Social Media can be one of the best content marketing and community management tools for your business.
In order for it to be an asset it needs to be managed appropriately, community management of your social media pages is no part time job!
How to successfully manage your social media community
1. Respond to comments & messages in a timely manner
Social media is another way for potential customers to communicate with you through. With eight out of ten of people on social media in Australia, it is no surprise that it is many individuals preferred method of communication with businesses. If you are giving people the option to communicate with you via social media then you need to respond to comments and methods in a timely manner otherwise it can reflect poorly and soon get out of hand.
2. Respond professionally to negative reviews
Firstly, there are no such thing as negative reviews! Negative reviews offer you insights as to where you can improve. There are always some negative reviews which you may not agree with but by responding to them professionally you can potentially turn this person’s opinion of you around, or others who are reading the review. Most people understand that mistakes can be made but it is how you respond to these mistakes or negative reviews that may have the biggest impact.
3. Set up automated responses
Automated responses give you some breathing room and time to respond, especially if you don’t have someone monitoring your social media round the clock or on weekends for example. Simply having an automated response along the lines of the following means you acknowledge the message but the person will not expect a reply immediately.
“Thank you for your message. This inbox is monitored Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5.00pm. We aim to respond to all messages within one business day during these hours. Please contact us on this number or email address if your enquiry is urgent.”
4. Create an online personality for your business
Social Media offers you an opportunity to create a persona for your business that your community can engage with. Consider the personality and tone of voice in all of your online communication and keep it consistent, as it will become part of your brand.
5. Reward your community (through competitions etc.)
Community engagement is imperative to the success of your social media page. Competitions can really boost your profile and increase engagement with your posts as you are offering value to your followers. Simple ‘like, comment and share this post’ or ‘check in here’ competitions can boost your profile amongst your consumer networks and before you know it your one post will be seen by tens, hundreds, or thousands of people!
