If you think that you need Content Moderation Services for the social media pages of your business, you are thinking in the right direction. Digital platforms are evolving, and users’ content generation on these platforms is increasing. But due to the relative anonymity that such platforms provide, spammers and negative social elements are also on the rise. This calls for stringent social media content moderation so that the platforms become safe and trusted places.
While Artificial Intelligence and automation are at their peak thanks to technological advancements, the technology still cannot help businesses automate the content moderation process. We still rely deeply on human judgment because of context, which is the most important thing that makes a difference between an algorithm and a human mind. This is why businesses require content moderators to monitor the content on their social media channels.
Why should you outsource content moderation services?
If you want professional content moderation services for your business, outsourcing the process can be the best option. Your employees may not be familiar with the content moderations guidelines. You may be confused about whether you should hire a moderator or outsource the process to a professional content moderation outsourcing agency. Outsourcing content moderation can be better than hiring an in-house moderator in many ways:
Access to professional content moderators
When you decide to outsource the content moderation to a content moderation outsourcing company, you get access to experienced content moderators. You can discuss your moderation needs with your moderators, and they will ensure that all the user-generated content on your online channels follows moderation guidelines.
Cost-efficient
Outsourcing content moderation services is a highly cost-efficient way as you don’t have to invest in the tools and technology required for moderation. Also, outsourcing can help in saving operational costs.
Get access to the latest tools
When you decide to work with a content moderation outsourcing agency, the moderators already have the latest tools and resources needed for the moderation to provide you with the best services. Further, these companies provide you with customized services according to your moderation needs.
Time-saving
When you outsource the moderation task to an outsourcing agency, you can free up your content creation team. As they don’t have to worry about moderation, they can work more efficiently to generate better for your business.
Choosing the right people for Content Moderation Services
Getting the right people for social media content moderation services is as important as the moderation itself. Since content moderation can be a very sensitive matter, it needs to be handled accordingly. There are also considerations about the laws and regulations regarding what is illegal, the data privacy of the users, and their freedom of speech. Hence, content moderation needs to be handled professionally and within permissible boundaries.
There are many content moderation outsourcing companies in the market that offer content moderation as a service. These companies provide content moderation packages at very competitive pricing to businesses to help them manage content online and keep the integrity of their brand across various platforms on the internet. And these content moderation outsourcing companies promise to provide excellent and efficient services at a very affordable cost. This can leave businesses like yourself confused. How do you choose the best fit for your requirements?
The answer isn’t simple or straightforward. However, knowing your own business goals and setting the correct expectations is the first step in making the right decision.
Here are some skills that you should look at when you hire a content moderation services provider for your business:
- Good Analytical skills: To effectively provide online moderation services, the content moderation outsourcing agency should possess good analytical skills, which require more than just evaluating information based on its face value. Some pieces of content may first seem harmful but can prove beneficial in the long term and vice versa. Hence, an online moderator should have a strong analytical power to evaluate if the piece of content is valuable or not.
- Critical Thinking: The most important roles of a content moderator are problem-solving and strategic planning. Hence, a content moderator should have good critical thinking skills to provide effective social media content moderation services. Additionally, a moderator should have a sharp eye for detail and a fast mind so he/she can catch every element in the content that seems inappropriate.
- Excellent Communication Skills: The content moderator should possess excellent communication skills so that he/she can clearly explain his strategies and justify what is required to be done for effective moderation of content for your business. It can be an added advantage if the moderator is multilingual and has great proficiency in languages in which your business wants moderation.
- Adaptability: The most important responsibility of a content moderator is to manage the information and piece of content on the internet to eliminate or minimize the damage from harmful content and to maximize the information that is focused on building brand reputation.
Decisions to make while hiring Social Media Content Moderation Services
It is always best to go into a hiring contract well-prepared. It helps you understand your requirements better and helps you convey to the content moderation service provider company what you need in a better way.
Understand what kind of user-generating content will be covered under content moderation. Users post content in the form of pictures, videos, and text. This content can be a powerful tool to gain insights into user behavior, trends, opinions, feedback, etc. The patterns portrayed by the user through content evaluation can be used to provide better products and services to the customers and also for planning efficient marketing strategies. At the same time, any negative content should be handled accordingly and removed if found objectionable or out of what can be described as healthy criticism.
Below are the primary decisions you need to make while hiring a company for online moderation services:
Decide if you want monitoring or moderation of user-generated content
Monitoring and moderation are two different things when it comes to online content. While content monitoring is done to get an understanding of user behavior online, moderation is a more effective and slightly intrusive way to keep a constant eye on the quality of the content. Under content moderation, user-generated content that is found to be objectionable or misleading can be removed, and the content poster can be issued a warning or prohibited from posting again if they repeat the act.
Decide how many accounts/pages need moderation
A major decision before you engage a company for social media content moderation services is to know how many accounts you need to moderate. It depends on your target audience and which platforms they prefer for engagement with your business. It also depends on your vision to expand the target audience and try out new platforms.
Decide on the rules of moderation suitable to your digital platform
It is important to define what to allow on your platforms and what to consider inappropriate and or objectionable that needs to be removed immediately. There can be a fine line between healthy criticism and offensive content. The better you define what is permissible, the efficiency and efficacy of content moderation services providers would be better.
Decide on the reporting format and frequency
It is best to know what details you expect in the report on content moderation and how often you expect it from your content moderation services provider. If you wish to collect data on user behavior and identify patterns, this becomes a very important consideration.
Think about scalability
When you make your online platform a safe and trusted place for your audience, you can expect a rise in user engagement and a better brand image. This means more user-generated content, which in turn means more work for the content moderators. When you choose to hire professionals for content moderation, you should know whether they have flexible plans and scalable solutions to cope with increased volumes of content.
Decide on what kind of moderation you need
There are various stages at which content moderation takes place. When users post content, moderation can occur before or after the post is updated on the online platform. Also, there is a reactive method of moderation where the moderators are called to attention by other users by flagging content they find inappropriate or irrelevant. Depending on the nature of the content that users post, you need to see which moderation stage, or a combination of them, works best for you.
Online Content Moderation – A Necessity
It would not be an overstatement that content moderation services have become an absolute necessity. An online platform, not duly moderated, can soon become a vulnerable place prone to misuse that can include misleading or even harmful to your users.
If you are looking for reliable Content Moderation Services, WOW can provide you with custom-made online moderation services. We have an excellent team who can work remotely to monitor and moderate your content round the clock. Our dedicated resources for Social Media content moderation can help you maintain a good reputation and brand image of your business.