How Companies Should Respond Online [Social Media INFOGRAPHIC]

by Eric Melin on May 14, 2012

Last week, I posted a Blog Post Promotion Checklist for 2012 that helps content marketers make sure they are getting the most traction from every web post they make. Part of that is going taking the post to social media, linking on other people’s blogs, and responding to your own comments. But what do you say to drive traffic back to your site and interest to your brand?

Listening online is one of the first steps in setting up any social media strategy. But once you find the relevant conversation, what’s next?

Today’s post focuses on some specific advice in terms of how exactly a company should respond to comments — whether that’s on customer forums; a social media network like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+; or whether it’s on your company blog. You can’t just start commenting as you would on your personal profiles. There is a lot of strategy involved and some legal ramifications to consider.

On the Direct2Dell corporate blog, Dell has posted a “a handy infographic for small to medium-size businesses to help their employees assess how to comment and respond effectively on behalf of their company.”