3 Ways for Ecommerce electronics stores to leverage comment sections

Comment sections have developed a reputation as an ecommerce “Wild West.” Because they depend on user-generated input, brands have less control over them than other online spaces—which leads some to take a hands-off approach to monitoring or participating in them.

Let’s say you run an electronics store online. What would you be missing if you ignored the comments sections on various platforms? It turns out you’d be neglecting a great chance to provide customer service, establish yourself as an industry leader and connect with partners.

Here are three ways for ecommerce electronics stores to leverage comment sections to drive customer loyalty, website traffic and overall branding.

Quick Customer Service

Customer service and social media are no longer separate entities: 43 percent of customers expect the social team to be integrated with other customer channels. Furthermore, 27 percent of customers expect a social media response time of under half an hour. Failure to engage with consumers across social media platforms can actually damage your reputation and cause customers to shop elsewhere.

Interacting with your buyers on social media is beneficial to your bottom line. One study found “customers who engage with companies over social media spend 20 to 40 percent more money with those companies than other customers.” So, failure to engage means you’ll ends up snubbing high-value customers.

It’s important to avoid forsaking personalization in your eagerness to reply to every comment or tweet as it appears. Eschewing spammy, one-size-fits-all replies means including the user’s name in your responses and tailoring them to reflect the original comments. Above all, you want your target audience to feel heard, understood and appreciated.

In-Depth Thought Leadership

It’s imperative to establish trust and authority with your customer base to sell electronics online. When you demonstrate a thorough understanding of your product lineup, the industry at large and emerging tech trends, your company will build a cadre of loyal followers and boost conversions with every product release.

Running a blog is part of any comprehensive ecommerce strategy. It boosts SEO efforts, allows you to delve into helpful long-form content and gives your audience a peek behind the curtain so they can get a better idea of company culture and staffing.

But comments sections on blogs are a little more contentious. Some companies choose to disable comments altogether, assuming mostly arguments and spam comments will arise. Other companies keep their comments section open to the public, whether or not they monitor the feed regularly. Yet other brands require commenters to make a Disqus account before commenting. Some online businesses use a social media plug-in to integrate Facebook comments with their blog.

Replying to blog readers’ questions and comments can actually spark interesting discussions and position you as an industry leader. Whether you ask staff members to monitor comments sections and answer under their own names, or every response comes from your company’s account, productive management of comments can provide you with great insight into the minds of customers and encourage more bystanders to get involved with your brand.

Building Influencer Partnerships

Partnering with social influencers is part of the modern ecommerce playbook. But how can you strike up such arrangements without coming on too strong? You can start by engaging with influencers related to your target audience in their comments sections in a casual way. Ask a relevant question. Leave a productive comment. Demonstrate your thought leadership, while giving them an opportunity to display theirs. Soon you’ll be on their radar, which is the best time to get in touch and work out a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Keep an open mind when it comes to your ecommerce electronics store leveraging comments sections. If you can do so responsively and responsibly, you’ll be able to use various comments sections to truly connect with consumers—for free.