Jumping – It may be fun jumping from one social media network to the next but be careful
Some people believe it is a good idea to have an active presence on as many social media networks as possible. They believe the more networks you are part of the more people you can reach out to. This is technically true as this does increase the number of potential followers but in practice this can be harmful to your social media efforts. In an ideal world for each social media network you would have a team of people working to maintain your presence, interacting with your followers and working to get new ones. However, in reality you will be very lucky to have more than a couple of employees dedicated to the task of maintaining your social media presences. So the more networks you manage the more work for your employees and the more difficult it becomes to focus on any one network. Spread your resources too thin and you will not be-able to maintain an effective presence on any of your networks. Do not make things too complicated for yourself, keep it simple. Instead of connecting to all social networks and jumping from one to the other choose a small number and focus your efforts. It is much better to have 2 good social media network presences than having 20 okay presences. To succeed in the big world of social media it is important to have some direction and to have some form of strategy so you know who you are targeting and what you want to achieve. But any strategy is meaningless if you do not put in the time necessary to achieve your goals. The key to achieving your goals is focus, if you have too many networks to maintain you will be unable to give your followers the attention they deserve. By choosing a small number of networks you are able to focus your efforts and build an effective presence. It is important not to over extend yourself, there is nothing worse than appearing unprofessional and delaying an important response just because you were working on another network. Social media is used by your customers to contact you if they are having trouble or to complain about your service. Such contacts need to be dealt with as soon as possible and cannot sit there and wait for you to finish your work on another network. Time is of the essence and the way you deal with such issues reflects directly on you as a company. Acting in a speedy manner can turn a bad situation around or can stop a bad situation getting even worse. Your customers need your social media presence to be interactive and they expect a quick response. Think of your social media profile like a phone, if that phone rings you had better be ready to answer it because the longer it rings the more customers you will lose. So in essence the important thing to remember is to give your social media activities the attention they deserve. Have a clear strategy and focus on only the networks that are beneficial to you. Jumping between networks is ok but only if you have the resources to ensure the quality of your social media activities does not suffer. How many social media networks is too many?
How To Pick The Best
Selecting social networks for your business Businesses are investing more and more time and money into promotion, lead generation and alternate customer service on social networks. However, before putting a budget aside for social media, ensure that you’re choosing the right networks for your business. There’s no point in building a pretty house with a white fence if you’re building it in the wrong neighborhood. Social media is great and it works, but only if you’re using the right channels for your business. If you’re setting up countless accounts on all sorts of social networks without doing your homework first, you’re just wasting time. Find out where your customers are and only then you should consider joining the crowd. What are you looking for? Can Flickr drive traffic to you site? Is Twitter good for SEO? Is it worth setting up a YouTube account? Find out what’s the unique selling point of each of these major social networks and then make your decision. Also, take the time to figure out what you want to get out of it. You might want to improve your customer communication, increase your brand exposure or get more traffic to your site. Which one to choose Before you join a social network, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, ask yourself why you’re joining it and how will it help you business. What are the benefits of having a Twitter account? Are you joining because most brands are doing so, or do you really believe it will help you get what you need? If you can’t figure out how that social network can help you, just say “pass” and find move on to the next one. How much are you willing to invest? Building a presence on social networks takes time and time is money. Figure out first how much time and money you’re willing to invest in to maintaining a Facebook or a Twitter page. Is it an hour a day? Two hours a week? Fifteen minutes a month? If you’re not dedicated, you won’t be successful and it will only be a waste of your time. These are social channels and by definition you need to be social and interact with web users to build relationships and brand awareness. Don’t be just “another account” You can’t create an account and just leave it at that and expect your brand to become famous. You have to work for it! If you set up a Twitter or a Facebook account, then you need to update is constantly, interact with people, share useful resources and respond to other users’ posts. On any social networks, you’re expected to do something. Otherwise, you’re just “another account” that no one is going to want to follow because it’s no fun.
