Community Management: From Brand Expectation to Public Sector Imperative

Let’s talk about community management.

It’s often treated as the final mile of a social media strategy — reactive, low-priority, and sometimes even outsourced to teams who don’t own the messaging. But new data from Deloitte’s 2025 State of Social report challenges that way of thinking for public and private sector comms teams alike. 

Here’s what it  tells us: 

• 73% of consumers expect brands to respond to them on social media. 

• 71% want customer service support through these channels. 

• Yet only 41% of brands are actually delivering on that expectation.  

The gap between what consumers want and what brands provide is significant. However, it also represents a large opportunity for organisations willing to lean in and treat social platforms not just as a megaphone, but as a two-way channel for connection and service. 

It’s Not Just for Brands

While these stats come from a consumer-focused lens, the implications extend beyond the private sector. Today, citizens expect the same level of accessibility and responsiveness from government departments as they do from private brands. The line between private and public service expectations has blurred. 

That means public sector comms teams, from federal agencies to local councils, need to review the importance placed on community management. Social inboxes, comments, and DMs aren’t just noise to be scanned; they’re active service channels, and often, the first point of contact between a citizen and the institution that serves them. 

While agencies may not lose revenue by ignoring DMs, they risk losing something just as vital: public trust. 

When people don’t feel heard, or when their attempts to engage fall into a digital black hole, confidence in the institution deteriorates. In contrast, thoughtful, timely engagement (even just acknowledging feedback) can go a long way in building credibility and trust. 

The Algorithm Rewards It Too

There’s another reason to care about community management: algorithms love it. 

Most social platforms reward content that sparks interaction, not just likes and shares, but meaningful back-and-forth in the comments or inbox. When you reply to comments, answer questions, and have human interactions, you’re building trust and developing two-way communication. This, in turn, sends signals to the platform that your content is relevant and worth amplifying. 

Put simply: good community management boosts your reach. 

This is a win for government agencies trying to get critical information out to the public, whether it’s around health, safety, policy updates, or citizen services. 

What “Good” Looks Like

So, what does strong community management look like in practice for public sector teams?  

Here are a few essentials: 

• Active Monitoring

  Set up regular monitoring across all social platforms. This doesn’t mean someone needs to be online 24/7, but there should be daily checks and clear processes for after-hours monitoring in high-risk or high-stakes moments. 

• Clear Escalation Pathways

  Not every message can or should be handled by the social media team. Establish pathways that route questions to subject-matter experts, service teams, or customer care functions. Ideally, these pathways are well-documented, so anyone stepping into the role can follow them. 

• Timely Responses

  Speed matters. Even if the response is “Thanks for your message — we’ll look into it,” that acknowledgement builds trust and shows that someone is listening. 

• Tone of Voice

  Responses should feel human, respectful, and consistent with your broader brand voice. Avoid jargon, be clear and empathetic, and know when to switch from public replies to private DMs for more sensitive conversations. 

• Reporting & Learning

  Keep track of the types of messages coming in. Are there patterns? Recurring questions? Use this data to inform content strategies, improve service delivery, and preempt future concerns. 

For public sector teams dealing with multiple accounts, platforms, and high message volumes, this kind of community management isn’t always simple. That’s where tools like Sprinklr come in. 

Sprinklr enables government organisations to: 

• Centralise inboxes across all major platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, etc.) into a single dashboard. 

• Auto-route incoming messages based on keywords, urgency, or topic. 

• Tag and classify messages for trend analysis and content planning. 

• Maintain audit trails for governance, risk, and compliance requirements. 

• Track response SLAs and team performance through customisable reporting. 

KINSHIP helps organisations to design, implement, and optimise these social engagement workflows within Sprinklr, saving your team from the headache of navigating complex platform setup, and allowing you to get the most from your people, platform, and processes. 

The Takeaway

Community management isn’t a “nice-to-have” anymore, it’s a vital component of any social media and communications strategy. 

The data may reflect brand behaviour, but the expectation of seamless, human-centred interaction applies across the board, including government agencies. Citizens don’t draw distinctions between their experience with a bank and their experience with a local council. They just want to be heard, helped, and treated with respect. 

And for organisations willing to meet that expectation? The reward is not just in sentiment, it’s in reach, reputation, and real impact. 

With the right tools like Sprinklr, and the right partner like KINSHIP, community management doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it can become one of your biggest strengths.