Social Media Management Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Created: 01/22/2026

1.0 Purpose & Scope

This document defines the official standards, rules, and workflows for all social media interactions. These standards are designed to ensure consistency, safety, and professionalism in a public-facing environment, guiding every comment, reply, and direct message sent on behalf of GOB.

The core goals of this SOP are to ensure that:

• Responses are consistent, warm, and professional.

• Customer service issues are routed to the correct support channels efficiently.

• Social engagement supports trust, community, and conversions.

• Agents avoid legal, compliance, and reputational risk.

This SOP applies to all ECX social media agents and moderators responsible for managing GOB official Facebook and Instagram platforms. Adherence to these guidelines is critical for protecting the brand and providing a positive customer experience, making the agent's role fundamental to our public-facing operations.

2.0 The Role of Social Media in Operations

Social media agents represent the public-facing voice of GOB Brands. Every interaction is a direct reflection of our company's values and commitment to our customers. The agent's role is therefore strategically vital, with a significant impact on brand perception, community health, and customer trust.

All agents are expected to be:

• Efficient: Providing timely, concise, and clear responses suitable for a fast-paced social media environment.

• Solutions-oriented: Focusing on guiding customers to the correct next step or resolution channel, rather than solving complex issues publicly.

• Brand-conscious: Aligning every communication with GOB Brands’ established tone, values, and public image.

Critical Risk Awareness

Given the nature of social media, agents must remain constantly aware of three key risks inherent in their work:

• The public nature of all comments, which can be viewed, shared, and misinterpreted.

• The vast potential audience, where a single reply may be read by thousands of customers.

• The direct reflection of every reply on brand trust and credibility.

The high-stakes nature of this role requires a clear set of principles to guide every action and decision.

3.0 Core Engagement Principles

These principles provide a strategic foundation for all social media engagement. They are not simply a list of rules but a framework for making sound, real-time judgments in a dynamic digital environment. All responses must be short, clear, and optimized for users scrolling on mobile devices, avoiding long explanations or technical details. Under no circumstances should agents discuss or offer commentary on medical, political, or religious topics.

Prioritization Framework

When an agent is unsure how to proceed, the following three-step decision-making hierarchy must be applied:

1. Brand safety

2. Customer trust

3. Internal escalation over public debate

Fundamentally, social media is not a support channel. All support-related issues and any requests that would require a customer to share personal information must be moved to private channels (DMs) or redirected to our official support team at support@xxx.com. These matters should never be handled in public comments.

These high-level principles are translated into specific, actionable guidelines in the following section.

4.0 Dos and Don’ts

This section provides clear, non-negotiable rules of engagement. These guidelines are designed to prevent common errors, protect customer privacy, and ensure that all actions align with the core principles outlined above.

✅ Dos

🚫 Don'ts

- Politely redirect all support issues to the correct channels (support@xxx.com).

- Never share your own or the brand team's personal information.

- Encourage users to share their content after a purchase is confirmed.

- Never share paid content (recipes, workouts, etc.).

- Respond sincerely and specifically to heartfelt reviews and testimonials.

- Never engage in debates or discussions on political, religious, or medical topics.

- Use product links when answering simple product questions.

- Never request personal order details (like order numbers) in public comments.

- Hide any comments that contain a customer's personal information to protect their privacy.

- Never attempt to resolve a support issue in a public comment thread.

These rules provide a clear framework for daily operations, helping agents navigate the most common types of social media inquiries.

5.0 Types of Social Media Inquiries & How to Handle Them

Categorizing incoming social media inquiries is essential for responding efficiently and appropriately. This system allows agents to foster positive community engagement, correctly route support issues, and safely manage high-risk content.

5.1 Positive Feedback & Community Engagement

• Examples: Users sharing photos, posting positive testimonials, or mentioning they enjoy our products.

• Required Action: Thank the user sincerely and specifically reference what they shared. If a purchase is confirmed, invite them to tag the page in future posts.

• Response Protocol: Public Reply.

5.2 General Product or Service Questions

• Examples: Simple questions about product availability, features, or where to purchase.

