--- name: community-management-playbook description: "Build a community management playbook for a brand's social media channels. Use when asked to create guidelines for managing comments, DMs, and community interactions, define a moderation policy, or build response frameworks for social media community managers. Produces a complete playbook with response templates, escalation paths, moderation rules, and tone guidelines." --- # Community Management Playbook Skill This skill produces a complete community management playbook covering response frameworks, tone guidelines, comment moderation rules, DM handling, crisis and escalation paths, response templates, and community health metrics. Output gives a community manager or social media team everything they need to manage public interactions consistently, professionally, and at speed. ## Required Inputs Ask the user for these if not provided: - **Brand / product name** - **Active platforms** — which channels need community management (Instagram, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Discord, Reddit, etc.) - **Team structure** — who manages community? (solo, small team, agency, rotating) - **Brand tone of voice** — how the brand sounds (e.g. warm and friendly / professional / witty / technical) - **Primary community type** — customers, fans, professional network, creators, users of a product - **Common comment types** — what kinds of interactions do you get? (support questions, complaints, praise, spam, trolls) - **Response time SLA** — how fast must the team respond? (e.g. within 2 hours on weekdays) ## Output Structure --- # Community Management Playbook: [Brand Name] **Version:** 1.0 **Platforms covered:** [List] **Team:** [Names or roles] **Last updated:** [Date] --- ## 1. Why Community Management Matters [2–3 sentences on what's at stake: brand reputation, customer loyalty, algorithm signals, trust-building. Frame community management as a business function, not just social admin.] **Our community management goals:** 1. [Goal 1: e.g. Respond to every comment and DM within our SLA — no question goes unanswered] 2. [Goal 2: e.g. Turn complaints into loyalty moments — every resolved issue is a trust win] 3. [Goal 3: e.g. Amplify positive sentiment — surface customer stories and user wins] 4. [Goal 4: e.g. Protect brand reputation — remove harmful content quickly and consistently] --- ## 2. Response Framework Use this decision tree for every comment or message: ``` Is it spam, phishing, or dangerous content? → YES: Delete immediately. Report if platform requires. Log in moderation tracker. → NO: Continue ↓ Is it a hate comment, harassment, or offensive content? → YES: Hide or delete. Consider account block. Escalate if ongoing. See Section 6. → NO: Continue ↓ Is it a customer complaint or support question? → YES: Respond within SLA. Acknowledge, empathise, resolve or redirect. See Section 4. → NO: Continue ↓ Is it positive — praise, testimonial, or user win? → YES: Like + reply with warm acknowledgement. Flag for social proof content if suitable. → NO: Continue ↓ Is it a question about the brand, product, or content? → YES: Answer clearly and helpfully. Include a CTA if relevant. → NO: Continue ↓ Is it a general conversation starter or neutral engagement? → YES: Engage authentically — like, reply briefly, or ask a follow-up question. ``` --- ## 3. Response Time SLAs | Channel | Comment type | Target response time | Owner | |---|---|---|---| | [Instagram] | Customer complaint | [2 hours (business hours)] | [CM Lead] | | [Instagram] | General comment / question | [Same day] | [CM team] | | [Instagram] | DM | [4 hours (business hours)] | [CM Lead] | | [LinkedIn] | Professional comment / question | [4 hours (business hours)] | [CM / Marketing] | | [X / Twitter] | Public reply / mention | [2 hours (business hours)] | [CM Lead] | | [X / Twitter] | DM | [4 hours (business hours)] | [CM team] | | [Facebook] | Comment | [4 hours (business hours)] | [CM team] | | [TikTok] | Comment on promoted post | [8 hours] | [CM team] | | [YouTube] | Comment | [24 hours] | [CM team] | **Out-of-hours coverage:** - [Define weekend / evening coverage — e.g. "On-call CM checks mentions at 9am, 1pm, and 6pm on weekends"] - Crisis escalation is always on — see Section 6 for out-of-hours escalation contacts --- ## 4. Response Templates These are starting-point templates — always personalise with the person's name and specific context. ### Positive comments **Praise / testimonial:** > "Thank you so much, [name]! 🙌 This genuinely made our day. So glad [product/service] is working for you. [Add specific personal note if possible]." **User-generated content / sharing their experience:** > "Love seeing this, [name]! Thanks for sharing 🙌. [Relevant genuine comment on their specific post or experience]." **Review or recommendation:** > "Thank you for taking the time to share this, [name] — really appreciate it. [Add genuine specific reaction]. If you ever want to [next step / share more / join community], we'd love to have you." --- ### Questions about the product or brand **Feature question:** > "Great question, [name]! [Answer clearly in 1–3 sentences]. If you'd like more detail, [link to docs / help centre / DM us]. Happy to help with anything else!" **Pricing / availability question:** > "[Answer] — [link if relevant]. Feel free to DM us if you need anything specific. 