Top six tweets and Facebook updates of 2011
If you follow us on Twitter or check our updates on Facebook, you’ll have seen us post lots of interesting stories and links this year. In typical ‘review of the year’ fashion, we’ve trawled back to bring you six of our updates that were most shared or retweeted: Don’t make it easy for burglars! You might enjoy using social media services to keep friends appraised of your every move, but are you unwittingly helping burglars target your home? This useful infographic shows the risks you’re taking. Read more > Making WordPress run faster. Thousands of our customers use WordPress to build their website. But if your WordPress site is slow, how do you fix it? Here are some great tweaks and changes to speed up your WordPress install. Read more > How not to get a job. This classic has little to do with what we do and even less to do with the internet and building websites. These cringeworthy tales of botched job interviews might or might not be true, but they’re still entertaining. Read more > Google’s secret weapon against Twitter and Facebook. So far the search giant’s attempts to make a splash in the world of social media have had limited effects. But wait, has one musician demonstrated the power of Google+? Read more > It’s time for hackers to get hacked. Tired of being targeted by persistent hacking attempts, some firms are now fighting back, with tools and techniques designed to disrupt hackers and divert them into dead ends. Read more > Good News from Nominet The .uk registry is making it easier for you to grow your brand and business for the long-term from 2012. From May, Nominet will allow you to lock in your .uk domain for up to 10 years and we’ll be including the same in our order and renewal processess. Read more > What are the best articles, content or pieces of information you’ve discovered through social media this year? Let us know in the comments. Oh – and follow us on Twitter and Facebook if you want to see more of the same.
Ecommerce on Facebook
Developing a strategy that sells goods, services and brand How to generate revenue from Facebook. Facebook is the world’s largest social network. Today brands are investing more and more money on this platform in order to attract new clients and generate revenue. Nowadays, the success of a company is no longer measured by the numbers of fans it has on Facebook, but by the number of people from that database that are generating revenue. However, social networks should not be used to sell, but to influence the intent to buy. There are a lot of e-commerce tools available on Facebook that companies can use to facilitate the purchase of products and services and create a one of a kind shopping experience for its customers. Facebook can be a powerful sales vehicle for those who know how to take advantage of its features. Listen The first step to creating social revenue is to listen to your customers. Monitor constantly what they’re saying about your company and don’t hesitate to interact with them when you feel it’s necessary. Social media plays an important role in purchase decision making these days and that’s because people search for information on products and services on forums and social networks. Users trust reviews of your products written by other people and are more likely to buy it if the reviews are positive. Today, word-of-mouth is more influential than ever. Create a one of a kind user experience You managed to get users to visit your page and become fans. But they can very easily unlike your page, so how can you get them to stick around? As a business, you can take advantage of the various APIs available on Facebook that can help you create a unique ecommerce experience for your fans. Some of the most important are Share, Like and Reviews (fans can comment on your products or services and then forward it to their friends; this can lead to more product views and can ultimately generate sales). The great thing about Facebook – and social media in general – is that your message can reach your members and then it can also reach the friends of your members, through friend suggestions. The impact is more powerful and the opportunities endless. Guarantee an easy purchasing process No matter if clients are purchasing directly from your website or from Facebook, they need to be reassured that the purchasing process is simple, secure and can be completed within minutes. However, Facebook provides some extra features that support “online window shopping” and these allow a client to purchase a product directly from the company’s Facebook page, without even having to visit its website. Companies can also integrate a payment system on Facebook for clients to use when paying for a product. Measure results Companies can use Facebook Insights – the platform’s internal tracking system – to track results. You can also get insights on your fans – such as age, location, etc, which can help when preparing marketing campaigns for Facebook. This tool can complement the web tracking systems you might already be using, such as Google Analytics. Run social campaigns Aside from these, you can also run various social campaigns on Facebook to generate revenue. For example, you can run contests with prizes in order to promote your products and also share posts with the promotions and special offers that you have in your store, such as “deal of the day”. Consumers are spending more and more of their time online, especially on Facebook, so it’s important for companies to focus on clever ways to market products and encourage people to purchase.
