Get the Inside Scoop on Social Media Best Practices
It’s not uncommon these days to see businesses using a chunk of the marketing budget to go toward social media. Social media platforms can be a huge investment for businesses to engage with existing customers, but also reach new, potential customers. However, a word of caution. It’s simply not enough to put up a business Facebook Page or set up a Twitter account. You need to be involved. If you’re not creating engaging content, responding to your customers, etc, it will cost you business.
There are several best practices that will put you at the top of your social media game and ensure that you are indeed marketing your brand effectively.
Post a Variety of Content
Don’t ever let your content go stale. You should routinely be posting a variety of content to your social media pages. This can come in the form of company news, promotions, community events, industry-specific posts, etc. As well as posting, engage with your customers. It’s a two way street - not only do you need to post, but you have to interact as well. Answer customer questions, be willing to solve problems, and be a friendly face.
Don’t Be Silent, Be Responsive
Always, ALWAYS respond to your customers. People love to give their opinions and have their voices be heard. This doesn’t mean you have to agonize about crafting a well-worded response to every single person. Sometimes it’s as easy as liking a comment or a tweet. Other times, a one or two sentence comment is appropriate. Bottom line, don’t be shy. Responding to your customers will set you apart from your competition. And please don’t forget about the negative comments that come your way. Those should always be addressed as soon as possible to resolve the situation.
Time is of the Essence
Social media is pretty much about instant communication. You shouldn’t wait any more than 48 hours to respond to a comment or question (24 is preferred). Responding quickly will let people know that you care about your business and what they have to say, whether good or bad.
Don’t Forget to Have Fun
Social media is all about communicating with your customers directly, so don’t be afraid to have a bit of fun with it. Customers love to engage in fun, light-hearted content. This doesn’t mean that is all you have to post. Some industries such as healthcare and banking might need to take a more serious route, but that isn’t to say that you can’t throw in some fun commentary every now and then.
Social media is a very powerful marketing tool, so don’t let it go to waste. It’s a great way to engage your customers in conversations and build some long standing relationships.