So you wanna be a marketer? Build up your company’s name? Reach your audience in a fly way? All that jazz? Well you gotta spend some serious time on social media if you want to do all of that. So just follow these tips and you just might find the success to launch your company into the hearts of consumers:
Activity is key
Want to build up your company’s reputation? Well you are going to have to maintain activity on all social media platforms your company is using. Consumers need to be updated on what your company is working on so they will pay closer attention to your accounts. As Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein have said, “the higher the social presence, the larger the social influence that the communication partners have on each other’s behavior” (61). If you really want to build a strong relationship with consumers these days then social media presence is a must. A company that maintains this presence will not only be able to maintain its consumer base, but also grow it over time. Additionally, a consumer always appreciates it when a company is actively communicating with them. It makes them feel good about their association with the company. So make your consumers believe that you care.
Loosen up
Nobody likes talking to a robot. It is therefore extremely important that when communicating with consumers that you sound like a real human being. Chat them up! Relate to them! Make them your friend! When talking to a consumer do not use “cookie cutter” responses, it just makes your company look disingenuous. You're a professional, but your consumers are everyday people and so you should treat them as such. If a consumer feels like they had a genuine human interaction with you then they are going to appreciate your company even more. So loosen up and start building that consumer/company bond!
Just be honest
Mistakes happen and if your company does, whether it be due to some error in production or some damaging information becomes public, etc. Whatever it is, own up to it. To simply deny such information will not only make your company look bad, but it may even be its ultimate undoing. Denial of a company’s mistake is much more of a public relations nightmare than the mistake itself. Who do you know that enjoys being lied to? If you want to really show that you care about the consumer just be honest with them. Remember, the consumers are the ones who decide whether your company succeeds or not, so don’t insult their intelligence.
Form like Voltron
If your company has chosen to use multiple social media platforms then please make sure all of them are being used equally and putting out the same information. Using one platform more than another neglects half of your audience and trust me, they will not appreciate it. Even though some platforms utilize different communication tools there still need to be a consistency across the board. Putting out contradictory information on separate accounts will also leave consumers in a flurry of confusion and lead to some serious cleaning up work. There is also the possibly of a need to rebuild trust between the consumer and company because how are they supposed to trust what is being posted anymore?
Choose the right platform
When targeting a certain audience it would be wise to focus your social media presence on the platform that can best reach them. You don’t want to waste your time on a platform where consumers have little interest in what your company offers. A popular platform is therefore not always the best option; just because it has a large user base doesn’t mean it has your audience on there. Instead, find one where your company matches up perfectly with your audience so you can best reach the consumers you want. The consumer will find your company dedicated specifically to them if you are actively using their platform of choice.
Don’t be like Kayne, be humble
Your company can’t just be using social media as a way to tell consumers how great it is. So don’t go posting all these achievements or how much better your company is compared to others. Consumers can sniff out an advertisement when they see one and if that is how you plan to build your company’s social media game, well it’s already game over for you. Be humble! Poke fun at some of your company’s past mistakes. Most importantly though you have to allow your consumers to talk to you. Let them voice their opinions on matters pertaining to your company. Listen to them! Doing so just might even improve your company in the long run.
Works Cited:
Kaplan, Andreas M., and Michael Haenlein. "Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media." Business Horizons 53.1 (2010): 59-68. Print.
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