Jeff Quinn, Negosentro | When 97 percent of customers stated they had read reviews when seeking out local businesses during 2017, it’s no longer optional to ask yourself if getting your business involved in social media would be a good idea. Even if your business is more geared towards local foot traffic, the reviews you receive on social media can still have an impact on whether or not your next customer steps through your doors. It takes no time at all for a person to do a quick search of a business or service they’re looking for online, and figure out if that business is worth going to based on what other people have said, or if they’d be better off to take a pass and spend their money elsewhere.
Social media tools like Twitter and Facebook allow people to post comments about your business that can be seen by other users far and wide. On Facebook specifically, users will be able to leave a star review and have a higher character-count allowance to type out a full testimonial of their experience. In this manner, social media becomes a powerful channel to engage with your audience and understand if your customers are having positive or negative encounters when they do business with you.
Looking at numbers alone, Facebook has 2.13 billion monthly active users and Twitter brings in about 330 million each month. Although only a small portion of those users may be the local customers you are working to target, your potential for digital word-of-mouth marketing expands exponentially with the power of social media. Beyond local traffic, your social media reputation could be the make-or-break reason as to why tourists coming through your town pay you a visit, or established locals recommend you to any newcomers. Having a long-standing social media presence that shows not only your engagement, but your influence, will keep you on the radar of your customers for the foreseeable future.
With so many modern day consumers looking to online reviews when deciding whether or not to do business somewhere, it’s obvious that small businesses need to take online reputation seriously. In a few easy steps with continued maintenance, and even partnering with an online review management service, small and medium sized business owners can proactively keep track of and build their online credibility. With the significant impact your social media reputation can have on your business, you can’t ignore the resources and tools available to help optimize your presence.
So what are you waiting for? Here are a few quick tips to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to maintain a positive influential social media presence and driving the traffic you need to increase your business.
- Don’t be afraid of all the social media platforms available, the more the merrier.
From Facebook, to Twitter, and Pinterest, and Instagram, there are a lot of ways you can be taking advantage of what social media has to offer your business. The more platforms you are on, the more you have to make sure that your content and information is updated and maintained. Mastery isn’t necessary, but a basic understanding of what each platform provides can go a long way in advancing your business goals.
- Share content across multiple platforms, but in accordance with each platform’s strength.
Do you have a company blog that you want to maximize the reach on? Make sure you are posting to all your platforms, but understand that each platform has its own special way of setting it apart from the others. Instagram is visual based, so make sure you have an enticing photo to draw viewers in. Twitter has limited character accounts, so make sure every word you use is worth it. Facebook has a lot of freedom, but gets a lot of traffic. Do what you can to stand out and consider even digital video. The more ways that people can come across your content, the better.
- Social media posts should be less formal and more human.
Don’t forget that social media was meant to be more formal and provide another means for genuine human connection. With that being said, even if you want to share your company’s latest research statistics or achievements, you want to aim to do this in a more informal way. Consider it to be different than the official text that’s on your website or white papers. Your social posts should be relatable to a number of demographics and pull them into you actual site or brick-and-mortar storefront where the real business is conducted.
Bottom Line: Your Online Social Media Reputation Matters
If you’re already familiar with the reach of social media, consider your own personal profile. Every tweet you send out or photo you post is in a way an extension of your thoughts and feelings and experiences and outlook. It’s a digital representation that other users of that social media platform can gain an idea of what you’re all about. Social media should be used wisely both in your personal and professional life, but when it comes to using social media for small business, investing in your online reputation can mean your next sale.
