If you have an engaged community on Facebook, selling products on your Facebook Page, or generally using Facebook as a growth tool for your business, you’ll know the problem: keeping up with all the comments.
Getting even more complicated if you’re in charge of many Facebook Pages. One of the things that could help is Facebook comment automation. Let me show you why – and anticipate some of your questions.
Facebook Comments Auto-Reply
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Wait, is using automated replies to Facebook comments even a good idea?
For the record, I’m not talking about social media bots and auto-replies on Facebook Messenger (read more about these here). What I will talk about in this post is automatically replying to comments on Facebook posts – both organic and sponsored ones (FB ads).
Nevertheless, our automated solution works for both comments and messages on Messenger.
Think of it as your Facebook autoresponder – the automated replies you use to respond to comments left by your customers and prospects (but also sometimes your competitors or fake accounts).
And to answer the question in the heading. Of course, it’s a good idea. But there are caveats.
I’m old enough to remember when marketers only started using social media. Back then, many frowned upon the idea of automating what’s supposed to be free-flowing, organic conversations. Some had very strong opinions.
But as brand pages on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels grew – and social media became an integral part of marketing, with barely anyone questioning it – things have definitely changed. And marketers started looking for ways to make automation easier and more scalable while still keeping the conversation natural.
Today, we don’t question marketing automation – it helps us be more productive, saves tons of time, and lets us scale our businesses. And social media automation is part of it. The key is to do it right, with a smart marketer always keeping an eye on things. And this applies to Facebook, of course – so let’s dive into this one for now.
The benefits of Facebook autoresponders
Let’s start with why even automate replies to Facebook comments and messages (I’ll then talk about how to do it.)
Save time responding to customers on Facebook
This is crucial for people who deal with many repetitive comments or run many Facebook Pages for their clients, like in the case of social media agencies. By automating some of your replies, you can handle that first touch with the customer, like:
- Give the details of a product, e.g., its price
- Inform the customers about your opening hours or how to get to your physical location
- Respond to common complaints while your team is working to fix a problem
Automated comment replies on Facebook give you that extra amount of time for more complicated issues while the simple ones get answered instantly.
Improve your Facebook response rates – and your customer service
Speaking of instantly. Customer service teams all over the world chase their holy grail – response rates. Quickly answered comments or questions from customers on Facebook is often what defines an effective customer service team.
And in today’s instant world, customers will expect immediate answers – regardless of whether that’s possible.
But we’re only humans (and sometimes too few). Social media automation can be our ally here, helping get that first response out in a matter of seconds. And letting your customers know that they’re cared for.
This brings me to the next point.
Build an image of an engaging, customer-centric brand
It’s one thing to take slightly longer to reply and another to leave customers and prospects hanging indefinitely – because maybe you missed a comment (because it was under an ad.)
You might think it to be counterintuitive to say that automation can actually help you be more human. But if you’re reading closely, I hope you already see how it can actually help you focus on your customers more.
Read on to also see what to watch out for to not overdo it.
Get rid of spam and hate comments easier
Facebook comment automation is not just limited to auto-replies. Social media automation tools let you delete or hide comments based on specific keywords (like profanities), so you don’t have to do it manually.
You can also hide Facebook comments with links automatically, for example, under your ads (as links usually mean someone is trying to direct your traffic to their website – not cool.)
Speaking of which.
Help your ads convert better
Interactions on ads and sponsored content are a very specific case. It’s really easy to miss comments, especially when you’re running multiple ad campaigns – and your PPC guy (or gal) is not really responsible for moderating the conversations.
The good thing with NapoleonCat is, you’re going to see all the Facebook ad comments in the Social Inbox, already saving you time.
But you can go a step further and automate some of your comment replies, like the ones that pertain to the price or product features.
You can also automatically hide links or spam. This is crucial if you don’t want your ads to display to your prospects with, e.g., competition links below them or unresolved complaints (that’s not a great use of your ad budget.)
Protect your Facebook Page from SPAM
Automatically hide or delete comments containing spam under your organic posts and ads. Try it for free:
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Get yourself some extra time before things blow up
Facebook auto-replies can give you just that extra time you need to tackle more serious issues while not ignoring your customers.
For example, if you have a service outage (that most likely happened on the weekend, right?), and your team is scrambling around the clock to fix it, you can save your social media people’s time by letting them set up automated replies to comments from upset Facebook users.
That way, they’ll know they’re being heard while your team gets some more space and time to handle the unpleasant situation (if you’ve ever been in one, you’ll know.)
