For some business owners, managing the company’s social media presence is just another one of a
I need help with my social media marketing!
million tasks that must be completed during the course of a business day. They are comfortable with the various social media platforms, they enjoy interacting with their customers online and they are able to carve out enough time to build a strategy and maintain a consistent presence. This is great for the few who can manage it. However, managing a company’s online presence requires a lot of time, energy and some pretty tough skin; in other words, it may not be for everyone. Here are a few points to consider that may indicate it’s time to hand over the laptop.
- There is no plan, no strategy, you’re just there. You set up a Facebook account because, that is the thing to do. You have some nice pictures on the page, and you even post a few witty comments every so often. This is a great start, but there’s a lot more work to do. First, it’s imperative that you know exactly who your customers are. Identifying your current (and potential) customers is key to developing a targeted marketing strategy. You also need to know which social media platform your customers are most likely to frequent and when is the best time to engage with them.
- You can’t take negative feedback. You’ve created a kick ass business with the best food, service or product this side of the moon and whoa to anyone who dares to say otherwise! The only way to ensure your business is immune from negative reviews or comments is to close shop. Being able to divorce yourself from the need to have everyone love everything your business produces is a must. A quick, heartfelt response that attempts to rectify an unpleasant experience, can turn an unhappy customer (with a large social network) into a loyal, happy customer with friends (who also have large social networks). Ignoring your social reviews and comments is a no, no, that should not even be an available option. That goes for the positive as well as the negative reviews.
- You don’t like social media and think it’s a waste of time. It amazes me that everyone isn’t as crazy about social media as I am. For me, it’s right up there with sex and chocolate (not necessarily in that order). But that is not the case of everyone. If you don’t enjoy learning about the newest Twitter change, or Google+ update, and you don’t care if you’re among the first chosen to get a new roll out, you may want to find someone who is to manage your online presence. If you find someone who is knowledgeable and passionate about social media marketing, you probably have someone who will do a great job managing your company’s brand and image.
- You don’t have time to be committed to a consistent social media schedule. I recommend devoting at least 15 minutes a day to monitoring, updating and analyzing your company’s social media presence. Also, at least 30 minutes a week should be devoted to learning about platform updates, trends, and policy revisions. You want to get optimum results from your social media marketing efforts, so it’s important to know how to effectively utilize all of the tools available on your social media platform(s) of choice. A good social media strategist is on top of all of the revisions and trends that affect multiple platforms and can effortlessly find ways to work them in your company’s favor.
This is my short list of indicators, I’m sure there are more! If you think of anything I missed, please let me know. I welcome your comments!
River City Social Media 