Everyone knows by now that everyone is on social media; be it snappy tweets, mesmerising Insta moments or happy birthday wishes on their Facebook wall, your customers are most likely getting connected online. So it only follows that brands also had to take to social networks to reach out to their client base. Besides the usual tips about advertising techniques on social media, we’ve found the often neglected top 3 areas you have to make sure you pay appropriate attention to when managing your corporate social network accounts.
- Talk to Your Customers
You know that your clients and/or customers are on social media – out of an estimated 3 billion internet users, 2 billion have social media accounts. There are over half a billion tweets, 4.5 billion Facebook likes and 95 million instances of videos and photos shared on Instagram – and we are talking daily figures here. But people do not only go online to talk to each other; they also get on social networks to reach out to their favourite brands. Research shows that 67% of consumers use social media to get customer service – and by the way, more than 50% of Americans who follow the social media accounts of specific companies tend to be more loyal clients.
So it is not only an issue of talking to your customers, but it’s about hearing them out, too. Make sure that the employees who manage your social media accounts are well-trained in order to properly respond to customer feedback and provide solutions quickly and effectively. And remember: anything that happens on social stays public forever (even if you take down an ill-advised response to a client, you are bound to see a screenshot somewhere), so treat complaints with respect and due care.
- Security First
Granted, security on social media accounts is not entirely up to you: it is also a matter of the service provider. But the things that are in your hands, you have to get right. For starters, make sure that your IT team is monitoring your accounts and that your employees are properly trained to recognise and avoid security threats – especially the people that have access rights to your social network accounts.
A great amount of the damage recently inflicted on companies by ransomware attacks like WannaCry and the like, were due to techniques like phishing – which could very well occur by an employee clicking on a malicious link on social media. And make sure that your staff knows the importance of choosing a strong password for your accounts. Failing to do so, as well as accessing sensitive data like your social media credentials through an unsecured WiFi connection, can result in accidental insider threats – which is a liability more common than you might think. This type of threat translates to people inadvertently exposing sensitive data, and more often than not it is just employees trying to do their jobs as best they can.
- Get Your Message Across
Last but not least, make sure that everything that goes onto your social media accounts corresponds to your brand ethos and image. Sometimes there might be more at stake than you think: even CEOs and VPs turn to social media for guidance when making purchasing decisions – in fact, a staggering 84% has admitted to it. Besides maintaining a regular presence, you also need to engage with your audience in a way that allows you to make your brand’s best qualities stand out.
So make sure your brand message is clear and that you have a comprehensive policy in place for the way you approach and respond to consumers – and competitors – online. Are you trying to establish yourself as a force to be reckoned with? Go at it more aggressively. Do you want to come across as reliable and serious? Cut back on the little jokes – or add a few more to the mix, if you’d like to appear more laidback and fun. It all depends on the type of business you are in and your corporate image of choice.
Social media is a great platform if you know how to use it wisely, mainly because it is so dynamic and versatile. Invest some time to work on often neglected issues like these and remember to play to your strong points – and you might see excellent returns in no time.