Harnessing the Power of Social Media by Megan McCourt
In this age of technology, even brick-and-mortar businesses need to be concerned with how they appear online.
A recent Mashable article explored how a cheese boutique in Virginia used various social media channels to increase their customer base, have better conversations, position the owners as experts and learn more from their customers.
Social media can be incredibly influential and help companies soar, or highlight their missteps.
Recently, a restaurant and bakery in Arizona became an overnight Internet celebrity when the owners took to Facebook to defend themselves after appearing on Gordon Ramsey’s “Kitchen Nightmares”. Their posts were filled with curse words, threatening the wrath of God, and mostly written in shouting all-capital letters.
Tip: Don’t respond via any platform when you’re angry (or drunk).
Here are some more helpful pointers on how to best leverage social media for your business:
- Assess your clientele: The cheese boutique has two locations, each with their own Facebook page. Social media strategist David Wittlinger advised them to keep the two pages separate since the two shops were catering to different kinds of clients. Take a look at who follows you on social media, and try to adjust your language and content accordingly.
- Use social media as a listening platform: Instead of focusing on what kinds of content you’re posting, take some time to read what your clients and the public are saying about you. Make sure you search Twitter for your name, keep tabs on your Yelp reviews and respond to all criticism and praise accordingly.
- Add more personality: Wittlinger suggests having all your staff members come up with ideas and posts for the company’s social media channels to add new voices and ideas, but making sure that one person is in charge of posting. Don’t let it become a free-for-all.
- Position yourself as an expert: Many companies have blogs used to promote special deals and coupons, but there vast potential to use those blogs better. Wittlinger told the owner of the cheese boutique to use her deep knowledge of cheese in a variety of blog posts to help position her as an authority on the subject.
Never forget that social media can both help and harm your business. Think before you post anything online, because it will potentially be there forever.
About the author
Megan McCourt is an account executive at The Rosen Group, a consumer public relations agency based in New York City.
Hailing from a journalism background, Megan recently made the switch into PR after working as the social media manager for The Hill newspaper in Washington, D.C.
After graduating from California State University, Chico in 2011, she spent time interning for Rep. Mike Honda through the Panetta Institute for Public Policy and decided to make it her life goal to run for president in 2024.
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