Reply even when you’re not there
Finally, automating Facebook comment replies can be helpful if you have customers in different time zones or are taking a break (and don’t want to spend your vacation glued to your phone, although I know you still might do it ;))
Letting your customers know you’re out but someone will reach out at a specified time gives them a clear message you’re interested in talking to them, plus helps manage their expectations.
How to set up an auto reply for Facebook comments
Now let’s take a look at a practical way to set up auto-replies for Facebook comments using NapoleonCat.
- Sign up for a trial account, click on the Social Inbox icon (from the menu on the left), and click Auto-moderation in the top right corner. This is where you’re going to set your auto reply rules – like when the reply should be posted and what words or expressions should trigger it.
- Then go ahead and add your rules. Choose the Facebook Page and specify the trigger. These can be:
- When someone publishes a post on your Facebook Page
- When someone comments on your organic post or an ad
- When someone mentions your profile or comments on a mention
- When someone comments on a specific post
- When someone sends you a private message
- And more.
Then, further narrow it down with a condition:
- All Facebook comments
- Text-only comments
- Only comments that include a link
- Only comments that include a picture or video.
- Then specify the keywords and phrases that will trigger your Facebook comment auto reply. If you’re automating a reply related to your pricing, these could be words like “price”, “how much”, etc. You get the gist – anything that often appears in your user comments that likely indicates what they’re asking about.
- Choose how you want to reply:
- In a Facebook comment
- In a private message (yes, you can create an auto-reply for Messenger, too).
You can also choose not to reply and instead, e.g., hide or delete the comment. This will make sense when we’re talking about spam, unwanted links, troll comments, hate speech, or profanities.
- Then create the contents of your Facebook auto reply. To avoid repetition (and sounding like a robot), it’s best to create several versions (you can add up to 20 replies). The system will randomly select one to post automatically.
- Define the rule schedule. You can choose the reply to automatically send on selected days (like, e.g., on the weekends when you’re not there) or during designated hours. Or you can let it run 24/7.
- Set up an email notification to know every time the rule is triggered. This will help you keep an eye on the whole thing.
The video below explains the process in detail – so take a look and follow all the steps:
Automatic replies on Facebook Messenger & comments
Quickly set up smart auto-replies for your Facebook comments (FB ads included) and for Messenger. Automatically hide and delete offensive comments. Try NapoleonCat for free:
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What to look out for in your Facebook auto replies
As I said before – social media automation is a really helpful tool, but it needs a smart marketer behind it. Here are a few things to remember when setting up your rules.
Be human – and talk like a human
Facebook auto replies don’t have to sound robotic (they shouldn’t, actually.) So write your responses to sound like they’re coming from an actual person. And remember – you’re on Facebook, and not writing a formal letter to an attorney.
There’s no shame in automating Facebook comment replies – if only for all the reasons I mentioned above. And as long as they can actually be helpful parts of the conversations with your customers on Facebook.
If appropriate, you can even use humor (but be careful with that one and evaluate the situation first). Definitely use your empathy and get in your customers’ shoes. What would *you* like to hear from a brand in that situation?
Create multiple variants of your auto responses on Facebook
People might get annoyed to read the same Facebook auto reply all over again, even if it’s human, funny, and whatnot. And I get them.
So create many versions that will help you avoid this. You can consider posting on behalf of different team members. Or just change the wording, so you’re conveying your message but not doing it in the same fashion all over again.
Keep a human eye nearby to step in when necessary
This one’s super important. Algorithms are just code. They can’t replace an actual human (at least not yet). Although they can support humans and make their lives easier.
So check your notifications every now and then and keep your finger on the pulse. And if you need to make changes, do it.
Maybe one of your replies doesn’t go down well with your clients? Or perhaps you were trying to be funny, but your upset customers are unable to appreciate the humor? Instead of getting frustrated with your customers, rewrite your Facebook auto replies and adjust your rules to respond to their needs.
And don’t be afraid of Facebook automation
Though sometimes demonized, it’s an effective tool to increase engagement, improve your customer service and brand image altogether, and give your team a productivity boost.
What it definitely isn’t is a robot replacing humans. Humans did write all these messages, remember?
Let Facebook auto replies help in your day-to-day
And use them wisely. They’re a helpful tool – but you’re the marketer here. So make them work for you and your customers (and not the other way round.)
Oh, and good luck!
Auto-replies for Facebook comments (Ads included)
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