When customers comment on your Facebook or Instagram posts, a quick reply shows there is a real person behind the business. Your portal lets you see and answer that activity for every post you publish through it, so you do not have to hop between apps.
The engagement view: your post's report card
Every post you publish through the portal has its own engagement view. It is styled to look like the platform it was posted on, so a Facebook post looks like Facebook and an Instagram post looks like Instagram. You will see live reaction and like counts, comment counts, and the comments themselves in threads.
Counts are pulled fresh from the platform each time the page loads. If you leave the page open for a while, reload it to see the newest numbers. There is also a link to the live post if you want to see it out in the wild on Facebook or Instagram.
Reply to a comment
- Open the engagement view for the post you want to check.
- Find the comment you want to answer.
- Type your reply in the reply box under the comment.
- Send it. Your reply appears publicly, posted as your business Page or Instagram account.
You can reply to top-level comments - the ones written directly on your post. If a conversation grows several layers deep, finish it from the Facebook or Instagram app.
A short, friendly reply goes a long way. Thank people by name, answer questions directly, and keep it human - the same voice you would use at the counter.
Like a comment (Facebook only)
On Facebook posts, you can like a comment right from the engagement view. It is a friendly way to acknowledge a kind comment without writing a full reply.
On Instagram, liking comments from the portal is not possible. That is an Instagram limit, not a missing feature: Instagram's official connection for tools like this one does not support liking comments. If you want to heart an Instagram comment, do it in the Instagram app - it works the same way and takes two seconds.
Hide or delete: which one should you use?
Both options work on comments on your own posts, and they solve different problems.
- Hide removes the comment from view for most people. On Facebook, the person who wrote it (and their friends) can still see it, so the commenter usually never notices. It is the gentle option for spam or rude remarks.
- Delete removes the comment from the post for everyone, permanently.
Hiding works well for spam links and trolling. Save deleting for things you never want tied to your business, like offensive language.
Where is the dislike button?
There is not one. Facebook and Instagram have no dislikes, so you will never see a negative count on a post. On Facebook, the number you see is every reaction type added together - likes, loves, cares, hahas, wows, sads, and angrys all count as one total.
Mention someone in an Instagram reply
Type @ followed by a username in an Instagram reply, like @yourfavoritebakery, and it becomes a real mention. That person or business gets notified, just as if you had tagged them from the Instagram app. It is a nice touch when a customer tags a friend, or when you want to credit another local business.
Still have questions?
If something in an engagement view looks off, send a quick note. It is a one-person shop, so you will hear back as soon as possible, usually within one business day.