Apropos of my recent blog about good manners in business, I cannot stress enough to you the importance of treating your social media accounts as conversations; which means they're two-way streets. A golden opportunity to connect with your customers - the people who can make or break your bottom line. If your business has chosen to participate in social media as part of the marketing mix, read on...
If you ran a cafe and a customer complimented you on your coffee to your face, the chances are you wouldn't turn your back on them or stare vacantly into space, hoping they'd just go away. Unless you honestly didn't hear on account of the busy coffee machine, you'd almost definitely respond favourably; with a smile and some form of gracious verbal response. Heck, you might even throw in a free muffin. And who doesn't like free baked goods?
The same principle should apply to the way you run your social media accounts. If a customer (prospective or current) takes the time to respond to a post or indeed, produces a post on their own feed or on their stories, the absolute minimum course of action should be to 'like' their comment, post or story. It makes conversational sense and most importantly, it's just good manners.
Nobody likes the sound of white noise and nobody wants to feel as if they're talking into a vacuum.
Here's six ways you can up your social media game today:
One gold star: at minimum, you should be liking a comment made on a post in your feed (obviously if it's positive...if it's negative and it doesn't appear to be coming from a bot, you may need to take this one offline with the person making the comment). Even if it's a simple emoji, you should aim to like the comment. After all, the more interactions made on your post, the better the engagement and the more likely that more eyeballs will see your content...
Two gold stars: like a post or story that another account has tagged you in. It's good manners and it shows that you've seen the post and you appreciate the shout out.
Three gold stars: respond to a comment made on a post in your feed. Remember, they're speaking to you through the power of socials. You need to respond. Nobody responds well to a virtual blank face.
Four gold stars: like AND comment on a post that you were tagged in. This person or business has not only admired your business from afar, but they've taken it a step further to give you a virtual pat on the back. A simple thank you goes a long way here.
Five gold stars: if you're tagged in a story by another account and the story fits your brand and/or proposition, share it to your stories. It shows that you're watching and listening.
Six gold stars: can you imagine the buzz if one of your loyal followers were to receive a random, favourable comment on their feed in response to one of their posts? It's a virtual surprise and delight strategy that can only reinforce and perhaps even elevate the goodwill they have for your brand. It's a surefire way of converting your followers into loyalists and best of all, it costs nothing but a little time and effort.
Despite the influx of brilliant social media scheduling tools on the market, social media should never be a 'set and forget' activity. By taking the time to read, respond and proactively converse, you'll 'humanise' your brand by showing that you truly care about those who care enough to engage with your painstakingly crafted content in the first place.
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