Many small businesses are now devoting a greater amount of time and resources to increasing their social media presence, but what many may not know is that there’s a right and a wrong way that they can go about these efforts. Avoiding the latter and sticking closely to the former will help to ensure that they are successful in their attempts to reach more consumers through these channels.
There are many types of missteps that small businesses, particularly those with small staffs and thus no dedicated social media professional on payroll, can make when they approach their Twitter or Facebook accounts, and something as simple as knowing what they are can be vital to avoiding them, according to a report from Small Business Trends. One of the biggest mistakes companies can possibly make with their social media pages is spending too much time on them, and trying too hard to create an impression on too many platforms at the same time. Instead of having a Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other popular platforms and not paying as much attention to them individually, concentrating on one or two and doing as good a job as possible for both will likely go a much longer way to promote the company.
Likewise, companies will need to keep a close eye on where their posts are being received best, the report said. For instance, if they are putting numerous messages on Twitter every day and getting relatively few retweets, favorites, followers, or clicks, it might be wise to start turning attention to Facebook, if there is a little more interaction on that site. Similarly, if a company is developing videos and posting them on YouTube, but they aren’t getting a lot of views, it might be wiser to concentrate on other avenues until they are built up to more substantial levels of popularity.
In addition, if companies don’t really know what their “brand” is on a social media site, their messages may be a little too scattershot to be especially effective, the report said. It may be wise to only post messages about things in which your company is involved until you have built up a significant enough following that you feel comfortable branching out a little bit to connect with potential customers on different levels.
Communication is important
Of course, part of reaching those potential followers and customers is taking the time to deal with them on an individual basis, the report said. This is especially vital when companies have relatively few followers, as this will show businesses are willing to engage with consumers when they have questions or criticisms, and that their input is being valued. The sooner potential issues are addressed, the more likely it will be that consumers see small businesses as willing to listen or even proactive in dealing with any problems.
Finally, it’s important that companies do all they can to carefully maintain their social media pages over time, the report said. Some may allow certain pages to go weeks or even months without being updated, which can make a company look inactive or inattentive, both of which may end up costing them business by creating a potentially negative impression.
Owners who want to concentrate on expanding their social media standing may want to bring aboard workers who specialize in these areas, but doing so can be expensive. As such, it might be wise to look into ways in which they can reduce their costs for small business insurance. Cutting workers’ compensation or general liability insurance premiums with more affordable coverage can give companies lots of additional flexibility in their annual costs.
