The internet has undoubtedly changed how people produce and consume content. Business owners must be mindful of their online reputation—after all, a single negative review or Facebook post can drive away hundreds of potential customers. For this reason, a stringent content moderation process is a must for driving conversion rates.
While it may be easier said and done, building a seamless moderation process lies in having keen-eyed content moderators. Not to worry—in this article, we’ll walk you through what you need to know. You’ll be able to find the right content moderators that will help you ensure a robust online presence.
Understanding Content Moderation
Content moderation is the proactive management of user-generated content on numerous digital platforms like social media, online listings, forums, websites, and more. Recent surveys suggest that 82% of shoppers actively seek negative reviews to guide purchasing decisions.
Because of this, business owners must ensure that user-generated content about their companies is free from any harmful, inappropriate, or irrelevant content and aligns with their brand guidelines.
It's also worth noting that recent surveys suggest that 85% of users prioritize user-generated content over content published directly by the brands themselves. With this in mind, it isn't surprising that content moderation can make or break your audience's perception of your brand.
The Dangers of Ignoring Content Moderation
Imagine entering a social networking page rife with spam or unpleasant comments. Such unfavorable incidents might damage a brand's reputation and turn away potential customers. On the other hand, a properly monitored platform promotes a secure and encouraging environment, increasing audience trust and credibility.
Disregarding content moderation can be genuinely detrimental to your brand. A surge of unmoderated negative feedback across digital platforms can lead to an irreversible public relations crisis.
Furthermore, disseminating harmful or inaccurate information can hurt the authority and reputation of your company, affecting your revenue in the long run.
Professional Content Moderation: Do You Need It?
One of the most dangerous misconceptions of people towards content moderation is that it's just removing and flagging online posts. Professional content moderation has been vital to online reputation management across industries, with a valued global market of $13 billion in 2022.
Here are some reasons businesses should employ professional content moderators to build an online reputation.
Prevents legal issues
A single offensive or defamatory post could put your company in legal danger in today's litigious world. New studies found a 292% increase in harmful online content cases reported during the pandemic, which is significantly increasing every year.
By verifying that user-generated content complies with laws and regulations, professional content moderation helps reduce the danger of legal action.
Ensures user safety and trust among consumers
Customers anticipate a respectful and safe environment before purchasing, including a company's digital platform. Regardless of a business' remarkable offers, customers who feel unsafe in a community will hold off on their purchases.
A stringent content moderation demonstrates your dedication towards user safety, significantly affecting your audience's trust and loyalty. When customers feel comfortable and safe with your business, they are likelier to re-purchase your services and even recommend them to their friends.
Leads to a more high-converting online reputation management
Experts suggest that 23% of business revenue is from engaged customers. Effective content moderation promotes engaging conversations and participation. Users are more inclined to actively participate in discussions and share positive experiences with your company when they believe their opinions are valued and heard.
Furthermore, increased online activity also leads to better search engine visibility. A more extensive profile makes reaching untapped markets easier, leading to increased revenue generation.
Balances freedom of speech and brand guidelines
Most importantly, professional content moderation perfectly balances your audience's freedom of speech and your brand's guidelines. While it may be tempting to flag or remove every harmful content about your business that may come along your way, it can be significantly detrimental to your business.
An influx of positive content and reviews may encourage suspicion among your audience. 45% of consumers today say excessive praising of a brand makes them highly doubtful of a company's legitimacy.
Moreover, online review websites run their own algorithms to ensure the relevance of their content to their audience. If they deem that your content doesn't reflect your business genuinely, they may block your business from creating posts or listings on their platform.
Exploring Effective Moderation Solutions
There's no denying that content moderation could be a tedious task for business owners and marketing managers. For this reason, businesses must hire qualified content moderators that will look over their online reputation.
Fortunately, businesses now have options regarding the employment mode of their content moderators. You could get an in-house team or outsource professional content moderators, depending on the number of online content your business receives regularly.
To help you decide whether you'll hire an in-house team or outsource content moderator, we've come up with the pros and cons of each employment mode:
In-house: Pros and Cons
There are several advantages to hiring content moderators as full-time employees. Here are a few of them.
- Immediate Response: In-house moderators can swiftly address emerging issues, engaging in real-time solutions to ensure a prompt and effective response toward your consumers.
- Deeper Brand Understanding: In-house teams understand your brand's voice and values, resulting in consistently aligned messaging. Well-thought-out branded content forges an emotional connection with your audience that can foster customer loyalty.
- Direct Communication: Close collaboration between in-house moderators and marketing/PR teams could enable seamless coordination. This teamwork helps you streamline effective content strategies that can best represent your business.
That said, hiring full-time employees also has its drawbacks:
- Not Cost-effective: Hiring and training an internal workforce demands significant time and financial investment. While this may not affect corporations, this is a potential challenge for smaller organizations with limited resources.
- Limited Scalability: Your internal team might struggle to manage the expanding volume of user-generated content as your online presence grows, potentially compromising timely responses.
- Narrow Skill Set: Effective content moderation requires PR, problem-solving, and marketing skills. In-house teams might lack the versatile skills necessary to manage a variety of content formats effectively.
Outsourced: Pros and Cons
A viable alternative to hiring full-time content moderators is outsourcing. Remote moderators are just as skilled as in-house ones, and hiring them offers benefits too:
- Cost-Effective: Outsourcing content moderation offers efficient resource deployment by reducing expenses associated with hiring, onboarding, and managing an internal team.
