The use of social media has become an integral part of most businesses nowadays. Whether or your business is on board or not, social media will have an input on its operations to a certain extent. One bad experience and your store could find itself on Buyer Beware platforms. If you know what’s best for your business, the best decision would be to get on board and try to leverage on the influence. You not only need to get on but also use them properly. Understanding how they work and how users behave on different social platforms is the trick to unlocking social media potential for your business. These tips will help your business chart their way on social media;
Understand social media
You can’t use what you don’t understand how its ways. With the broadness and diversity that comes with social media, it is almost difficult to understand how social media works. There is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, just to mention a few. Understanding one does not mean you understand the rest. However, you don’t have to.
Look at your market reach and do your research on which platform would connect with them the best. That way, you will know what to focus on. This does not mean that the other platforms can be relegated to the dustbins now. They are just as important, especially if you are looking to expand your business.
Engage your audience
Instead of throwing information at users, try talking to them. Get to engage them. It is easier and cheaper to have bots churn out pre-generated replies at users, but it won’t achieve the desired results for your business. Generate conversations with your audience and seek to understand each other. It doesn’t matter whether they are being nice or nasty to you, you can never give shut them out. Just like you wouldn’t ignore a call or mail, treat social media the same way. You can visit Ad Watcher for tips on how to keep track of your social media engagements.
Accept when you are wrong
Admitting you erred, especially in a public space, can be disastrous. It can however be not much worse than denying any wrongdoing. In accepting your mistakes, you sell yourself as human and honest, and it is much easier for your audience to forgive you. Some may even find it sweet when you admit you erred. A sincere apology will always work.
Be active
Being on social media goes beyond registering your account. Ensure you are consistent in your posts and make them as frequent as possible. Just be sure to know when it is enough. Be prompt in responding to issues, and let them know you’ll need time when you can’t respond immediately.
Take the time to listen, engage and respond. – You must have a centralized plan for actively engaging with your community.
Never ignore negative feedback
One of the biggest disadvantages of social media is that there will always be naysayers. The see-no-good type. A small problem will most likely get blown out of proportion. Such negative feedback does not always mean a negative image for the business, unless you make it. It all depends on how you handle negativity on your page. Ignoring them or blocking them is not always the best solution. Instead, reach out to them and try to resolve their complaints. If you have to, feel free to take the conversation out of social media. Give them a call, send a mail, or even invite them for a one-on-one chat.
