Picture thousands of people all over the world speaking well about your brand and recommending it to their followers, fans, connections and friends. As long as you are willing to invest time in communicating with consumers online, this can become reality.
If you have not already, you should create a social media profile for your business. The ideal places to begin are Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. As you create a profile for each network, make sure you include your business name with a tag line, a photo of you, your logo, information concerning your business (e.g. mission statement, when it started) and the URL of your website or blog. After completing your profiles on the social media networks, you then need to let people know where they can find you and connect with you. You can do this by placing your social media profile URLs on your marketing materials, business cards, in your newsletter and blog and website. Very soon, your list of followers, connections and fans will begin to grow.
The Importance of Proper Communication
When posting a status messages, don’t talk about your personal life. In addition, don’t send spam. Such messages may hurt your brand. Instead of divulging details concerning your personal life or sending spam messages, post useful information. The following are status messages that could be more appropriate:
- Tips relevant to your products, services and/or your business.
- Links to articles you have written on topics relevant to your business. You could also share links to articles written by others and news.
- If someone purchased your services or products and found them helpful, ask them to share their experience with your social media followers, connections and fans. Their story should mention what they bought and how it benefited them.
- Once in a while, give something away or offer an exclusive discount or coupon. If you are selling a product, you could give away some free samples. Personally, I use my status messages frequently to give away discounts through my diet blog which features Medifast discounts and Nutrisystem coupons. Besides freebies and special offers, consider having a yearly, monthly or weekly contest.
- Publicize all your webinars, speaking events, and any other offline or online events connected to your business.
Respond to Complaints and Comments
When someone comments on any of your status messages, you should take time to reply to the comment. Some people may even leave a complaint. Respond to the complaint and give a suitable solution. Your willingness to handle complaints professionally and help customers shows that you are concerned. This will help you build a brand that people can trust.
This is a guest post by Charles Mburugu, an internet marketing and social media blogger. He also blogs about weight loss meal replacement programs in a diet blog where he shares Medifast coupons and Nutrisystem discounts.
