If you own a business today, chances are you have some presence on social media. Depending on your business, you could be active on such sites as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or one of the many other social medial platforms popular today.
In her article, Is Your Business Social Enough, 4 Ways to Boost Engagement, Nicole Fallon Taylor writes that for businesses to get the most out of social media, they need to be engaging in meaningful conversations on social media. In other words, while businesses need to focus on broadcasting on social media, they also need to focus on engagement. If they don’t, they are missing out on establishing important connections with their target audience.
Taylor offers some tips on how to find the correct social media balance for your business so that its social media strategy is as effective as possible. For example, she urges business owners to view social media from the perspective of a consumer:
Take off your “business” hat for a moment, and think about what you, as a consumer, want from the brands you follow on social media. You’d probably be put off by a company that only shares its own links and nothing else — and so would your own customers.
Her other tips include:
- Prioritize Customer Communications: Never let a customer question or complaint go answered. If it is going to take some time to get a question answered or complaint resolved, make sure you respond and let the customer know that right away.
- Know and Own Your Brand Voice: Don’t try to be something you are not. When you are communicating with customers on social media don’t try to be too hip or too funny (unless your brand really is hip or funny). People respond best to authenticity.
- Focus on Channels that Make the Most Sense: It is always better to have a well-executed and active social media presence on one or two channels than to try to be everywhere all the time.
Social media is becoming more powerful and far-reaching by the day. That’s why just showing up isn’t enough anymore.
