PT4: Use Social Media To Grow Your Reputation
Part 4 from the report
The 5 Critical Components of
Online Reptuation
Social Media is a powerful tool. Facebook and Twitter have given anyone a voice to express their opinion.
Good for people, but this can be a challenge for a local business. Remember, your online reputation is made up of what is said about your business online. That can include what you and your employees say about your business.
Don't be afraid to use social media for your business. Despite headline stories about the latest gaffe a business makes on social media, the benefit outweighs the risk. Just use some sense when posting.
How can local businesses take advantage of this new technology to generate more business and help their online reputation?
Establish a presence on the 3 major social media sites
- Create a Facebook business page
- Create a Twitter account for your business
- Create a YouTube account for your business
Be a part of the conversation
Participate in social media. Check your Facebook business page daily and update content regularly. Actively seek out local followers for your Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Most importantly, when you’re commenting on these sites, be yourself. Let your customers know you’re a real person and truly interested in helping them to have a great experience with your business.
Be prepared to handle issues
When you have a social presence, people will use it as a way to reach you for customer service. Embrace it as an initial contact point. But you want to handle the issue offline.
By using social media for customer service in this manner, you can give potential new customers a way to see how you manage problems. They’ll see you are responsive. When you make sure to have your customer update their post, it reinforces the idea that your business is worthy of their dollar.
Having your social media accounts set up will help you with Part 5: Creating Positive Content for Your Business. I'll tell you more in the next segment.
