Should We Do Social Media?
A common question I'm asked by most new clients is "Should we do social media?" My answer is the same every time.
"Yes.
" But the truth is, most businesses and professionals are already involved in social media and most don't even know it.
Many times I'll start off by doing a search through Twitter or Facebook and show them that people have mentioned their brand or company online already.
The reaction is always the same...
I watch their jaw drop.
People find it hard to believe that people are already talking about them online.
I go on to explain to them that social media is merely a leverage tool.
It can be used to do a lot of good for your business or brand, or it can do a lot of harm.
The problem is that the power is in the people's hands.
All we can do is try our best to influence what people are saying about us online.
The best way we can influence what people are saying about us online is to forget about the products and services you are selling.
Start focusing more on the experience of doing business with your company.
If you make it your objective to consistently blow the minds of customers that do business with you, you'll end up having a lot of raving fans that will do your selling for you online.
In order to influence the conversations that are taking place online you need to engage your audience.
If we aren't actively participating in the conversations, we can't really influence what people are saying.
This is why I believe that every business, every professional, every brand MUST have a presence in the main social networks.
This always brings up the next most commonly asked question: "What if someone says something bad about us online?" That's unfortunate, but whether or not you are present online, people are still going to say good and bad things about you.
Some of my clients are fearful that if they create pages and profiles and platforms for their business, they're inviting these bad apples to come to their page and complain about their less-than-perfect experience.
I think this is a good thing.
Why? Because no business is perfect and everybody knows that.
Every business has dropped the ball at one point or another.
Businesses are operated by humans and as long as they are, they are bound to make mistakes.
And when someone points out that we have made a mistake, this gives us the opportunity to make it right.
When we make an effort to make it right, we're doing something most businesses do not do and that helps us to shine above the rest.
Every business fears bad press.
But the reality is that anyone with an iPhone or Blackberry or other brand of smart phone can walk out of your business after having a bad experience and tell 500 people about it.
Social media has made everyone a publisher.
What's worse is that word spreads like wild fire on social media.
That one person makes a post on Facebook and out of their friends, someone else has had a bad experience too.
They join in on the conversation and now someone out of their friends list see's it and chimes in too.
This is how word can spread to thousands of people in a matter of a few minutes.
Now the reverse is also true.
Someone could walk out of your business after having received mind-blowing customer service and they could post about how amazing your business is.
Then someone else chimes in, and then another, and then another.
Again, social media is simply a leverage tool.
It can do a lot of good or a lot of bad for your business.
That's why we need to be engaged.
We need to be active in the networks.
We need to do everything we can to keep the conversation on the positive side of the scale and when something negative pops up, we engage that person directly and handle it in a fashion that screams to the world that we really do care about our customers and clients.
So yes, I believe that every business should DO social media.
Get onto the social networks and start engaging people and do your best to have other people rant and rave about how awesome your business or your brand is.
These people are our best sales people.
"Yes.
" But the truth is, most businesses and professionals are already involved in social media and most don't even know it.
Many times I'll start off by doing a search through Twitter or Facebook and show them that people have mentioned their brand or company online already.
The reaction is always the same...
I watch their jaw drop.
People find it hard to believe that people are already talking about them online.
I go on to explain to them that social media is merely a leverage tool.
It can be used to do a lot of good for your business or brand, or it can do a lot of harm.
The problem is that the power is in the people's hands.
All we can do is try our best to influence what people are saying about us online.
The best way we can influence what people are saying about us online is to forget about the products and services you are selling.
Start focusing more on the experience of doing business with your company.
If you make it your objective to consistently blow the minds of customers that do business with you, you'll end up having a lot of raving fans that will do your selling for you online.
In order to influence the conversations that are taking place online you need to engage your audience.
If we aren't actively participating in the conversations, we can't really influence what people are saying.
This is why I believe that every business, every professional, every brand MUST have a presence in the main social networks.
This always brings up the next most commonly asked question: "What if someone says something bad about us online?" That's unfortunate, but whether or not you are present online, people are still going to say good and bad things about you.
Some of my clients are fearful that if they create pages and profiles and platforms for their business, they're inviting these bad apples to come to their page and complain about their less-than-perfect experience.
I think this is a good thing.
Why? Because no business is perfect and everybody knows that.
Every business has dropped the ball at one point or another.
Businesses are operated by humans and as long as they are, they are bound to make mistakes.
And when someone points out that we have made a mistake, this gives us the opportunity to make it right.
When we make an effort to make it right, we're doing something most businesses do not do and that helps us to shine above the rest.
Every business fears bad press.
But the reality is that anyone with an iPhone or Blackberry or other brand of smart phone can walk out of your business after having a bad experience and tell 500 people about it.
Social media has made everyone a publisher.
What's worse is that word spreads like wild fire on social media.
That one person makes a post on Facebook and out of their friends, someone else has had a bad experience too.
They join in on the conversation and now someone out of their friends list see's it and chimes in too.
This is how word can spread to thousands of people in a matter of a few minutes.
Now the reverse is also true.
Someone could walk out of your business after having received mind-blowing customer service and they could post about how amazing your business is.
Then someone else chimes in, and then another, and then another.
Again, social media is simply a leverage tool.
It can do a lot of good or a lot of bad for your business.
That's why we need to be engaged.
We need to be active in the networks.
We need to do everything we can to keep the conversation on the positive side of the scale and when something negative pops up, we engage that person directly and handle it in a fashion that screams to the world that we really do care about our customers and clients.
So yes, I believe that every business should DO social media.
Get onto the social networks and start engaging people and do your best to have other people rant and rave about how awesome your business or your brand is.
These people are our best sales people.
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