😊" **"Is this available in [region/format]?" question:** > "[Answer with current availability]. If that's changed, you'll always see it first at [link / newsletter sign-up / our channels]. 🙌" --- ### Complaints **Product issue — acknowledged, redirecting to support:** > "Hi [name], really sorry to hear this — that's definitely not the experience we want for you. 😔 Could you DM us with [order number / account email / details]? We'll get this sorted as quickly as possible." **Shipping / fulfilment complaint:** > "Hi [name], thank you for letting us know and I'm so sorry for this. We want to make it right. Please DM us with your order reference and we'll investigate right away." **General dissatisfaction:** > "Hi [name], I'm sorry to hear you're not happy — your feedback genuinely matters to us. Could you DM us or email [support email] so we can understand what happened and fix it? We really do want to get this right." **Public complaint that needs urgent attention:** > "Hi [name], I can see why that would be frustrating and I want to make sure we sort this out properly. I'm going to DM you now — please look out for a message from us." --- ### Difficult interactions **Polite but persistent critic:** > "Hi [name], thank you for the honest feedback — we do read and take this seriously. We can't always respond to every individual point publicly, but if you'd like to share more detail, [DM us / email us at X]. We're genuinely working on [relevant area] and appreciate you holding us accountable." **Misinformation or incorrect claim about the brand:** > "Hi [name], just wanted to gently clarify — [correct the record factually in 1–2 sentences]. Happy to share more if useful! [Link to source / official page if relevant]." **Competitor attack or negative comparison:** > [Do NOT engage publicly with competitive comparisons. Respond only if there's factual misinformation. Template: "Hi [name], happy to share what makes [brand] work for our customers — feel free to DM us if you'd like to know more."] --- ### DM templates **First DM response — complaint:** > "Hi [name], thanks for reaching out. I'm [name] from the [brand] team. I've seen your [comment/message] and want to make sure we get this sorted for you properly. Could you share [details needed — order number, email, screenshots]? I'll personally make sure this is resolved." **First DM response — support question:** > "Hi [name]! Thanks for getting in touch. Happy to help — [answer or next step]. If you need anything else, just reply here. 😊" **Issue resolved — closing DM:** > "Glad we could sort that out, [name]! If you ever need anything else, we're here. Have a great [day/weekend]! 🙌" --- ## 5. Moderation Rules **Content that must be deleted immediately:** - [ ] Spam (repeated posts, fake giveaways, phishing links) - [ ] Explicit or NSFW content - [ ] Personal attacks on other community members - [ ] Doxxing (sharing personal information about another person) - [ ] Content that violates platform terms of service - [ ] Illegal content or illegal product promotion **Content that should be hidden (not deleted) — review within 4 hours:** - [ ] Unverified complaints that may require investigation before action - [ ] Offensive language that isn't targeting a specific person - [ ] Posts that may be legitimate but contain sensitive information **Content that should be left (even if negative) — respond and monitor:** - [ ] Genuine product criticism or negative reviews - [ ] Complaints that are being actively resolved - [ ] Controversial opinions that are within the rules of civil debate - [ ] Negative comparisons to competitors (only respond if misinformation) **Account-level actions:** | Action | When to use | |---|---| | Comment hide | First instance of borderline content | | Comment delete | Clear rule violation | | User block | Repeated harassment / spam after warning | | Report to platform | Content that may breach platform T&Cs or laws | **"Never delete to silence" rule:** Never delete a genuine complaint or criticism just because it's uncomfortable. Deleting legitimate negative feedback damages trust more than the original complaint. --- ## 6. Escalation & Crisis Protocol ### Escalation tiers **Tier 1 — CM handles directly:** - Routine complaints, questions, thank-yous - Single negative comment, isolated incident - Standard off-topic or mildly unhappy comment **Tier 2 — Escalate to [Marketing Lead / Brand Manager] within 2 hours:** - Customer with significant public platform (journalist, influencer, known figure) - Complaint gaining traction (10+ likes on a negative comment) - Legal or compliance mention ("I'm going to sue", "trading standards", "data breach") - Media interest — journalist asking questions publicly **Tier 3 — Escalate to [CMO / Founder / CEO] immediately:** - Viral negative content (100+ shares / views growing rapidly) - Allegation of safety issue, injury, or product harm - Coordinated negative campaign or pile-on - Any media coverage of a complaint - Potential crisis — brand reputation at risk ### Crisis response protocol 1. **Stop scheduled posting** — pause all queued content immediately 2. **Assess** — what is the scope? How fast is it spreading? What's the allegation? 