Using social media creates a great opportunity for your company to really engage with consumers. Follow these tips to ensure success:
Be yourself. If all of your posts are about product features and increased sales, well, that’s kind of boring. People relate to people and honesty is encouraged. It’s alright to give your readers a sense of who you really are, even in your professional posts.
Show some enthusiasm. Why should anyone follow your blog or Twitter feed if you don’t show passion for your work through your networking? Your excitement breeds excitement within your customer base. If your posts are comical and/or thought-provoking, chances are those words will later be shared and discussed by people outside of your current readership, i.e., future customers.
Develop consistent messaging. Before you turn an army of social media evangelists loose on the world acting as the face of your company, teach them about your brand and your products. Give them a cheat sheet to use when responding to questions. Having a brand toolkit available ensures that your representatives will provide knowledgeable (and honest) answers.
Post regularly. Establish a regular and consistent posting schedule. Make sure someone is monitoring all of your social media channels no less than twice a day. Patience is a lost virtue. Don’t make your readers wait for answers.
Accept criticism. Not everyone will love what you do. Know how to respond to negative comments before you get them. Simply deleting them is not an option. Acknowledge all opinions. Explain drastic actions going on within your company that might have people on edge. Prove that your business is active and organic, growing and prepared to weather ever-changing industry climates.
Establish a social media policy in your employee handbook. Not every employee knows that posting about clients’ or proprietary company information is a bad idea. Let employees know what they can and can’t post, and that they are sure to get the ruler to the back of the hand if they stray from the rules.
