Is your social media just all about your rep?

Your social media and SEO marketing efforts have always been an ongoing and ever evolving process. The speed at which business and life travels at these days means there really is no room or error. Too many small businesses and entrepreneurs forget that their social media marketing and branding efforts really are all about the rep. If you allow your reputation to stumble, your business may soon be on the way out.

• Perhaps the greatest advantage to having a social media marketing strategy is that it allows smaller businesses to effectively compete with the big boys and girls in their industry or profession. By remaining a force with your social media marketing and branding, you are setting yourself up for the future success of your company.
• The crucial thing is that you must be on top of it all the time. Social media is no part time affair that you can afford to leave to amateurs. The faster you respond, the better it is for your reputation. Too often, a small business will be barely monitoring their social media outlets until they discover some less than stellar comments or important questions that have gone unanswered. You have less than an hour to to turn around a negative comment or get back to a potential customer who has made an inquiry. That is the current expectation and you would be wise to adhere to it lest your reputation begin to suffer.
• You must have a pre-conceived strategy for handling any and all responses at your social media platforms especially as they regard the negative ones. This isn’t something you should be doing on the fly. You must carefully consider your response and then post it quickly to try and negate any potential damage.
• The main thrust of your response team is to make things right for that customer or potential customer. Argument is out of the question. Self righteous arrogance is out of the question. This is where your staff training will come in. Your social media people must have the skills of a sales rep. Out in social media land, there is nothing more important, or precious, than the reputation of your company. Not everyone will love you or be happy with you all of the time. It is how you respond to those potentially disastrous times that will make or break your social media, and your company’s, reputation.

-Written by Kevin Sawyer