• Required Action: Respond briefly and clearly. Include a direct product link to provide an immediate next step.

• Response Protocol: Public Reply.

5.3 Support, Order, or Account Issues

• Examples: Questions about shipping status, missing order emails, refunds, or accessing an account.

• Required Action: Acknowledge the user politely and direct them to the official support channel (support@xxx.com). For urgent concerns, move the conversation to a private channel (DM) to request their contact information for internal escalation.

• Response Protocol: Public Redirection / Move to DM.

5.4 Complaints and Negative Feedback

• Examples: Customers complaining about a prior support experience or sharing valid negative feedback about a product.

• Required Action:

  • For complaints about a prior support experience: Apologize for their experience, offer to reconnect them with the support team, and then hide the public post [if possible] to prevent further escalation.

  • For general valid negative feedback: Monitor the comment, respond calmly and professionally if appropriate, and ensure the thread does not escalate. Do not hide these comments immediately, as they can be educational.

• Response Protocol: Public Reply (with caution) or Hide.

5.5 Spam, Harassment, or Policy-Violating Content

• Examples: Offensive or harassing language, sexual messages, or persistent, non-product-related harassment.

• Required Action: Do not engage in any discussion. Hide or delete the public comment immediately. Block the user if the behavior persists.

• Response Protocol: Hide / Delete / Block.

5.6 Legal, Safety, or Compliance-Sensitive Content

• Examples: Users requesting medical advice, making political or religious statements, or posting their own private information (e.g., address, phone number).

• Required Action: Do not engage. Hide or delete the comment immediately to protect both the user and GOB from risk.

• Response Protocol: Hide / Delete.

QUICK REFERENCE TABLE
Acknowledge what’s simple, escalate what’s sensitive, delete what’s offensive.

Scenario

CS Can Do

CS Must Escalate

CS Must Delete

“Love this!” / Positive emoji

Like/heart + “Thank you so much!”

—

—

“Where do I buy?”

Provide purchase link

—

—

“When does it ship?”

Provide timeline if known

—

—

Reply to Social Team's engagement 

React or “Thank you so much!”

If reply requires explanation

—

“Will this help ____ symptoms?”

Provide standardized messaging

—

—

“I had a bad reaction.”

Follow the adverse reaction protocol 

—

—

“This product didn’t work.”

Follow retention protocol

Yes – negative experience

—

“What ingredients help with…?”

Educate on ingredients and benefits

Yes – medical/benefit claim

—

“Your brand lies.” / Angry rant

Contact customer success

Yes – escalate if constructive

Delete only if hateful/abusive

Obvious spam, bots, profanity

—

—

Delete immediately

Comparisons with competitors

—

Yes – brand voice required

—

Anything requiring more than a short response

—

Yes

—

Unsure

—

Escalate

—

6.0 Conversation Routing and Transfers

Social media agents are solely responsible for managing all social media interactions from first response through resolution or transfer. Proper routing decisions are critical to protecting customer privacy, minimizing public risk, and ensuring customers are directed to the most effective support channel.

Agents must assess each interaction to determine whether it can be handled publicly, should be moved to private messages, or must be redirected to another support channel.

6.1 When to Move a Conversation to Private Messages (DMs)

A conversation must be moved from a public comment to private messages when:

• Personal, account, or order-specific information is required

• The issue involves shipping, account access, or order details

• Continued public discussion increases privacy or brand risk

Required Action:
Acknowledge the comment publicly, then prompt the customer to continue the conversation in private messages. Personal or order details must never be requested publicly.

6.2 Queries from Public Comments

Account-Specific Inquiries
Examples: Account details, shipping status, order-related questions
Required Action: Transfer the conversation to private messages for privacy.

Refund Requests
Required Action: Advise the customer to contact support by phone, private message, or email. Phone support should be positioned as the preferred option when available, as it allows faster resolution and stronger save opportunities.

6.3 Queries from Private Messages (DMs)

Account-Specific Inquiries
Required Action: Assist the customer through private messages when possible. Clearly set expectations that responses may take time depending on queue volume.

