Let’s talk a little bit about the importance of managing your social media communities.
You’ve committed to doing social media. Even if you are a B2B company that isn’t “quite” so photo friendly, you need to be engaged with your customers and prospects on social media too.
Social media is a great way to have a dialogue with your customers. Think about going into your local grocery store or drug store. Do the people working there talk with you? Do you line up in the longest checkout line at the store just because the checker knows that your niece and nephews are coming for the weekend by what is in your cart that Friday? If they do, we bet that you do it because they take the time to know you. And you ask about their kids and grandkids too. It is about connecting with people. Building community.
The same is true for social media. It has to be a two-way conversation.
So if you are creating a social media strategy, it isn’t just about collecting fans or followers. When people see that you are authentically interacting with them, it creates community. It builds trust and improves brand loyalty. Can it be overdone? YES. For sure. Too many interactions can make people feel like they are just part of an algorithm. But the conversation needs to be there.
Authentic interactions give you insight into the mindset of your customers and potential customers. What do they like? What don’t they like? What are they looking for, and is there an opportunity to change up your offerings to meet new needs?
One of the challenges to community management is keeping it manageable. It isn’t customer support, but can quickly turn in that direction. Does EVERY response to your posts need to be responded to? Not necessarily. That depends on your products, your team, and what you are posting, and what you are hearing back. But you have to have someone watching and responding to the conversations.
Sometimes that means you respond, or redirect questions to your support team.
We have a team that can help you develop a strategy for building and managing your social media communities, and tame the bear that is social media marketing.
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