To establish a community around your business on social media, you need an engaged audience. These are the people who will remember you – and continue to buy your products or services. If you are not responding or engaging with your community, you are missing out on valuable quality time with your biggest advocates and hottest leads!
Below are 5 questions you should consider as you work to establish a faithful following that will help promote your business:
1. Are you responding to all your reviews (both good and bad) promptly?
As a brand, it is your responsibility to keep track of the reviews your organization is receiving and respond to them appropriately. This signals that you are available to help your customers and do what you can to ensure everyone has a positive experience.
2. Are you replying and responding to comments within 24 hours?
Every comment may not warrant a response, but do it anyway! This person feels passionate about your content or your company, so show them you are grateful to have them around. Avoid sending the same reply every time, because comments are forever, and viewers will catch on quickly. If there is an opportunity to ask them a question, do it! Replies count as additional comments and will help your post garner more reach.
3. Are you answering direct messages and mentions within 24 hours?
Social media has become an extension of your company’s customer service initiatives. Apply the same practices to your social media as you would with customers who inquire via your website. If you find that you are getting direct messages and mentions daily, we recommend putting someone in charge of responding to messages to avoid dropping the ball.
4. Do you have an automated email to confirm that website form submissions have been received?
In today’s world, not responding for a few hours can break a sale. As soon as you get a form submission, you should have an automated email that goes out to both the potential customer (to confirm their submission has been received) and to your sales team (including all the inquiry information to begin working on a prompt response). People who use your digital channels to communicate with your business expect an immediate response.
5. Do you network with your customers and referral partners daily?
Traditionally, you think of networking as in-person events. But during this time, there is a great deal of networking taking place online. We recommend that you set aside 5-10 minutes per day to engage with the content your customers and referral partners are sharing. This will strengthen these relationships and keep you top of mind. Here are some tips on how to network on the various social media channels.
In today’s landscape, it is crucial that you have the correct digital marketing infrastructure set up to produce optimal results for your business.
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