There’s no doubt about it: Getting your social media game just right is important.
The way you handle your social media accounts will give your customers a strong impression of who you are as a small business – and the wrong impression can cost you customers.
To make sure you make the right impression, avoid these five social media mistakes:
- Not Polishing Your Profiles
Your social media profiles are the first impression customers will get of your social media presence.
Make sure your profiles are complete with all of your business contact information, a link to your website, a summary of what you do, and your tag line. Use professional and high quality images that have been re-sized and cropped to suit each platform.
Lastly, use your brand colors and logo across profiles to keep your overall look consistent.
- Forgetting Your Brand Voice
Developing and maintaining your brand voice is vital for helping your followers to form a connection with your business.
Decide on what your brand voice needs to reflect on social media: Professionalism? Humor? Warmth? Quirkiness?
Once you know your brand voice, draw up some guidelines that every staff member who posts on behalf of your small business can refer to in order to keep your brand voice consistent.
- Joining Every Platform
Yes social media matters, but that doesn’t mean you have to be on every platform. Spreading yourself too thin can lead to sporadic updates and lackluster profiles with a lack of interesting content.
As the article, “7 Best Work Advice Tips for Social You’ll Ever Receive” points out, the best strategy is to decide which platforms work best for you and your company and focus on those.
Think about where your customers are and the kind of content you want to share, and put your attention on the platforms that best match with that.
- Ignoring Comments and Complaints
Part of the beauty of social media is the way it lets you build up meaningful connections with your customers, which in turn lead to brand loyalty.
Do keep in mind that social media is a two way conversation, and your followers will expect a response when they talk to you, including (and perhaps especially) if they complain.
Respond to all comments and complaints in a professional and helpful manner, and be sure to show your customers that their feedback matters.
Let them know what you plan to do about any problems they have, and thank them for any positive feedback.
- Spamming Your Followers
Posting regular updates is important, but do be wary of spamming your customers.
Avoid updating too often; what that means depends on your platform. Tweeting five times a day can work, but posting to Facebook five times a day will annoy your followers.
As well as frequency, pay attention to content. Keep your content high quality and relevant to your customers’ interests at all times, or you run the risk of being seen as boring, and spammy.
Social media can provide a valuable boost to your small business, bringing you a loyal following and giving you the opportunity to forge a good relationship with your customers.
Pay attention to the impression you’re giving and treat your customers with respect and you’ll be well on the way to upping your social media game.
About the Author: Tristan Anwyn writes on a wide variety of topics, including branding, inbound marketing, and how to make the most of social media.