Uh oh, another post about the importance of social media to your business. First question on your lips: what can this guy actually tell me that is new, exciting and will propel me to a million likes or followers? Well, maybe nothing.
What I will say though, is that best managed social media sites are those that encourage collaboration and customer engagement over all else.
It's a battlefield out there. IMAGE: SOFTSUPPLIER
Actually, first up: why does your company even have a Facebook page and Twitter account? If you're not quite sure, then I'd suggest you consider whether the hours you're pumping into new updates this, photos that are actually worth it. There's no doubt that social media can be good for business, it's just a matter of working out what you're looking to gain from it.
At Languatica, we have two fundamental goals for our social media: firstly, to get more fans, secondly to drive sales. Pretty basic stuff, right? But it's our content and the way we present said content that will determine whether we succeed in achieving the above goals.
This is where I go back to talking about collaborating with your followers. The reason I, perhaps illogically, placed winning more followers as the company's first social media priority is that followers, engaged with properly, will become fans, fans in turn tell their friends.
This engagement has got to be in the form of creating a dialogue with your fans, followers, customers or whoever happens to be liking your Facebook page. Think about a real life conversation – exchanges work when both parties offer something to a discourse. Why should your social media conversations be any different? If a fan compliments your company – thank them, if a follower wants more information about your services – give them the best damn selling pitch they've ever received, if a customer complains about the product/service they received – embrace their feedback and find them the best possible solution. My point is, don't hide from customer interaction. Grasp it with both hands, and be grateful that you have a better platform than ever to understand the needs, wants and fears of your customer.
Do all this well and hey presto, you have a flurry of new followers. Repeat, and reap the benefits. Have enough compelled, engaged and active followers and inevitably sales will come.
Now, I'd love to give you a break down of my step-by-step magic recipe for social media success. Trouble is, while we have doubled our Facebook likes over just a couple of months, we're still way short of where we want our social media to be.
So readers, my question to you is: what is your advice? What have you done to build your startup's fan base? What worked? What didn't work?
Thanks! (See how I managed to even make this post collaborative…?)
Check out our Facebook page, and say "hi" on Twitter.
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A quick note about the writer: Christopher Warren-Gash is the Vice President (Marketing) of Languatica. Having lived in 6 countries by 23, his passion is travel and operating in new cultures. Inspired by innovators, such as Richard Branson, his professional mantra is to make languages more accessible than ever and help make the world a smaller place.
And who is Languatica?: Established last year, but already with 9 partner locations across 4 continents, Languatica is a language immersion programs provider. They encourage the learning of a language both in the classroom, as well as by taking in the culture and local way of life outside the school – statistically the best way to pick up a language. Their focus is on the career building and self-growth benefits our customers gain with enhanced language and communication skills.
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