Business owners have discovered social media to be an effective way in spreading the word about their business. The very nature of social media fosters easy sharing of information by anyone with his social network. As a business owner, you have a great opportunity to interact directly with your customers and encourage them to spread the word about your products.
People see social media as a way to interact with a real person.
When you establish a presence, avoid a lot of corporate speak. Present yourself as a real person, like someone talking to a friend. Use natural language in the first and second person. Your customers will be more drawn to the less corporate style.
When your customers make a comment or a post, be sure to read it and thank them for taking the time to post. It does not matter if their opinions differ from yours. If someone posts a dissatisfaction about your product, acknowledge your regret, and offer to contact him personally by email to resolve any problems that he had with the product. This is how you earn the trust and respect of your customers. When they see that you are taking personal responsibility for their satisfaction, they will tell others about your excellent customer service and your reputation will improve.
Be patient when you are building up your presence.
It will take time for people to get to know you and spread the word about your brand. Just keep up with the interaction and be proactive in starting a conversation online.
People like getting incentives. Every now and then, create a promotion or a contest and announce it in social media. Make the prize worthwhile. Gift certificates always attract attention. This is one way to motivate people to share the news with their network.
Look for other opportunities for you to start a conversation. There are plenty of forums and online communities that are frequented by your target audience in which you can also participate. Peruse through the forum threads and see where you can share your expertise. When you make your first post, introduce yourself and be open about what you represent.
Do not make your post sound like a sales pitch.
If you are offering advice, do it in a way that addresses the question without emphasizing on what you are selling. Just include a link to your website at the signature line. People will make the connection. If they like the advice you gave, they will go to your website to find out more.
Be sure to maintain a tone of humbleness when you post in social media. Avoid a lot of hype. Customers will respect you and trust you more.
Be ready to change your strategy if the social media marketing scene changes. New platforms pop up all the time, so you have to be ready to jump on the bandwagon quickly to seize the opportunity. If you stay ahead of the game, you will reap benefits for your business.
To your success!
Business And Social Media Coach 
Hi Amaka,
good to build relationships and communicate with people like a real person ,which we are.
This is the good thing about social media and it is a great way to connect like we would connect in our township . You give good advice to avoid corporate speak and it is right ,speaking like a friend and being patient will work much better . Good not to pitch ,but recommend is much nicer.
Thank you for the reminder to be patient and act like a friend.
Erika
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Thanks for visiting Erika. I will say Social Media is brings the world together and a lot closer. I will add, be a friend than act like one. We are all transparent. The true feelings come through.
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Hi Amaka, great tips and points shared. Very useful info yes we have to participate in forums and communities and post our articles to get good exposure. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Sazia. Sharing comments and interest are great way. It is all about participation.
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Well said. Taking your time, being consistent with your branding, avoiding sales pitches, these are key strategies when it comes to building an online reputation. Thanks for the tips and inspiration.
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Thank you for visiting my post. Consistent is the key to better branding.
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Hi,
Glad to be Here.
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Regards
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Thank you Mulhash for visiting my post.
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Good tips Amaka, especially about giving gift vouchers as incentives – because they can be coded to track what piece of advertising was most effective.
Joy – Blogging After Dark
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Thank you Joy. Everyone like free stuff why not use it? Incentives and giving value is a great recipe combination for improving the market.
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Hell, Social media is today’s best marketplace where you can reach as more people as you want and share your knowledge with World.
I love that i’m also using Facebook and Instagram to market my product.
Thanks for sharing such an awesome guide
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I am happy for you Rahul. It is indeed the best marketing place today. Once mastered the sky is your limit. I like that, it is becoming more and more user friendly. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Have a great week.
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Nice Article…thank you
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Thank you
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