How to Use Social Media to Your Advantage

In the past there were many ways to be successful in a business. Now social media is one of those key factors in order to help grow a company. When a consumer wants to learn more about a company, they research the company through the internet to read reviews and receive feedback from other consumers. With this in mind, companies looking to grow are teaming up with social media to help. Of course, in order to be a successful company with the use of social media you will need to do more than just send out a few posts on their Facebook wall. In order to be effective with social media the following should be considered.

Engaging with your customers is a huge factor when it comes to social media. According to Trish Forant author of 10 Social Media Best Practices for Brand Engagement, the general phrase Follow Back and Interact deals with interaction between your consumers. When you follow back with someone it shows that you are interested in what they have to say, which can result in a positive outcome. Your company becomes more popular when there is more communication.

Another important aspect to keep in mind is Keep the Social in Social Media. This statement can be hard for some companies because you want to get the word out about your company however you need to be aware of your consumer and still keep their attention. With this in mind, get creative with your posts but still have them relate to your company. You will lose customers if you are constantly trying to get them to “Like” your post, or sell them something.

An additional thought when it comes to posting and tweeting is Setting the Tone. Of course the consumer does not hear your voice to determine if you are serious, but they will be confused if you post something serious one day and a joke another. If your company is fun and casual then your tweets should give off that vibe to emphasize the nature of the company. You want to always have the company culture in the back of your mind when you are using social media.

They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words. They want to get the main idea without reading the whole article. Same thing goes with short posts versus never ending posts. Keep it short is the key when using social media. The whole point why people use social media is to find some information about a topic and to get a few key points. You will lose the customer’s interest if you have an extensive post. Social media is meant for quick little blurbs that get the main point across to the reader.

As mentioned earlier it is important to interact and stay social with others. It is also important to not Over Post and blow up your consumer’s newsfeed. If you are constantly posting and coming across as pushy, the consumer is more likely to unfollow you or block your posts. Consumers do not want to be bombarded with posts from the same company about similar topics. It makes sense to tweet throughout the day but try to get creative and have it relate to something that is happening at that moment.

Brian Solis author of 14 Best Practices for Long-Term Social Media Success states that social media is also a great tool to engage in Customer Service. You will have customers who will reach out to you through social media and it may not always be positive. Of course all companies only want positive feedback posted on their social media portals, but it is important to address the negative reactions. When responding to the undesirable issues it shows that you are willing to take criticism and hopefully resolve the issue with the customer.

Every business can succeed with the help of social media; it is just a matter of how to use social media to one’s advantage. It is vital to always stay social with those who engage with you throughout all the social media outlets. Keep in mind customers use social media for pleasure, therefore you should engage with that mentality.

Photo credit: Jason Howie

Natalie Chrapla is the Marketing Coordinator of Automated Business Designs, Inc., software developer of Ultra-Staff staffing software for the staffing and direct hire industry. Ultra-Staff is a staffing software business solution with components for front office, back office and the web. Natalie’s email address is Natalie.Chrapla@abd.net or for more information on Ultra-Staff go to www.abd.net.