Why You Have To Be Social on Social Media
Most small business owners today understand that they should have a presence on social media, even if they don’t really understand why. They may be confused by the name itself. How does “social media” have anything to do with the world of business – isn’t it something that people do in their spare time, just to keep in touch with their friends?
As a consequence, many small business owners completely overlook the potential advantages of social media in relation to business growth, audience building and even customer service. They may also not know where to start, may not have available capacity or expertise among existing staff and may not feel that they have the time or inclination to take the job on themselves.
Social media has grown in importance significantly since Facebook and Twitter emerged less than a decade ago. Today, a huge portion of society has a presence on one or both of these platforms and many of the myriad other offerings. Due to the amount of time that people spend engaging with social media, the opportunity to “see and be seen” simply cannot be overlooked by the small business owner.
This is where a virtual assistant can truly shine. The VA will be fully trained in the various platforms and will know how to carefully, but conscientiously integrate the small business message into the social conversation. This must be done in a specific way in order not to alienate people, but when done carefully and according to a specific plan can create considerable potential benefits for the business owner.
For example, many forward-thinking businesses use Twitter for customer service reasons. They understand that this particular social media platform is basically a continually developing and changing notice board, where customers can quickly spread the word about their experience and relationship with your organisation. A virtual assistant can set up and maintain a specific account that provides advice or assistance to your clients should they have any questions or concerns. By doing this carefully and in accordance with the business plan other potential customers can see how your organisation handles its customer service and can be tempted to do business with you as a consequence.
When the business maintains a presence in social media circles it can seem to be far more relevant. When it contributes to a conversation with interesting and valuable information or suggestions, this can grow the level of trust in your organisation considerably. There’s a lot to be said, after all, for the phrase “out of sight and out of mind.” As people spend so much of their time in social media circles, if your organisation is in front of them from time to time in a relevant and contributory way, this can help considerably with ongoing and future marketing.
The key here is consistency, however. Social media campaigns must be ongoing and carefully planned from a strategic point of view. This is a perfect job to outsource rather than try to handle in-house. Social media platforms are constantly changing. The virtual assistant is so engaged with these platforms they are best placed to keep up with these changes and implement them for your organisation as necessary.
xoxo
Agata B