Social media is still a very confusing and superfluous concept for many. What is the point of it? Do I need it? Won’t it be easier without it? And… What on earth is a hashtag?
For most businesses today, the question isn’t why, but how. The use of social media has become wildly popular with people of all generations and the reality is your business will likely suffer without it. We aren’t picking up and scouring the Yellow Pages. We’re getting on Facebook, searching Yelp, checking our photos on Instagram and polling our friends on Twitter to find the best restaurant, automotive shop, gym, law firm, you name it. It’s great you have a website, but if you aren’t at least on Facebook, we’re moving on.
With the Internet and social media having an obvious impact on how we do business, your online presence essentially becomes your business card. In fact, it takes just seven seconds for a person to form an opinion of someone and 93% of that comes from your image. Therefore we need to be conscious of what we put out there in cyberspace for all to see.
Here are a few things to remember if you or your business is on social media:
- Remember that what you post is there…forever. You may have deleted it, but the cyberspace world saves it all.
- Be consistent! Having a vacant or underutilized social media page is just as bad as not having one at all. Make yourself a calendar item, set an alarm, do what you have to do in order to engage with your audience and keep your page up to date.
- Always respond to comments, questions and concern from your followers. Be humble, address the issue and do what you can to make it right. This, I assure you, will not go unnoticed.
- Find ways to engage with people offline. Use your social media platforms to build your real life relationships, find new customers and network.
- Get help! Social media can be overwhelming and time consuming for some. Ignoring this key business tool is not the answer. A firm like ours can step in, get you set up and keep you relevant while you remain focused on your customers and clients.
Oh, and the hashtag? It’s just a search term preceded by the # symbol. It allows you to search for common topics and start specific conversations. When you add a # to beginning of a word or phrase, you’re essentially “tagging” it. Don’t hashtag alone, let us help.