3. **Brief leadership** — share screenshot, link, and initial assessment within 30 minutes 4. **Hold public response** — do not post publicly until leadership approves messaging 5. **Draft response options** — prepare 2–3 response options (acknowledge / deny / defer) 6. **Respond or don't respond?** — sometimes silence + private resolution beats a public statement 7. **Monitor** — track mentions every 30 minutes during a crisis 8. **Post-crisis review** — within 48 hours, document what happened and what to do differently **Out-of-hours escalation contacts:** - CM Lead: [Name, mobile] - Marketing Lead: [Name, mobile] - [Senior escalation]: [Name, mobile] --- ## 7. Tone of Voice in Practice | Situation | Tone | Example phrase | Avoid | |---|---|---|---| | Complimenting content | Warm, genuine, specific | "This genuinely made our day 🙌" | Generic "Thank you!" | | Answering a product question | Helpful, clear, not jargony | "Great question — here's exactly how it works…" | "Per our FAQs…" | | Resolving a complaint | Empathetic, responsible, action-oriented | "Really sorry to hear this — let's sort it out." | "This is not our fault" | | Engaging with light content | Playful, natural, on-brand | [Match the energy of the post — don't be stiff] | Corporate speak | | Handling criticism | Measured, honest, not defensive | "We hear you and we're working on it." | "As per our T&Cs…" | | Addressing a crisis | Calm, clear, factual, empathetic | "We're aware of this and are treating it as an urgent priority." | Defensive or dismissive | **Emoji use:** [Define brand's emoji policy — e.g. "Use emojis sparingly — 1 per response max, only on positive interactions. Never on complaints or sensitive topics."] --- ## 8. Community Health Metrics Track these weekly: | Metric | What it measures | Target | Current | |---|---|---|---| | Average response time | Speed of community management | [≤ X hours] | [X hours] | | Response rate | % of comments/DMs replied to | [≥ X%] | [X%] | | Comment sentiment ratio | Positive : Neutral : Negative split | [≥ X% positive] | [X%] | | Escalation rate | % of interactions escalated | [≤ X%] | [X%] | | DM resolution time | Time to resolve a DM complaint | [≤ X hours] | [X hours] | | Content reports / removals | Volume of content moderated | [Track trend] | [X/week] | **Weekly CM review (15 min):** - Review last week's metrics vs target - Flag any recurring complaint themes (product signals for the team) - Identify any standout positive interactions worth amplifying - Note any escalations and how they were handled --- ## 9. Platform-Specific Notes | Platform | Key nuance | Best practice | |---|---|---| | **Instagram** | Comments move fast on Reels; DMs high volume | Prioritise Reel comments; use saved replies for FAQ DMs | | **LinkedIn** | Professional audience; public replies visible to networks | Keep responses professional; avoid humour on complaints | | **X / Twitter** | Real-time; pile-ons escalate fast | Monitor with keyword alerts; act on Tier 2 triggers quickly | | **TikTok** | Comment culture is more casual; meme responses ok | Match platform tone but keep brand voice; don't try too hard | | **YouTube** | Older comments resurface regularly | Monitor new comments on older videos; set up notifications | | **Facebook** | Groups + page comments; older audience | More formal tone; monitor group dynamics separately | | **Discord** | Real-time community; requires moderators | Designate community moderators; publish community rules prominently | --- ## Quality Checks - [ ] Response templates cover all common scenarios (positive, neutral, complaint, crisis) - [ ] SLAs are realistic for available team resource - [ ] Moderation rules clearly distinguish between delete, hide, and leave - [ ] Escalation tiers are specific — each tier has a named contact and timeframe - [ ] Tone of voice guidance is concrete enough to write from (examples included) - [ ] Community health metrics have targets, not just labels - [ ] Platform-specific nuances are covered for every active channel ## Anti-Patterns - [ ] Do not delete genuine customer complaints to silence negative feedback — deletion damages trust more than the original complaint and can escalate a minor issue to a viral one - [ ] Do not respond to competitor comparison comments publicly — engaging publicly with competitive comparisons amplifies them; redirect to DMs or ignore - [ ] Do not use the same template response for every complaint — copy-paste responses on visible complaints are noticed by other users and undermine brand authenticity - [ ] Do not leave a crisis without pausing scheduled content — queued posts published during an active brand crisis appear tone-deaf and make the situation worse - [ ] Do not set response time SLAs that cannot be met with the available team size — an SLA that is consistently missed is worse than no SLA ## Example Trigger Phrases - "Build a community management playbook for [brand]" - "Create social media response guidelines for our team" - "What should our moderation policy be for [platform]?" - "Write community management templates and escalation procedures" - "How should we handle negative comments on social media?"