We perform a lot of services for small businesses and corporations, and one of the topics that seems to come up often is social media management. If you have a business – you are conditioned that you need to have social media accounts. Everybody has the obligatory Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts. Some also use Flickr, YouTube, and other peripheral websites.
The topic in our shop that comes up is actual business usage of these websites. How many times have you visited a business Twitter or Facebook profile page only to find that it hasn’t been used in 6 months? Or has no followers or likes?
You can find Twitter and Facebook icons at checkout counters now “Find us on Facebook”, and sometimes it’s weird to think that you could find your favorite grocery store or cafe on Facebook. If you actually go there are find it’s not even used, you’ll just leave.
The thing that most businesses forget is the “social” part of social media management. If you don’t actually engage and interact with people, then it’s not useful – it’s useless. We we’re approached by a company to do social media management as part of their SEO services, we immediately ask how and why they’re going to use it. The last thing you want to do is get those accounts “because everyone has them”.
How and When to Use Social Media
Using social media in business is simple, if you’re actually going to connect with people. You have to actually give people a reason to interact. People don’t like things that are nameless and faceless, but if they can “connect” with something they like – that’s ok.
You shouldn’t use social media as a “sales page” listing products and prices, that’s not what it’s for. You could offer specials, contests, post images, videos, pictures, or events though. You can use social media to interact with people using products (the first 5 people to print this out and bring it in get a free coffee). You can encourage people to interact (like us for a chance at a $100 gift certificate).
Having a Twitter or Facebook account and wondering why you have no “likes” or “followers” is much like standing inside your business wondering why you have no customers. It’s basic sales and marketing 101, and if you don’t use it, then you lose opportunities.
How We Manage Social Media
Our social media management services determine the best ways to connect with your customers to gain exposure that turns into sales and leads (without annoying or offending people). Social media done right can be very useful – social media done wrong can make your business look bad.
Click here to learn more about our SEO Services including social media management.
