Social media can be a tricky thing.
Initially, it seems like it would be a pretty straight forward element to manage. I mean we all have our personal Facebook and Twitter accounts, so running your business’ social media account should be more or less the same, shouldn’t it? Make awesome status updates and post a few ‘instagram-filtered’ pictures and the masses will come flocking to buy your product or service.
Maybe, but if you’re a relatively new business, chances are that’s not happening. (Just yet, at least.)
When it comes to your business accounts, there’s a very fine line between interacting with your potential clients and just being in their face with your ‘Buy Now’ messages & campaigns.
It’s super important that before you post anything on your various accounts, to stop and take a moment to think about how what you’re about to post relates to your viewers and fans.
The following Four T’s are a good place to start when it comes to doing social media the right way:
1) Transparency
Show your processes.
Let your clients in on the behind-the-scenes elements of what it is you do and show them how you work on your projects or products.
Are you a graphic designer? Show a few sneak peek screenshots of what you’re currently working on.
Are you a photographer? Share some fun shots from behind the scenes at a recent shoot you did.
Maybe you make handmade soaps? Take some shots showing the process of how you end up with your finished product.
When you let your customers see how you work, you’re presenting yourself in a much more honest way.
People do business with people.
The more you can let your personality shine through, the better the chances you’re potential client base is going to chose you over the competition who might be a little more secretive about how they operate.
2) Touchability
Be relevant to your audience.
Posting for the sake of posting is rarely a good idea, and if done enough could actually be a hindrance. Nobody wants you flooding their newsfeeds with useless information they don’t care about.
Make sure your posts are something that your followers will be interested in. If you sell handmade soaps, again for example, there’s no need to post about last nights baseball game. Those are the type of posts that lead to people not wanting to follow your page anymore.
Save things of that nature for your friends and personal accounts.
3) Tone
Just like in your day to day lives, how you say something counts just as much as what it is you’re actually saying.
I always try to stress the importance of the ‘human approach’ when it comes to your online presence. People are much more likely to listen to you and interact with you if you come across as easily approachable.
How you word your posts can greatly affect your results on interacting with your potential clients. Strive for a friendly, almost ‘conversation-like’ tone in your posts, rather than talking AT your followers. Ask questions and stay involved in the discussions.
4) Timeliness
Awkward silences exist online too.
And you know what? They may even be worse than awkward silences in person.
Consider this: A person purchases your product from your online store and after 2 weeks still has yet to receive it. They post on your Facebook wall, asking if you have any information on it, as they have yet to receive it and it was guaranteed in 5 days.
Days go by, and you still haven’t responded to the inquiry. Now not only have you angered that one person who is missing their product, but ALL of your followers can now see that you haven’t responded either.
Does this give your other potential customers confidence in purchasing with you now? Probably not.
Be diligent with your responses. After all, social media is a public forum where anyone can see when you have (or haven’t) responded.
In the long term, marketing yourself over Social Media can be a huge help to kickstarting your business. Go about it in the right way and the growth potential is endless!
