Lifting the Lid on Lidl: Cracking Community Management

Client work
alicedoleman

What works and what doesn’t when it comes to crushing the community management game? We’ve been managing Lidl’s community management over the last eleven months, with highlights including our recent Weetabix and beans response clocking up a cool 69K likes. So what’s the secret? Senior Editor Ross McTaggart and Senior Writer Alice Doleman discuss.



It pays to push tone of voice
When it comes to Lidl’s tone of voice, our followers love it when we’re off-kilter and unexpected. Subtle innuendos and cheeky puns engage our audience, but we’re always careful not to become too lewd or rude. Knowing your audience is essential when it comes to community management; once you understand them, you’ll know when you can and can’t push your brand personality.



Read the room
Twitter users are incredibly creative with their answers, which can work to your advantage and disadvantage, which can result in some weird and sometimes wildly inappropriate responses on the feed. Ensure that the cultural context and conversations happening on the platform that day don’t leave you open to criticism or tasteless answers.

Let your audience behind the curtain
Followers love it when we acknowledge there are real people behind Lidl’s account, making them feel like they’re gaining an insight into the brand. This allows us to have a more personal touch, a quality that brands can use in order to connect with their audience on a more relatable level and adding to the benefits of them following an account.



Find the balance
With the UK in lockdown, we’ve needed to find a balance between humour and sensitivity within our tweets. Empathetic but entertaining is the way forward when it comes to community management during this time, so, aim to put smiles on people’s faces in your responses and bring some positivity to an otherwise tough period.

Insight is everything
Community management gives a brand unfiltered access into the minds and lives of their audience. Our best posts have utilised conversations and comments spotted during community management to pinpoint niche behaviours and call them out. This sparks a fantastic audience response as they feel seen and listened to. Keep your eyes peeled for gems on your channel pages that can be used to create content that is relatable to your audience.



So, what is the takeaway? Good community management can be an effective tool for your brand, but to get the most out of it you need to really commit by staying on top of social conversations, understanding your audience and being consistent with your tone of voice. All of this will allow you to be full of confidence (and beans) when we’re posting.

If you’d like to find out more about how we could work with your brand, get in touch on [email protected]