Do you have social media accounts for your business? You should. Most importantly, however, you should be paying attention to them. Social interaction with your clients and potential clients is important!
It is through this interaction that we gain a better understanding of who our clients and potential clients are and what they want from us as business owners and workers.
Why? How?
Social Media is how customers go to let it all out there. They rave! They rant! They talk…They lay it all out there on the line for your in a few characters to a lot of characters. They talk with their fingers and sometimes with pictures.
It can be a positive experience or a negative experience. If you are not paying attention, you cannot do damage control. If you are not paying attention, you cannot say a simple “Thank you!” You cannot make it right when it is wrong and you cannot keep it right when it is right.
Case in point, I have a membership with a local car wash. They were opening a second location soon. I thought it would be great to help them drum up a little business as they went into grand opening time. I like my car washes. Did you know that people do not wash their cars on rainy days until after the rain passes? For me, however, I can wash my car while it is raining and it makes no difference because with my membership I can wash my car 10x a day for the same price. So on a rainy day, I went in to get my car wash and I made a simple Facebook post from inside my car from inside their car wash. I tagged them in the post with my picture and how it was “a great day to get a car wash even when skies were grey.” They liked my post and simply thanked me for having a car wash. That made me feel appreciated that day. After the new location opened up, I posted from inside my car again with pictures of their new car wash’s features and how much fun it was. Again, they responded with an appreciative response to my posts and shared my pictures. I did not receive any gain financially or anything else from these posts BUT I shared with my friends that I enjoy my car washes with this company. I do. It was not a fake or insincere posting mechanism. I really want people to enjoy their services. I also want to share with people that I enjoy the fact that I now have 2 options to get my car washed with this membership.
Simply because I was willing to say something about a service I liked, and the company providing the service acknowledged that I was willing to say something “nice” again. The power of my social media “word of mouth” advertising just spread to all of my friends. Imagine if I had done the same thing with a negative comment??? What if the company had made no attempt to make it right? None? I could then continue to spread bad things about them without any interference whatsoever. On my personal account, I have a couple hundred friends. That might not sound like many if you factor in that many of them are not local to my area, but what about those local friends that now have friends that are also local. Word travels fast.
Do not think that word is not traveling just because you do not have a social media account for your business. You are not immune to it just because you choose not to participate.
I am not saying you have to have every social media platform on the planet. No! Maybe Facebook, Google+, or Twitter to start. I prefer Facebook and Google+ myself. Most importantly, however, keep an eye out for mentions and respond accordingly.
