Many businesses have been avoiding entering the social platform. The idea of putting business matters in the public eye is more scary than exciting and the concept of getting linked in with other companies, including the competition, seems like a hook destined to sink. If you are one of the many businesses still ignoring the power of social media or just can’t handle the stress of going social and the possibility of being socially inadequate, then it’s time to overcome your fears and step up to the social networking business plate.
There are a variety of reasons to go social with your business. Social media has opened the door for influencing opinions about your business, generating new targeted sales leads and strengthening your search position in the World Wide Web. One troubling factor for many business owners not yet worrying about search engines, twits and fans is the stress that can come with not properly maintaining, engaging and entertaining your social audience. Once you hit the panic button on social media marketing, you are likely going to make poor decisions about your social networking time investment and come out with unfavorable results.
Part of the stress associated with social inadequacy comes because of the huge social pool one must wade through. Everyday there is a new application, a new social network and a new tool for managing your social identity. How can you ever be sure where you should hang your social hat and how often do you make conversations?
Businesses should always go where their customers are already at home and comfortable. There are dozens and dozens of social networking and professional networking platforms, but only some of them are going to be appropriate to your business. You can use Social Mention and Google Alerts to help to pinpoint which platforms are going to help you connect with the right followers, fans and friends. However the three main players, Facebook, Linked In and Twitter are the best platforms to start building your social business identity. While this isn’t the stressful part, knowing when and how to interact with your audience can and does spark feelings of social inadequacy.
Once you know where to be you have to be mindful of when to be. Just because you find people talking about your brand, doesn’t mean you have an open invitation to join the conversation. The best way to butt in on sensitive brand related matters is to offer information and links to information that would be of benefit to the conversation. Monitor the interaction without getting involved and if necessary, private messaging one of the participants with contact information to talk to a company representative may be an appropriate course of action.
You only want to subtly encourage your brand. Social networking is about building relationships more than it is about building leads, but in the end, those two elements walk nicely hand in hand to more sales. Handling your social self with finesse doesn’t need to be stressful. Make sure you invest time wisely and invest time properly by giving personal attention to your followers and fans to avoid the stress of feeling socially inadequate. Also take the time to make it easy for your website visitors to find your social profiles by including the Follow Us button from Social Follow that allows you to include links to all your networking profiles without losing your own brand identity.
