Social media is mainstream - now what?

When I started Ariadne's Thread in 2009, social media was seen as new and untested by a lot of businesses. Now that its value and effectiveness is proven, it is an essential part of any marketing and PR plan. People have realised the value social media can bring to both promotion, sales and to customer service. It's critical not just in attracting new customers, but also in keeping your existing ones happy. I no longer have to sit with people for hours and "talk them into it", It's straight into the good stuff. Who should they target? How much time will it take them? What sort of content do they need? How will they create that content?

There are a couple of tactical issues that come as baggage alongside this broad acceptance of social media.

Firstly, there's a lot more "noise" to compete with. Some businesses are still under the impression that it's OK to treat the medium as paperless advertising, or as solely a mechanism to improve their Search Engine Optimisation. The rolling streams of automated updates can get overwhelming and the opportunities for meaningful engagement can be missed. Your content needs to be interesting, relevant and well targeted to rise above this inane cyberbabble.

Secondly, the range of social media platforms has greatly increased. Make sure you know the type of people you want to influence and research where they are likely to congregate online. Your decisions will be heavily influenced by your business sector and your ability to produce appropriate content.


So what can you do?

• Select your social media platforms with care.
• Create content that is useful to the people you want to reach and relevant to your business.
• Take time to make a content plan, it really does help improve the results you'll get.
• Evaluate the results you're getting and adjust your plan if you need to.

The perils of a mishapen digital footprint

If you had easy access to several leaflets about a company and they all had different phone numbers or different addresses what would be your opinion of that company? Chances are you'd feel unsure which number to call or which address to visit. At which point, it may well feel "safer" to use another company altogether...

In this increasingly online age that feeling of consistency and currency  - and therefore trustworthiness - is still vital. Your brand isn't just about the visuals, although I'll agree that's an important part of the whole.You can post the most fabulous content, but if it's lost in a sea of historical online noise it will lose it's impact.

I've been working with companies recently that have either ignored the state of their online presence, or simply haven't had time to audit where they appear on the web.

One business was quite shocked to realise that they were still on many of the free directories from their start-up days. Not only had their base of operation changed 3 times, but their phone numbers had too. The contradictory information that was appearing in their search engine results was confusing people that wanted to use their services.  They're currently trawling through the entries, tracking down log-in details (not as easy as it sounds!) and generally tidying up their digital footprint.

Then there's the business that has accumulated web addresses over a period of about 10 years. Not all the web addresses have content, some don't have redirects to the latest website and others have redirects that are not advantageous to SEO. It's also very confusing and off-putting to someone looking for them online. Needless to say, they're now on the case.

Then there's social media to add to the mix as well. Several popular platforms perform well in search engine results and may still be picked up even if you've not looked at them yourself for years. It's still a part of your digital footprint. Unused and unloved social media feeds don't make a business look good. This is especially true when it's Generation Y doing the viewing.

So, when did you last read your own bio on Twitter or update your profile on LinkedIn? Is there a blog sitting unloved in a corner of the internet that hasn't been updated for months? You get the idea.

Go and do a search for your business online. Take a look at the results as a whole, not just the one place your preferred website appears. Think about what that list of results says about you to potential clients. Then, start shaping your digital footprint into something that adds real value.

Mind your manners

A curious phenomenon happens when some people communicate online. The perceived protection of the screen and keyboard seems to turn them into boorish louts and bullies. I'm not talking about anonymous trolling here. What I want to focus on is people who use their real names - or the name of their company - on sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. I'm also limiting my remarks to people represent their business or company on these channels.

I have no issues with having a spirited discussion as long as everyone is behaving professionally and calmly. Talking to people that don't share your views is a great way to learn, even if you end up agreeing to differ.

Generally, the intentions of businesses that engage in social media are to raise awareness of their business, generate leads and look after current customers. Building a digital footprint that is balanced and well populated takes time and effort. What you put on the 'net stays there for an awfully long time. (Even if you think you've deleted it)

If you're looking up a business on Google and you come across acrimonious exchanges online, what will your opinion of that business be? The main excuse I hear is that the individual representing the company believed they were "attacked" online and had to respond.