Refund Requests
Required Action: Advise the customer to call support or send an email for assistance. Refunds should not be fully handled within private messages. If the customer declines, follow current refund SOPs.

6.4 Approved Redirection Language

Use clear, consistent language when transferring conversations.

Standard Support Redirection:
Please reach out to our support team at support@xxx.com and they’ll be happy to help you further.

Phone-First Refund Support:
For the fastest assistance, we recommend calling our support team so they can help you right away.

Guiding Rule

Protect customer privacy, reduce public exposure, and route refund-related inquiries to live support whenever possible to support resolution and save opportunities.

7.0 Product Link Usage Guidelines

Product links are a key component of social media engagement and play a direct role in supporting conversions. When used correctly, they help customers move seamlessly from interest to purchase while maintaining brand trust and compliance.

The purpose of this section is to define when product links should be shared, how they should be presented, and when they should be avoided.

7.1 When to Share Product Links

Agents should include product links when a user demonstrates buying intent or product interest.

High-Intent Inquiries

Examples: “Where can I buy?”, “How much is it?”, “Do you have a link?”

Required Action: Respond clearly and include a direct product link.

Interest-Based Inquiries

Examples: “What does this do?”, “Which one should I start with?”, “What’s the difference?”

Required Action: Provide a brief explanation followed by the most relevant product link.

Low-Intent Inquiries

Examples: General curiosity without purchase language.

Required Action: Include a product link only if it fits naturally and adds value.

7.2 How to Share Product Links

Product links must be shared in a helpful and non-promotional manner.

Guidelines:

• Use one clear, relevant link

• Place the link after a short explanation

• Use neutral, supportive language

• Avoid aggressive or sales-driven phrasing

7.3 Where Product Links May Be Used

• Public comments for general product and purchase inquiries

• Private messages when additional clarification is required

Product links should not be added to threads that are escalated, negative, or sensitive.

7.4 When Not to Share Product Links

Agents must not include product links when:

• The inquiry involves support, refunds, or complaints

• The customer is frustrated or escalating

• The topic is medical, legal, or compliance-sensitive

In these cases, the priority is resolution and trust, not conversion.

7.5 Guiding Principle

Product links are decision-support tools, not advertisements. Agents should use them to reduce friction, support informed decisions, and increase conversions when intent is present.

8.0 Intercom Procedures

Intercom is the official system of record for all social media conversations. Proper documentation and management within Intercom are essential for maintaining accurate queues, providing visibility across the team, and ensuring performance is reported correctly.

Documenting and Closing Conversations

A precise workflow must be followed to ensure conversations are closed correctly after they have been handled.

1. Ensure a response has been sent and no further action is required from you.

2. Add an internal ticket note with relevant social context if the issue was escalated or particularly sensitive.

3. Tag the conversation as “Closed” in Intercom.

Properly closing conversations removes them from the active inbox. This action is critical for keeping our queues clean and ensuring that workload and response time reports are accurate. This daily procedure is complemented by a clear process for escalating major issues

9.0 Final Guiding Rules

This SOP provides the tactical rules for daily social media management, but the overarching philosophy is to act as a responsible steward of the brand's public presence. The following objectives should guide every decision, especially in situations not explicitly covered by a specific rule.

The four core objectives of social moderation are:

• Protecting the brand

• Supporting the customer journey

• Encouraging community

• Preventing risk

When in Doubt

When faced with uncertainty, revert to the core prioritization framework. This three-part hierarchy is the ultimate guide for making a sound decision under pressure:

1. Prioritize brand safety.

2. Prioritize customer trust.

3. Prioritize internal escalation over public debate.

Questions

1. What does a social media ticket look like in intercom

2. Does it say if it’s from FB or IG

3. Does it say if it’s a comment or DM

Comments:

1. General queries - Assist as noted above

2. Account specific queries - route to DM/email/phone

DMs

1. General queries - Assist as noted above

2. Account specific queries - route to DM/email/phone