Dealing with negative comments
Turning criticism to a positive Every company, big or small, is dealing with negative online reviews or posts from customers. It’s impossible to make every customer happy. However, it’s about how you manage to turn those negative comments in to opportunities. If you run scared, you will not only lose that client, but also those potential clients that have read the negative review about your company. The power of social media makes a company more vulnerable than ever. If a user writes a negative comment on the web – whether it is on Twitter, Facebook or on a forum – it influences other people that read it and it hurts your reputation. So, how can you deal with negative feedback and, at the same time, create an opportunity out of it? Don’t wait too long You know what they say – news travels fast, and tweets even faster. With tens of tweets being shared per minute, it’s important to address right away any negative comment that comes your way. The more you wait, the more the number of people who get to see the comment increases. A lack of response on your part might as well be considered indifference and it can really damage your reputation. If you respond quickly, it will show people that your are listening and that you care about your clients. If you also manage to solve the client’s problem, it will prove your dedication and you will gain respect from your clients. Apologise but don’t overdo it “Customer is always right” – you know this rule. If a customer is complaining about one of your products, start by apologizing even though he might not be right. You’re actually apologizing because the client is unhappy with your product. Also, saying you’re sorry means that you’re listening. In a follow up, ask the client what you can do to improve it. It will show that you care and want to do your best to provide the best product on the market. Reply publicly, then handle it privately If the client has written a public negative comment, you should reply publicly as a first step, and then communicate in private. If you go directly to private messaging, other people won’t know that you’re trying to solve the problem. Reply with a tweet/ comment to their post and then send a private message asking for details on the issue they’re having. Encourage feedback and show your appreciation Look at negative feedback as an opportunity to improve your products or services and make them better. Your clients should know what you welcome any type of feedback, negative or positive, and that they’re being heard. Tell them that you appreciate their suggestions and that you will consider implementing them so that they can enjoy an even better product or service. And don’t leave it at that – forward those suggestions to the product team and see if and how they can implement it. Is it worth it? When dealing with a negative comment, take a moment to find out who that person is. Is he constantly writing bad things with no real value on his wall in an attempt to get reactions? Maybe he’s just an attention-seeker. In this case, you can write a tactful reply without the need to follow up.
Customer service on Social Media
Using social media to help your clients Is there anybody out there? Today, in such a competitive landscape, being customer-driven is what can really differentiate a company from others of its kind. A company’s reputation can rise thanks to excellent customer service, but it can also be destroyed if no one’s there to listen and help. The voices of the customers are more powerful and influential than ever and their comments can spread virally in a matter of minutes. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn make it so easy for customers to get in touch with companies. It’s easier than ever. The difference is that, thanks to these mass communication tools, now it’s the customers who decide where, how and when they want to interact with the companies. And when they decide to do so, you’d better be there to listen. There are companies that constantly engage with their customers to gain insights on how they can improve their products and services. And then, there are companies that only use social media exclusively to push products. There are companies that provide quality support fast. And there are companies that only reply to good feedback and don’t know how to react when negative comments are coming their way. The purpose of this article is to help you understand how you can use social media not to replace your current customer support department, but to complement it and increase your customer satisfaction. Go where your customers are Find out where your customers are and what they are saying about you. A simple way to do so is to Google your company’s name and then go through the results. You might find them talking about you on blogs, forums, on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and so on. Join the conversation and try to help those clients who are having difficulties using your products. Don’t pretend you are not working for a company just to make a good comment about it because they might figure it out and it will only make matters worse. Your goal is to find out why the client is unhappy and provide him with a solution. In the end, you might be able to turn that bad experience into a good one and even save the customer relationship. You might also get some positive reviews after that, which will help your company’s reputation. What online tools to use to provide support to clients Here are just a few online tools that you can use to get in touch with your customers and provide support: Forums Blogs RSS feeds Email newsletters YouTube Twitter Wiki Facebook How to measure the success of your efforts You are investing time and money into this, so make sure you also evaluate the results of your efforts. Are the number of calls to the customer support department decreasing? Are you getting a lot more positive feedback? Are the number of complaints decreasing? Are clients’ enquiries being handled faster? You can also send an online survey to your customers through Twitter or Facebook and ask them if they’re happy with the support they receive or what else you can do to improve it. They’ll appreciate being listened to. Make use of these amazing tools to listen to your clients and help them every time they’re asking for your support. Being there for your customers will prove you are a reliable, trustworthy and dedicated company that respects its clients. You can start today with a simple question: “How can we help you today?”
Buying fans and followers?
