9 Ways to Make Social Media Work for Your Business

Social MediaAs a business law attorney, I enjoy assisting my Wisconsin and Minnesota clients with their business startups. I help them choose the proper business entity, draft their operating documents, ensure their compliance with applicable laws and regulations, etc.  But once the business is up and running, I find they often lack experience on how to market their business for continued success.

For instance, it is impossible to run a business these days without having some presence on social media channels. All of your customers are out there, many of whom are speaking about your company. Are you meeting those customers where they are? Are you on the right social media channels? If you are, are you sure you are marketing yourself correctly? Are you ensuring that you are protecting your business while building brand engagement and customer loyalty?

One of my colleagues, a content marketing consultant, recommends that business owners check their efforts against these 9 tips to make sure their social media efforts are benefitting their businesses.

3 Things to Know

  1. Audience. Who is your main audience for your products or services? Once you know your audience, you can then choose which social media platforms are best suited for your needs.
  2. Goals. You should set goals for your social media marketing efforts. For instance, how will you measure success? Knowing your goals will help you define your actions.
  3. Voice. You have a brand voice. Do you know what it is? Can everyone posting to your social channels on your behalf emulate that voice? Clearly define your voice so you can provide consistency and build familiarity with your audience.

3 Things to Do

  1. Be active. The worst thing you can do is create social media profiles that you then completely ignore. Make sure you post regularly and that you remain engaged with your audience. Respond to comments, “like” other posts, “retweet” posts you enjoy, etc. The more engaged you are, the more engaged your audience will be.
  2. Be real. You have a brand voice. You have personality. Use both of those to create a social profile that people want to follow. And remember to keep the jargon and commercialism out of your posts. Write as you would speak to a customer in person—colloquially and friendly.
  3. Listen. A successful social media profile involves active engagement as well as the art of listening. Listen to what others are saying—your customers, your competitors, industry influencers, and more. The more you listen, the more you will have to say in return, and the more you will engage on timely topics that others will want to hear about.

3 Things to Avoid

  1. Over promotion. Followers on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms want to hear from you and learn more about you. That does not mean they want to read promotion after promotion and view ceaseless advertisements about your products or services. To keep your customers following your profiles, stick to the 80-20 rule. Eighty percent of the time you should be posting about things that have absolutely nothing to do with a specific product or service. The other 20 percent of the time, you can talk about your business, keeping direct sales comments to a minimum.
  2. Ignoring complaints. Social media users see these platforms as yet another customer service channel. If they go online to raise a concern or express a complaint, you need to respond. Don’t be afraid to say sorry, but do not harp on that, either. Instead, show that you are listening and that you would like to speak with the unhappy customer directly to improve the situation. Properly responding to complaints on social media is simply smart reputation management.
  3. Making promises. An experienced risk manager will tell you that you should never make blanket statements or make promises on social media. Doing so will result in an over-reliance by your customers on that promise or statement, which could result in your inability to deliver, which then opens up the potential for legal disputes. Always monitor the statements and responses you are putting out on your social channels.

A New Year’s Resolution: Assign Someone the Role of Social Media Manager

If you do not have someone in charge of your social media efforts, perhaps the New Year is the perfect time to consider putting someone in that position. And if you are uncertain as to how your social media marketing efforts can affect everything from your liability to your bottom line, speak with an experienced business attorney.

Photo Credit: Jason Howie (some rights reserved)