Our online social media marketing course equips you with the skills you need to help you use popular social media platforms as powerful marketing tools.

Types of social media followers

People who follow your business on social media usually fall into two categories:

  1. Prospects (prospective clients or customers).
  2. Existing clients or customers.

Some businesses have separate social media channels for each type of follower. We recommend this approach: it makes sense to separate them. Prospects won’t want to read your existing customers’ support requests and queries, and you won’t want them to read their complaints!

Interacting with prospects

Social media can be a lucrative source of free advertising. We stress: free.

We believe that most businesses can avoid paying for advertising on Twitter and Facebook by using the free tools effectively.

Here are ways you can use social media to engage with your prospects:

  1. Tweet up to 30 times a day, but limit Facebook and other channels to a maximum of five posts. Regular Tweets ensure you appear on people’s Twitter feeds whenever they check them.
  2. Use relevant keywords and hashtags.
  3. Offer discounts, and free gifts. But, make people visit your website to get the offers: provide a link. Even better, link to a request form where they have to provide their email address – then you can follow up the lead later.
  4. Tell people what is going on in your organisation. But make it friendly and engaging, and stress how you can help them or their business.
  5. Provide links to articles, forums and webpages that show you are an authority in your field.
  6. Respond quickly to queries. And remember, the whole world may be looking at your reply, so keep it polite and helpful. If you can’t help, point the person to somewhere that can.
  7. Go the extra mile. Offer unconditional help, advice and support, even if there is no chance of converting the prospect into a client. The person may recommend you to someone else.
  8. Comment about important news in your sector. This shows you are reputable and aware.
  9. Make your posts interesting and entertaining. There is nothing wrong with publishing tasteful jokes about your sector.

Interacting with existing customers and clients

  1. Deal quickly with queries, comments and complaints.
  2. Avoid corporate speak. If possible, make your social media channels personal. Identify someone to be the “face” and “voice” of your business.
  3. Be over-helpful. If someone can’t operate your product, don’t say: “Read p.16 of the instruction manual.” Instead, say: “Here’s a link to page 16 of the instruction manual. And this YouTube video may help – it shows someone using the product.”
  4. Respond politely to complaints, and don’t argue. Make a general response, and then move the person out of the public environment as quickly as possible. Tell them: “I’m afraid we don’t deal with complaints in public. If you send me a direct message with your phone number or email address, I’ll get someone to contact you within the hour.”
  5. Keep control – take insults, etc, on the chin, but don’t tolerate abuse or bad language. Politely but firmly end the conversation.
  6. Don’t copy-and-paste your responses. People spot “template” replies straight away.
  7. Make your replies personal – use the person’s name or social media handle. Treat them as a friend, not a digital entity.
  8. Remember, your aim is to send each person away feeling good about your business. Then they will be likely to recommend you – and use you again.

See our social media marketing course