Effective social media involves more than making regular posts. Although these are extremely important, there are a number of other tasks that small businesses should perform on a regular basis to keep your followers happy.
Check Social Media Profiles
As mentioned previously, social media is not a set it and forget it strategy. Even if your plan dictates that you will send two tweets each week, you still need to log on to your Twitter account each day to see what’s going on. Have you added followers? Have people retweeted your messages? Are there any comments? Keeping a close eye on your account activity allows you to respond immediately to any user interactions and helps you adapt to any changes. For example, you will know if your Twitter account is attracting an unusual amount of attention and can react accordingly.
Respond to Direct Interactions
It is vital that you respond to direct interactions from your followers. If someone has taken the time and effort to engage with you and your business, it is only polite (and good business) to respond quickly. Interactions might include Facebook messages, posts to your Facebook wall, Twitter direct messages (DMs) and Twitter @replies.
Even if you don’t want to respond to a post (for example, a bad product review), it is important that you show your appreciation for their initiative in reaching out to you. Responding to, rather than ignoring, negative posts also gives you the opportunity to demonstrate to the community your customer service skills and your willingness to learn from criticism.
Find New Followers
Small businesses can be proactive when it comes to finding new followers. One way to accomplish this is to find Twitter profiles of your industry’s authority figures. Follow that person’s followers and they may automatically follow you back, thereby increasing the number of followers you have.
Adding connections on LinkedIn is another way to find new followers. Review your existing connections to find other people (their connections) with whom you would like to connect. You might also consider joining and participating in LinkedIn Groups that are relevant to your business and target audience.
Search for Branded Terms
A brief search for your business’s branded phrases can help you find conversations between people that you are not yet connected with. This could involve someone leaving an unsolicited review or someone seeking clarification about one of your products or services. If you can find these mentions online, you can proactively respond to potential followers and potential clients.
Implementing A Small Business Social Media Strategy: Hiring A Social Media Manager
Check Social Media Profiles
As mentioned previously, social media is not a set it and forget it strategy. Even if your plan dictates that you will send two tweets each week, you still need to log on to your Twitter account each day to see what’s going on. Have you added followers? Have people retweeted your messages? Are there any comments? Keeping a close eye on your account activity allows you to respond immediately to any user interactions and helps you adapt to any changes. For example, you will know if your Twitter account is attracting an unusual amount of attention and can react accordingly.
Respond to Direct Interactions
It is vital that you respond to direct interactions from your followers. If someone has taken the time and effort to engage with you and your business, it is only polite (and good business) to respond quickly. Interactions might include Facebook messages, posts to your Facebook wall, Twitter direct messages (DMs) and Twitter @replies.
Even if you don’t want to respond to a post (for example, a bad product review), it is important that you show your appreciation for their initiative in reaching out to you. Responding to, rather than ignoring, negative posts also gives you the opportunity to demonstrate to the community your customer service skills and your willingness to learn from criticism.
Find New Followers
Small businesses can be proactive when it comes to finding new followers. One way to accomplish this is to find Twitter profiles of your industry’s authority figures. Follow that person’s followers and they may automatically follow you back, thereby increasing the number of followers you have.
Adding connections on LinkedIn is another way to find new followers. Review your existing connections to find other people (their connections) with whom you would like to connect. You might also consider joining and participating in LinkedIn Groups that are relevant to your business and target audience.
Search for Branded Terms
A brief search for your business’s branded phrases can help you find conversations between people that you are not yet connected with. This could involve someone leaving an unsolicited review or someone seeking clarification about one of your products or services. If you can find these mentions online, you can proactively respond to potential followers and potential clients.
Implementing A Small Business Social Media Strategy: Hiring A Social Media Manager
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