Social media has a range of uses depending on who you are and what your needs may be. For personal use, it’s a tool to connect with friends and let them know what you’re up to. For many businesses, it’s a way to show off your products and services, and engage with and build a community around your brand. But there is also much more to it than that.
Social media can be a powerful reputation-building tool for businesses if used correctly, and there are some benefits you could be leveraging that you may not have thought of before. Here are some things that might help:
It allows you to network AND showcase your portfolio
You will undoubtedly be showcasing your products and services on your social media already, but there is another benefit to this aside from displaying your wonderful work to the masses. The comments, shares and likes on these posts allow for great networking opportunities. Remember the ‘social’ aspect of social media – users are there to engage, so it’s a great idea to engage back. If someone likes your pic, like one of their photos, follow them, comment back, engage! Yes, some users may only like photos in the hope of an extra follow, but there is just as good a chance you may want to work with them in the future, particularly if you’re in the business of PR or media. Never responding to comments can also give the impression that you’re ‘above’ your followers – not a great look!
It gives you the ability to respond to customer complaints in a personal way which helps to build the brand’s positive reputation
In this digital age, if customers are unhappy with a product or service, chances are they will take to Social to share their experience. How you deal with online complaints can be crucial when it comes to your reputation – your response is out there for the world to see and deciding the best approach can be tricky. Not responding can give the impression you don’t care about your customers, and appearing disingenuous in any way can cause a disaster. Often the best approach is a very personal response. Admit fault if a mistake has been made, show empathy toward their situation and offer a solution. Not only will you build positive rapport with the individual, but potentially with others that witness your good intentions.
It allows you to establish a brand tone and personality
Is there really a better environment to set the tone for the personality of your brand? Social media was traditionally established for personal use, and has a distinctly personal voice. Try delivering captions that reflect the personal ‘voice’ and style of your business or brand, and think about the kinds of photos, filters and overall style you would like your images to reflect. For example, here at Agent99 PR, we have developed a specific list of brand traits we want to reflect about our unique style (such as sassy, smart, resourceful, etc.) so we ensure to incorporate these into each and every social media post we create.
It allows you to add value or entertain your community in a way no one else does
Your social media followers are there for a reason, but one thing is for sure – they aren’t there for the hard sell. Social media can be a great opportunity to give your followers a sneak peek into the workings of your business, a more personal insight into the inner workings of your brand. This is unique for everyone, so it’s a perfect way to entertain your followers with content that nobody else has.
It gives you an edge over your competitors
As aforementioned, your content should be completely unique to your brand, not only for what’s in your images, updates and articles, but in the way you present them. If you’re doing everything in your power to reflect what it is that makes you stand apart from the rest, there won’t be any other news feeds that look the same as yours, giving you an edge over the competition.
It allows you to build a following and a community that really cares
Now that we have established how personalised your content can be, it may come as no surprise that your followers probably have a vested interest in you. They have chosen to follow you because of how unique you are, or perhaps you resonate well with them, or they find your feed entertaining. If they didn’t, they could simply unfollow. This is very valuable, and a lot can be taken in by paying attention to their feedback or taking note of the kinds of followers your business has – this may just be your ideal target audience.
It allows you to communicate with them and keep them informed on an ongoing basis
Social media follower numbers will always fluctuate, but after a period of time, your loyal following will continue to grow with you. This is the community that is invested in your business, and values you in one way or another. Most importantly, they are your captive audience that wants to know what the business is doing on an ongoing basis. You can take advantage of this by keeping them up to date on company news, new products or services, staff updates and everything in between. This audience wants to engage with you, so try and do what you can to stay on their radar.
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