Being Social – Is Your Business Doing Enough?
Having outstanding online presence is important and an obvious need for your business. We all know that businesses need a presence on Google+, Facebook, and as many online/social platforms as possible. However, if your page is just sitting dormant, it is really getting the job done for you? How important is it to be communicating and taking advantage of your online social relationships with customers? Even though answering customer questions and responding to reviews are vital aspects of social media pages, there’s more to it than that!
- What’s in it for me?
That’s a question that many customers ask themselves before following a company’s social media pages. If the customer is going to “like” or “follow” your page, but never receive updates or deals, they may realize it has little value to them. When you create your social pages and gain followers, be sure to meet their needs! Let them not only find basic business information, but also helpful hints pertaining to your line of business. If you are running any current deals or specials, post about it to drive business, and allow your customers to receive the discount. Give your online followers a reason to follow you and be glad they did! - Allow customers to get to know you.
Post things that are useful to your business and industry, but also let them get to know your funny personality! Don’t be afraid to post something funny every so often, and add a little flair to your page. (Remember, don’t post about anything controversial that will reflect negatively on your business.) Remember, this isn’t a personal page. Anything you post on your business social pages will be a direct reflection of your business. You can be funny, but keep it friendly and professional! If you have pictures of your employees working or having fun at work, post them! If your customers see that you are friendly and personable, they are more likely to trust your business. Make yourself and your employees come across as personable, and let the followers see that you are real people, and not just a call center! - Don’t be a stranger.
It’s important to not post everyday and annoy your followers, but it’s just as important to not limit posts to every few months. A happy place to be, is posting 1-2 times each week. This reminds customers that you’re still around and willing to help. Remember, the social media pages can be a huge benefit to you and your business, so don’t neglect them! - Respond to customer posts.
When a customer leaves you a review, positive or negative, be sure to respond! You don’t have to respond with anything long or elaborate, just enough to thank them or let them know that you’re available to fix any issues. Don’t stop at reviews, though! Respond to all posts on your social media pages. If someone posts a question, write back as quickly as possible. Be sure to read the responses to your posts, because some customers will write questions or important information there, even if it doesn’t pertain to the specific post. - Use images.
I mentioned this briefly above, but people love to see photos of your work. Whether you post before and after photos, or photos of your employees or office, it’s nice for customers to see images on your page. This helps to spruce the page up and make it more interesting for your customer to look at!
You don’t have to be a social media guru to run a professional, organized social page for your business. Don’t stress about your social pages, but do keep them updated and looking nice. Be responsive to your customers, and make sure you’re aware of the picture you’re painting of your business through your social pages. Keep these tips in mind and take full advantage of the free advertising that is social media!
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!