Think again if you want to build a business What’s the point? Sure, you can buy bulk fans and followers but that’s all there is. You will pride yourself with the enormous number of accounts (!) following your timeline but how many of them will ever read a line you write. What are the odds that any of them will reply to one of your posts, share it with their friends, talk about your business or buy one of your products? Close to zero. You can invest a lot of your time into writing unique content and then sharing it on your social media accounts. But then you might be disappointed to discover your paid fans or followers have no interest in what you’ve spent hours working on. Genius! If you’re paying money for a person, you know that that person is not really interested in your business. They will NEVER visit your website, recommend you to their friends or try your services. They are just there because you paid them to be. Connect with people that are interested Try to find those people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer and treasure the ones who already prove that they care. Make the effort to connect to as many people as you possibly can and ensure that they’re keeping an eye on you. Share original content, ask people questions, listen to them and then talk. When you buy people, you only get to talk because no one is actually listening. How to find them Finding people that are interested in your brand is easy if you are able to create a unique experience that they can’t find anywhere else. Consider running contests to show appreciation to the ones that are already your fans. They will spread the word and other users will want to be part of your community. A contest is a perfect approach to building exposure and getting people to talk about you. However, make sure the contest is targeted because if you offer a free iPhone in exchange for a Like, you might find that you’re home alone once the contest is over. Instead, offer them an experience that they want to be part of. If you start your social media journey by buying people, you will get no results and end up wondering what’s the big fuss. On the other hand, you can attract those interested people by: Publishing original content Running contents that require them to get involved other than clicking a Like button Interact with them on different topics Ask questions Get to know them online Organise events to meet them offline All you have to do it get them to want to be your fans or followers. When you’re building a brand with a playful and interesting personality, people will definitely want to at least stop by and say hello. Now that the ball is in your court, engage them and get the conversation going.
Applying Social Media Practices
How to integrate social media into your business Any business, regardless of its domain of activity, has to adapt to change. Nowadays, this means shifting to online because that’s where customers are spending most of their time. Social media has become vital for business owners, especially when they’re running important marketing campaigns. It’s an incredibly powerful tool for business promotion. No matter the size of a business, it’s important to know how to take advantage of this mass based communication – called Social Media – that brings so many benefits. To help you start and integrate social media into your business, here are a few simple steps that you can follow. Start with research Almost every campaign can be promoted through social media, but first you need to take the time to learn some of the things about the social media tools available and see which ones you would most benefit from. Aside from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – which are the most popular – you can also look for groups where people usually interact. Find those groups where people would be interested in the products or services that you offer. Read what people are writing, observe and then get in to the conversation. Consider your approach The way you approach people is extremely important. No one likes aggressive sales agents that only talk about their product in a desperate attempt to make a sale. On the web, people can easily ignore your message if they realise you’re only trying to sell a product. Therefore, you should mainly focus on engaging with people and building relationships. Once you’ve managed to gain their trust, it will be easier to mention your products. Give them “something” If you want people to “Like” your Fan page or “Follow” you on Twitter, give them a reason to do so. Most web users won’t stick around unless you give them something: an irresistible offer, a discount, a free e-book, a limited offer. They need to know what’s in it for them once they hit the “Like” button on your Facebook page. Find out what would make a great offer and give it to them. Get them to spread the word Word-of-mouth advertising works amazingly well on social media. If your product is innovative, clients will want to tell their family and friends about it and they have all the tools to do so very easily. On the other hand, you have to be careful about what your product promises because if clients discover it’s worthless, they will ensure everybody knows about it. Social media for marketing campaigns Once you’ve gathered a satisfactory fan base, you can start putting together and running marketing campaigns. Make them creative enough so that your fans and followers want to share it right away. At the same time, take advantage of the attention and interact with them as much as possible. Include your employees Social media is even more powerful when the employees of your company take part in your efforts. Encourage them to participate so that the public feels privileged to be part of such a great and united community group. However, take them through an online etiquette training first to ensure no one says something that could harm your company’s image. Social media is an incredible tool to promote your business if you’re willing and patient enough to learn its ways. Take a look at what other companies do and see what would work for you. This is the first part of 26 articles that will run every Monday and Wednesday on the 123-reg blog over the next 13 weeks. Don’t forget to read them all and move your business to the next level in terms of social media.