- Scalability: Outsourced specialists can swiftly adapt to changing content quantities, ensuring consistently high-quality moderation as your brand expands. With scalable moderation, no internal or external constraints may hinder your business growth.
- Specialized Expertise: Outsourced specialists bring skills honed through experience. Moreover, they possess a specialized understanding of content trends, online behavior, and moderation strategies.
There are also things to look out for if you choose this option:
- Communication Challenges: Collaborating with an external team may lead to communication gaps if not correctly managed. This may create loopholes in your content moderation process, reducing effectiveness and efficiency.
- Brand Understanding: Outsourced moderators might require time to fully grasp the subtleties that define your brand, potentially resulting in misunderstandings or inconsistent representation.
- Privacy Concerns: You should invest in a well-defined data-sharing process to ensure the confidentiality of critical brand information with an external team. Having a standard Non-Disclosure Agreement with your outsourced team would also be best.
Real-Life Content Moderation Success Stories
Effective content moderation has already brought success to numerous businesses. Here are some companies that expanded their market, attracted more customers, and generated more revenue through effective content moderation.
Amazon
Amazon, the e-commerce giant, is a prime example of a business that has experienced substantial growth due to its efficient content moderation process. The company was able to market its brand through positive online content in line with key industry metrics, including its commitment to customer satisfaction, efficient delivery, and reliable service.
Amazon's steady flow of positive reviews and high customer ratings allowed them to build a robust online reputation that contributes to its status as a trustworthy and customer-focused platform. This solid online reputation has significantly attracted more customers to shop on Amazon, contributing to its massive success.
Furthermore, Amazon also implements a stringent moderation process towards fraudulent, inappropriate, and deceptive content. Aside from protecting their brand's image, they're also very keen on online content for their sellers. The business implements review guidelines and monitoring algorithms that ensure all content towards their sellers is accurate and non-derogatory.
Results of Hiring Content Moderators
As of this writing, Amazon's June 30, 2023, revenue is at $134.383B, a 10.85% increase year-over-year. While numerous operational activities bring this increase, it shows how impactful Amazon's content marketing efforts are, including its content moderation process.
Airbnb
Airbnb, a platform that offers unique lodging and travel experiences, has also benefited from an effective content moderation process. Their strong online reputation has attracted a growing number of customers, making them one of the leading hospitality websites today. The platform's reputation for providing unique, comfortable, and often more affordable accommodations than traditional hotels has garnered positive attention from travelers worldwide.
Airbnb found a strong content marketing angle that they amplified on their digital platforms–cheaper alternative accommodations. Every content and positive review from the customers they highlighted across their digital media is built on this angle. Aside from this, their listing process encourages property owners to provide quality photos and detailed product descriptions that will create a sense of trust and reliability among their potential customers.
Consequently, Airbnb also runs a robust moderation and management process towards content that may affect their listings. Aside from their website algorithms, they also employ professional content moderators that will monitor the performance of their listings, both on their website and other digital platforms. Fraudulent and misleading content is flagged and removed, ensuring a trustworthy and safe booking platform for travelers.
Results of Hiring Content Moderators
As of this writing, Airbnb reported a 2nd-quarter revenue of $ 2.484 billion for 2023. This figure is an 18.06% increase year-over-year. Like Amazon, this is accumulated through the company's numerous marketing efforts, including its stringent content moderation process.
Amazon and Airbnb improved their brand reputation and customer loyalty through content moderation by maintaining consistent positive reviews and high customer ratings. This created a solid online reputation, positioning their businesses as reliable and customer-centric platforms. Additionally, their stringent content moderation process protected their brand image and ensured accurate, non-derogatory content for their products and sellers.
Moreover, Amazon and Airbnb leveraged customer reviews to highlight their brands' strengths and promote their core value propositions. In both cases, effective content moderation helped maintain a positive online image. It contributed to attracting more customers, fostering customer loyalty, and positioning the businesses as leaders in their respective industries.
The Bottom Line on Content Moderation
In today's interconnected world, the significance of content moderation cannot be overstated. Content moderation has become more than just removing negative reviews online. The process now shields against the potential pitfalls of managing user-generated content.
Whether you opt for an in-house team or an outsourced solution, the benefits of effective content moderation extend beyond safeguarding your brand's reputation – they create an online space where users feel valued, safe, and engaged.
Furthermore, as your business thrives in the digital realm, remember that the right content moderation strategy can be pivotal in shaping your brand's trajectory. Your content moderation process can significantly affect your brand's revenue generation, thus affecting your scalability.
As you contemplate the next steps for your business's online journey, consider the success your company can achieve when you have a dedicated team guarding your brand's reputation.
Prioritizing content moderation will help you achieve your company's goals, so business owners like you must find the most suitable content moderators.
Effective and Dedicated Content Moderation from Wing
Wing Assistant offers a comprehensive, tailored, and seamless hiring process allowing you to connect with the right content moderator for your brand. By entrusting your content moderation to an outsourced professional team, you ensure a safe, engaging, and positive online environment that resonates with your audience and safeguards your brand's future.
Are you interested in outsourcing skilled content moderators? Learn how Wing's dedicated content moderation services can help you build a positive online presence. Contact us to explore how we can safeguard your brand's reputation.
Aya is Wing Assistant’s blog manager. When she’s not wrangling content briefs, editing article drafts and handling on-page SEO, she is crafting messages for Wing’s other communication materials. Aya writes about SaaS startups, marketing for startups, search engine optimization, and pop culture.
