudes as to the benefits in enabling user comments, with some opting to embrace commenting merely for the ‘what’s in it for me’ standpoint - and there’s nothing wrong with that. For businesses, there are many direct advantages, including additional product information from user-generated content (an estimated 41 percent of Twitter users utilise the platform for reviewing products and services), and free promotion through lengthy and in depth discussion, either of products, services, or the business itself.

Encouraging Commenting

Of course, to embrace user comments, there have to be comments to embrace. Building up an online community doesn’t happen overnight, but businesses can encourage commenting through a number of methods:

• End a blog post with a question, leaving the reader to come to their own conclusion and share their opinion
• Reply to comments and continue the discussion
• Market your blog or social media pages to draw more visitors
• Be controversial - lead with opinions that others may question
• Give users a reason to get into the habit of commenting, such as contests

Small and medium sized businesses should remember to welcome, but not rely on, user-generated content. Marketing expert Matthew Scott once said ‘I have little success in building a community of readers who decide to comment on my blog posts. However, I’ve been very successful in converting my readers into clients or paid customers’.