Social media has become an essential part of any business brand strategy. Facebook has been a significant player in web results and customer interaction for some time now, with Twitter hot on its heels. Other social media contenders like Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google Plus Places are coming up fast, and it is important for businesses to keep on top of the constant changes made in the social media spheres and Google ranking systems.
Social Media And Your Business
However, rankings are not the most important elements of appropriately utilising social media for your business – the customer interaction and your company’s skills in communicating effectively via the social mediums are. More and more punters are choosing to search Facebook or Twitter for a company first, even before searching for the corporate webpage, because either they already have social media open in their browser, or because they prefer to use Facebook or Twitter as a search medium.
There is a number of reasons for the general public to seek out your company on social media; perhaps they’ve had a good experience and what to ‘like’ or ‘follow’ your page, perhaps they want to find out opening hours or business details, maybe they want to post a recommendation or complaint. Whatever it is, social media is about having a conversation with your customers and your employees.
Manage Your Social Media
If somebody posts on your wall or tweets your business, make sure you reply as soon as possible, and ensure you’ve incorporated what type of language style you are going to use into your brand’s social media strategy to ensure that your response is appropriate – for example, a finance company will generally keep things professional, whereas a burger joint may be a little more casual.
Social media can also be integral in finding new employees and keeping up positive relationships with current employees. Posting new job listings on Facebook or searching for potential employees via LinkedIn are both becoming extremely common methods of employment, and potential employees will more often than not take a look at your various social media pages before an interview or opportunity. Current employees may want to become a part of your business’ social media strategy, so ensure to always be open to new ideas – your employees are your biggest advocates.
Final Words
Social media opens doors to so many new options and avenues of customer and employee interaction. Special offers, vouchers, competitions, interactive discussions, employment options, and constant feedback are simply a few of the benefits of social media.
Research shows that social platforms like Facebook and Twitter have become an integral part of any brand’s strategy, and the need to be proactive and responsive is vital. By engaging in conversation with customers and potential employees, you may be able to build up a level of trust before the person even sets foot inside your business.
Chloe works on behalf of The Right Group, based in Perth, Western Australia. The Right Group are a leading brand management consultancy specialising in brand management, organisational development and research.
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