6 rules for acing social media comments

Marketing expert Rob Austin runs marketing for Leader Bar in Chicago. A big part of his job is running Leader Bar's social media, which means he fields a ton of social media comments.

In this interview clip he shares his 6 rules for doing so successfully. Here they are:

1. Approach the comment with grace and reply to every comment: the commenter took time out of their day to comment. Replying to their comment acknowledges that. So do it, every time.
2. The quicker you can reply the better. And we'll say it again: always reply.
3. Give commenters the benefit of the doubt when you can. Remember that written communication is hard, and it's very easy to assume someone's being a bigger jerk than they actually are. There are cases where someone really is being an ass, but it's generally less common than it seems.
4. But don't assume the people reading your replies will give you the benefit of the doubt, so be peppy, positive, lighthearted, and short. Basically eliminate any chance that the person could think: "They didn't include a !, so they're probably being sarcastic. What a sunnavabitch!"
5. Think of replying to comments as a marketing channel: future prospective customers will see and read comments and your replies to them. I myself do it all the time. You want to show those people a good face. Remembering this is especially helpful if you're feeling like replying to comments isn't worth it.
6. If someone comments with something negative, do what you can to turn it around to something positive. Don't criticize, keep it light, and keep it positive. Apologize, even if you can't ID anything you actually did wrong.

Rob and I actually did an exercise where he provided example replies to negative comments. Here's one he came up with on the fly:

Example comment: "I came in last night and my tacos were terrible."

Example reply: "I'm very sorry you didn't have a good experience. Please come back in sometime and we'll do everything we can to make it right!"

Check out the interview clip for more example replies from our exercise and more info from Rob about commenting and social media in general:

And if you want more Rob, check out his previous interview clips on Brave New Bar:

• 6-point social media strategy for bars & restaurants
• 6 simple marketing efforts for bars, restaurants, and breweries
• Simple social media goal that clarifies everything

❓ Why should I do it?

Imagine this world: your customers order their beers as soon as the server/bartender arrives. No samples, no back-and-forth. Customers just order.

That’s the world you can have if your Print Menus include full beer info. It equips customers with all the info they need to make a decision, leading to much faster order times.

Time savings is always helpful in general, but speeding up order times helps in some key ways:

• Incrementally increase sales (more customers have more time for a 2nd round)
• Turn over tables more quickly
• Make life easier for staff

❓ How can I do it?

You could do this manually. Google the beers you serve, copy what you need, and drop it into your menu document.

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