Social Media Platform For Business Success

Running frequent social media promotions has proven to be more successful than other freebies given out to customers, like coupons sent in the mail. As discussed in my blog Social Media for Business Boom, these promotions can not only be run more frequently than sending coupons, they are more whimsical and engaging form of campaigning. Running games and quizzes and offering freebies to customers on social media helps get more followers.

In this series of blogs, I am sharing ways to effectively use social media to grow your business.

If you have been following my previous articles on this subject, by now you should have a good understanding of the fundamentals. It might be wise to re-read those articles, or bookmark them to grab back whenever you encounter a subject that I have written about!

Keep Checking

Always keep checking what people are saying about you. Do a quick search to see if your company has been mentioned on Facebook, Twitter, etc. This will give you an idea about how your company is perceived in terms of its general reputation. Several users get on to social media to write about their good and bad experiences with a company and its employees. It also makes it possible for you to make improvements in your products and services, or know your strengths. There are even applications available to help you keep track of any conversation about your company across the Web.

Make Changes

Be quick in making changes in your policies and procedures to adjust with the market and demand. Quickly make amends as soon as you find a dissatisfied customer on social media. As a small business owner, you are going to face a lot of situations where your company or product will fail customer’s expectations, however, if you are quick in making up for the mistake, the customer will soon forget and might even spread a good word about your company in terms of customer service. Also, make sure what you have done for the customer is available on the web for others to see.

In an interesting example, an owner of a famous hardware store once came across an angry Twitter update from a customer who had bought a tool that broke after one use. The owner quickly made arrangements to resolved the issue by referring the customer to a store near his house and notified him of the company’s lifetime warrantee. The best point here is that he was able to catch the complaint after store hours, hence preventing negative word of mouth.

Don’t Get Defensive

A harsh rebuke of your business on social media can cause a lot of damage to your business as well as affect your livelihood in more ways than you think. I have a friend who is the owner of a vintage boutique. She privately responds to less-than-flattering reviewers and encourages them to visit her in person. While it is true that you can’t please everyone, she says, a dissatisfied customer once accused her of conducting “shady business” by trying to sway opinions in person. Yet, try your best to be nice and friendly and genuinely interested in resolving a problem or complaint.

Stay Connected

Now this is my favourite ! There is this Chinese BBQ that I know of, which operates a food cart in Los Angeles. It uses social media to help customers keep track of its latest destination. So, its Twitter followers are constantly informed of its current street location. The real-time updates help the business keep up demand, as customers line up in advance at the broadcasted locations!!

Apart from this, you may also use social media to update customers about any promotional events that you are conducting, or fests that you are participating in or have a stall at, to increase footfall.

Keep Your Eyes Open

Never miss a potential customer. A quick keyword search can help you find prospective customers who may not be aware of your company but could nonetheless benefit from your product or service. Be quick in making yourself known to them by sharing your marketing material. It is a good idea to get some professional videos done, as a part of your company’s portfolio. HyperEffects, is an expert at providing extravagant and enticing videos that will attract your potential clients. You may use social media to freely share these videos for promotional purposes or keep them ready to be sent as part of your portfolio to a potential customer.

I have also read about companies that generate 100 leads per month on Twitter by simply replying to users whose tweets include phrases that are relevant to their business.

I hope these tips help you in getting the best out of social media. I am going to share more tips in my next blog, so keep coming back!