Using your social media wisely

More and more businesses today are using social media as a branch of advertising and marketing. The interaction that it offers is unlike any other form of media seen throughout history. The big two – Facebook and Twitter are seeing record numbers of B2C interactions every day. For some small businesses Facebook and Twitter is extremely beneficial – even if they do not have a web presence. Facebook accounts are ranking highly in Google and it is a quick and easy way to keep your customer base up-to-date with specials, trends and information about your industry.

So is it enough to just have a Facebook and Twitter account?

If you are a B2C company then one of the first steps is to create a Facebook account and start interacting with your clients and people within the industry. It is not enough to create the accounts and update sporadically; your fans will soon get bored and lose interest. Regularly interacting is imperative for your social media success. A trap that organisations often fall into with social media is giving information to fans without realising that social media is a two way street.

Interaction is not simply about posting status updates, it is about interacting with your fans by asking them questions, asking them to fill in a poll or simply asking how they are. This two-way interaction does not need to be targeted to each person (or target group) it can be something general e.g. “what do all our fans think of our daily special” – something that requires an action from the person on the other side of the screen. Of course, you will not be bombarded with responses but you will at least get an indication of the fans who are committed to your business enough to reply.

Summing up

Social media can be a great tool for businesses who dominate the web space or businesses who hold little or no web presence. Establishing yourself as an industry leader is important but you must remember that informative, industry-related comments and updates can at times be boring to fans. Mixing it up with facts, questions or polls can spark a response from your network and hold their interest in your company.