Social Media Comments Section: How to Engage Effectively

When was the last time your brand checked up on frequent commenters? Do you know who your frequent commenters are? I’ll tell you why this is important shortly.

Every social media manager can schedule posts online. However, only a few can gracefully combine wit and sarcasm to lockdown commenters’ interest and make them come back for more.

Creating content that triggers likes isn’t enough. Brands need to interact consistently with their audience in order to drive meaningful engagements that affect their bottom-line.

Why should brands prioritize engagements in the comments section? How can they hold effective conversations that’ll keep commenters coming back?

If you keep reading, I’ll show you how:

Why the Comments Section?

The social media comments section is where you respond to questions, give timely feedback and interact with people who’ve shown interest in your post.

To get a little more specific, the comments section is the converging point between brands and their customers. It’s a place where brands get to humanize their conversation, tell stories and connect with their followers.

Online communities aren’t built solely by making posts, they’re fuelled by engagements — engagements that take place in the comments. Share on X

Not only do comments fuel engagement, but they also create an avenue for two-way communication.

Followers who engage with brands in the comments section feel like they’re a part of the team. This prompts future engagement and lays the groundwork for brand advocacy.

How to Engage Effectively in the Comments Section

User comments on social media can affect your brands’ bottom line. People trust what others are saying about your brand and product more than advertising.

By actively interacting with commenters, brands can drive the right engagements, or sway negative conversations in their favour.

What follows are three key ways brands can engage effectively in the comments section:

Welcome First-time Commenters

Remember your first day at work or school when every face looked unfamiliar? It’s often difficult to strike a conversation at the get-go.

This can feel the same way too for first-time commenters who are unsure of how you’ll react to their comments.

The best way to make first-time commenters feel at home is to welcome them when they first comment on your posts.

For example: “Hi Tunde, thanks for leaving your thoughts on the need for social media managers to engage actively with first-time commenters. Being one yourself, we appreciate you for stopping by, and we hope you continue to chime in when the topic interests you.”

The idea is to recognize and subtly ask them to keep dropping by when your post catches their interest.

On WordPress, there are plugins used to redirect first-time commenters to a “Thank You” page. However, on social media, welcome, thank and invite first-time commenters to keep showing up.

Note Regular Commenters

Pay attention to those who take the time to engage with your brand in the comments. Notice when the regulars are missing and reach out if you can.

What impact does this have on social media engagement?

Take radio stations for example: On-air personalities know the voice, and sometimes phone numbers of frequent callers.

Most times, even before the caller says her name, the OAP would have said it himself. This singular act nudges other listeners to call in.

Everyone wants to feel part of a greater whole — even your followers.

In addition, you can go one step further by offering them discounts on your products or featuring their comments on your page.

Followers can become brand advocates if you engage them.

Ask Follow-up Questions from Posts

If you want people to engage with your post, start a conversation.

You can do this by asking questions that pique your audience’s interest from the post you’ve made.

Go all out here. The more controversial the question, the better your chance of getting more people to react to your post.

Similarly, you also have to be active in the comments by replying to commenters, especially first-time commenters. Author participation builds trust and strengthens your community.

Conversation keeps your audience coming back. People who take the time to leave comments often come back to check if you or others have reacted to their comments.

One of the seven things we learned about marketing in 2020 is that, content is still king, but genuine conversation drives community.

Wrapping Up

Dale Carnegie said: “a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.”

Welcoming first-time commenters, noting the regulars and checking up on them is how you remember people on the internet.

These are critical steps to promoting engagement and building your online community beyond the comments section of your social media page.