Now hang on just a minute! The defence that "they started it" should be left behind in the playground. It has no place in business. It takes two to make an online disaster. How you cope with complaints and negativity towards your business reflects on you. It can actually do you good.


How?

Well, make absolutely sure your replies to a dissatisfied customer are courteous and helpful.  Even if the customer remains disaffected, you will be seen to have tried your best. Indeed, a particularly persistent and unreasonable online complaint (if handled well) can do you a great service by demonstrating how responsive, polite and "on the ball" you are.

Then there's the excuse that the other company "behaved badly". Oh please! Exactly how are you making things better by engaging in extended online acrimony? Behaving badly just because someone else does is unprofessional and will significantly damage your reputation.

There's still a misplaced perception amongst some business people that because online communication is virtual, it isn't "real". What you say online, and how you behave, is critical to the success of your business.

If you're angry or upset by something you read online, here are a few tips to help you cope:

• Don't comment while you're still fuming. Calm down first.
• Research the background of the incident. You need the whole story.
• Do you actually need to reply? Sometimes silence is very powerful.
• Move away from the screen for a few minutes. You won't calm down by staring at it.
• Take into account the tone of voice that your reply will be read in - rather than the one you'll send it with.
• Be courteous, however great the provocation.
• If you are subjected to abuse stop interacting and block/report as required.

You don't need to do everything!

Here's an exclusive industry secret for you. (Tongue firmly in cheek) You don't have to be on every social media platform going to get great results for your business!

• Can't stand Facebook? Try the more "grown up" LinkedIn. 
• LinkedIn too stuffy and formal? Try Twitter
• Love visuals, hate writing? There's YouTube, Flickr and now Pinterest
• Enjoy writing but don't have time to check what's going on? Blogging could be the answer.
• Want to hang out with the cool kids? Have a go with Google+

You'll get far better results by doing one or two things really well, than having loads of platforms to update that you actively dislike. Your lack of enthusiasm for what you're doing will come through in your posts. Even worse, you may get fed up of the whole thing and stop doing any of it. Time is something we all need more of, so choose something that you want to do - or at least don't dislike!


Whatever platform you choose to engage on there are some "golden rules" to abide by:

Once you start, keep going!
Nothing looks worse on your social media footprint than an abandoned blog or an unresponsive Twitter feed. What impression does a static Facebook page give of your business?

Don't just sell
Remember to give back to the community you've joined. Be helpful, be pleasant, be informative and the rewards will start to flow for you.

Keeping it fresh
It takes time to create or source new content. Make sure you're willing to put the effort in before you get started. Recycled content gets very dull very quickly.

Remember you're a business
Social media is fun and more than a little addictive! You can get so caught up in the talk that you can easily forget that you're there to be a business, as well as an individual. Online behaviour is a very important part of your reputation. A momentary flash of irritation and a thoughtless comment can scupper all the good work you've put in.

Keep doing the other stuff too
Social media isn't a replacement for face to face conversation or traditional marketing. It works with, and enhances, your networking and promotional activities. You may even want to consider having a plan...

Spontaneous reputation combustion

It's been said in many Social Media blogs - including this one - that even the most solidly built and carefully crafted virtual presence can be demolished by an ill advised blog or tweet.

I witnessed one such spontaneous combustion a few days ago. One of my followers (don't bother looking they're not there now!) uses Twitter, predominantly, for social interaction. Like a lot of people they have links to their business on their profile and mention it occasionally in their feed.

On the day in question this person engaged in a rather contentious, but short, exchange with another Twitter user. This is not, in itself, likely to cause mass umbrage. Twitter is a great place to engage in constructive debate - if you remember two things:

1. Your tweets are not exclusive to the person you are in debate with (unless you use the Direct Message function)

2. Other people can - and will - join in

By the time the individual had been retweeted, and had topical hashtags added to their comments, they were in way over their heads. They had been caught up in a Twitter tidal wave.

Their followers started to drop away. People they had been talking to for months blocked them. There was talk of not using their business as a supplier from local tweeps. Days later, they are still getting tweets from disgruntled people.

So, how many tweets does it take to damage your business? In this case 6.

Be careful out there...