Building an online presence involves much more than just posting content. Online businesses are most successful when they build engaged digital communities. However, allowing your customers to share their thoughts and interact with others also comes with added responsibility, necessitating a strong content moderation program. By carefully moderating everything from social media posts to online reviews, you can leverage the full power of social engagement—without putting your brand at risk.
Content moderators professionally review user-generated content (UGC) to ensure it meets platform guidelines. They work to make online spaces safe and comfortable for all visitors by removing potentially harmful, offensive, or misleading content. Social media sites, in particular, are known for having powerful content moderation programs—but any company with an online presence can benefit from moderating posts from its community.
Successfully moderating your digital presence has a ripple effect that benefits every aspect of your business. Here are six key advantages:
Any material posted on your page can impact a customer’s perception, even if it doesn’t come directly from your brand. If someone posts rude or misleading content in your comments, the casual viewer might associate these sentiments with your brand.
Content moderation also safeguards your brand outside of social media. If you allow users to post on your website through comments, internal forums, or even reviews, you’ll need to keep an eye on that content.
Hosting a customer forum page on your website is an excellent way to promote engagement and build community. Still, if the conversations aren’t relevant to your brand, they could detract from your mission and cloud your brand identity.
The anonymity of the internet is often a breeding ground for harassment, and malicious users may post upsetting content simply for shock value and engagement. In fact, 71% of people have encountered offensive content on social media. If people are antagonizing other customers on your social media page or website, it could discourage genuine fans from interacting at all.
It’s impossible to prevent bad actors from being negative online, but you can step in and quickly eliminate this content through strategic moderation programs.
When you create an online space, whether a social media profile or your website, you become a steward of any content posted in that community. Approximately 84% of U.S. adults feel that online platforms should either remove harmful content or flag it as inappropriate to protect other users, and it’s critical to live up to this responsibility.
By quickly addressing problematic content on your social pages, website, and beyond, you demonstrate your platform is a safe, pleasant place for your customers to spend time online. Your customers will be able to trust that you’re looking out for their best interest and protecting them from harmful content.
Moderators don’t just address the issue of harmful content. They also deal with things like bots, scammers, and spam posts. Approximately 70% of people believe that spam has decreased the quality of their online experience, causing frustration and annoyance. If your moderators are swiftly removing spammy, annoying posts, you can enhance the user experience for anyone visiting your platform.
Your content moderators curate all of the UGC on your platform—cutting through irrelevant, repetitive, and spammy posts. You’ll be able to effectively shape the user experience and eliminate roadblocks that could drive customers away from your page.
Although some external content can detract from your brand, UGC is an extremely powerful tool for promoting your business. Around 84% of people agree that suggestions from peers are more reliable and trustworthy than any other form of advertising. Millennial customers trust UGC 50% more than content coming directly from your brand. That means that encouraging UGC is one of the best ways to establish trust and build credibility for your brand.
To maximize these benefits, you need to verify that the UGC posted to your brand page or website meets your brand guidelines and specifications. By having moderators review UGC, you can build social proof for your brand and encourage word-of-mouth recommendations online while still upholding a consistent, safe digital experience for your followers.
Removing UGC that violates your guidelines also uplifts more positive content, so your viewers and visitors will only be exposed to authentic, uplifting posts about your brand.
While upholding a positive external community is the main goal of content moderation, it also has internal uses. When you have people meticulously reviewing content and addressing reports, you can identify patterns in how users view and interact with your brand.
You’ll be able to learn how people view your brand, what their main concerns are, and how they behave online. Based on these insights, you can adjust your posts, prompts, and guidelines to better support your digital presence.
A well-moderated online presence is the key to building community and uplifting your brand. You’ll be able to facilitate open conversation and encourage shareable UGC posts without risking unwelcome negativity or distracting spam. However, you need to have the right systems in place to achieve these results.
By outsourcing your content moderation needs to a contact center partner, you can safeguard your digital presence without putting additional pressure on your internal teams.
At KellyConnect®, we offer content moderation services designed to keep up with the fluctuating digital world. Learn how to elevate your online identity and protect your brand by contacting the KellyConnect team today.