Answering Questions in the Q&A Forum
Guidelines for Company Representatives

Welcome to GoodBed's Q&A Forum! Please refer to the following guidelines when providing answers in the forum.

Our goal is to connect real mattress shoppers that have questions with real mattress experts (you!) that have answers. For consumers, this is a place where they can get helpful advice while they are doing their research on what and where to buy.  For mattress experts, this is a unique opportunity to build an online reputation as a credible and trustworthy mattress expert. If you're interested in becoming an expert in the forum, click here for more information.

Be specific and straightforward

A good answer offers facts, demonstrates your knowledge and objectivity, and provides a clear and actionable recommendation. We won’t edit your answers, so please take a few extra moments to frame your answer as clearly as possible.

Substantiate your answer with evidence

Tell the consumer what you think, but also tell them why. Saying that a particular technology or material or mattress is terrific or terrible is much less powerful than telling them why you have the point of view that you do. Whether you reference studies or ratings or customer feedback, give consumers some evidence for the claim you’re making.

Advise rather than promote

The top priority of GoodBed’s Q&A Forum is to give consumers helpful answers to their mattress-related questions. So your answers should focus first and foremost on providing the most helpful response possible. Answers that are primarily promotional in nature will be removed, and gratuitous links to your products or website will be removed from your answer.

If the consumer is seeking an opinion or recommendation, you may of course provide one. And if one of your stores or products is uniquely relevant to answering the question, then by all means, you may include this information in your response. However, your answer should still be as unbiased as possible, and any positive or negative bias should be transparent to the consumer.

By building a reputation for expertise, objectivity and helpfulness, your answers will provide a powerful draw to your stores and products — without you ever needing to mention them. We like to think of this as ‘selling without selling'.

Be a good community member

You have experience in your field, and we want to give you a platform for sharing it. We respect your contribution, and we expect you to respect the contributions of other experts whose opinions may differ from yours. We encourage you to ask other respondents to provide substantiation or background information on their answers—in fact we welcome all dialogue that brings helpful information to the fore! But please keep all discussion respectful, productive, and professional. Any answers or comments that sound personal or disrespectful will be removed. And remember that you’re presenting yourself professionally—you wouldn’t shout or use rude language in a professional setting, so please observe those same standards here.

Earn a reputation for trusted advice

Winning points with a mattress shopper on GoodBed is no different than in a store. In general, consumers are looking for three things: expertise, objectivity, and compassion. You are well on your way if your answers demonstrate: a) a depth of knowledge about how to best match people with the right mattress for them, b) a focus on achieving the best possible outcome for the consumer, even if it means placing their interests ahead of your own, and c) a special attention to the unique needs and desires of each individual consumer.

The key to providing a good answer is to be as straightforward and specific as possible. Mattress shoppers tend to be rather wary and skeptical from the outset. As such, they will place a high value on answers that demonstrate obvious knowledge and objectivity while providing a clear and actionable recommendation.