Social media platforms are a powerful avenue for business growth. There are numerous business objectives that can be met through these platforms, from improving customer engagement and brand recognition, to improving retention and conversion rates. However, their power has to be harnessed correctly in order to see big results. In this article, we’re going to cover some of the best practices in social media management for businesses in the Naperville area.
1. Quick Responses
Being quick to respond on social media is extremely important if you want to get the most out of this marketing strategy. According to a study conducted by Millward Brown, 53% of customers who reach out to a company via Twitter expect a response in less than an hour, with 72% of them expecting this type of rapid response if they have a complaint.
2. Full Organization Engagement
Communication is easier than ever, and reaching out to an expert in a certain field or department can be done quickly and painlessly. This is why it makes sense to have a company-policy that allows social media managers to communicate with experts across different departments in order to address customer issues more meaningfully.
3. Share Positive Feedback
When you receive positive feedback for your products, services, or after solving a specific customer issue, make sure that you share that feedback—both through your social media channels, and internally. Positive feedback is a great motivator, and it helps encourage your team to be even more involved in delivering quality products and services.
4. Be Proactive with Your Posts
When you first begin your social media marketing campaign, you will inevitably have to post “in the dark”, so to speak. You will have no data about your user base. However, as your posts build up, and as you see how they reach people at different times of the day, you can start gathering information about which messages have the greatest impact on your audience. Gathering and analyzing this information is the cornerstone of effective social media management.
5. Engage in Conversation
Social media provides a unique opportunity to truly engage with your followers. Conversations are much more effective than advertising, especially when targeting people in younger demographics. This can range from offering customer support, to creating contests on social media, participating in AMAs (ask me anything), and engaging with influencers to spread your reach.
6. Make Use of Tools
There are numerous free tools out there that can make your job easier, from post-schedulers, to the social media platforms’ built-in analytics tools. All of these can help you increase the effectiveness of your work over time by removing repetitive tasks and providing you with the information you need to grow your reach.
7. Set Goals and Iterate
An iterative approach will help you understand which techniques and methods work best for your stated business goals. For example, let’s say you want to increase exposure and engagement for your blog, which is meant to provide valuable content and convert top of the sales funnel users. In this case, you can split your efforts into four-week segments, and at the end of every four weeks, you should try a new way, or a slightly different approach to reaching a certain engagement goal. Over time, you will be able to use compounded tactics and reach business goals at a higher ROI.
If you are interested in learning more about social media management in Naperville, or if you would like to outsource this aspect of your online marketing efforts, contact us today. We would be happy to help you develop an effective long-term social media strategy that will help your business flourish.