So, you’ve created your social media accounts, and you’ve scheduled a steady stream of posts for the next few weeks (after considering the best times and days for them to appear). So you can just sit back and relax for a while, right?
Sorry. No.
Social media isn’t a post-it-and-leave medium. It isn’t like a billboard that just sits there gaining attention, but doesn’t require any more attention from you. To be successful with social media, you have to interact. That’s where the “social” comes in.
Always monitor your social media accounts and review the comments on your posts. Potential customers may ask questions, which need to be answered. They may offer up positive comments and reviews, which should be acknowledged (and possibly saved for later use in your marketing content). Or they may bring up criticisms that should also be addressed.
You can also increase your reach and build good will be by being active on related social media accounts. As a small business, you are probably involved with a chamber of commerce, downtown association or other professional organization — participate in online discussions, share events that impact your customers, and be a promoter not only of your business, but of the entire community.
The social media content you create is vitally important, but how you communicate with followers beyond the initial post is as well. After all, 7 in 10 consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand say that it made them more likely to recommend it to others. (Source)