Online interactions are as significant as face-to-face ones, especially now, when more than half of the world’s population uses the internet. Email campaigns and social networking through sites like Facebook and Twitter have completely transformed the way customers and businesses interact. The Digital in 2017 Global Overview Report revealed that there were 2.80 billion global social media users in 2017.
Consequently, it becomes imperative to define and follow a set of rules for acceptable online behavior.
1. Do Not Mix Business with Personal Relations: Create and maintain separate accounts for each one.
2. Keep Your Business Profile Updated: It is important to keep information on your business page up-to-date and error-free. Use your real name and a professional picture along with your company name and information, and what you are looking for.
3. Keep Your Account Professional: Do not put anything on your social media business page or your personal page that is unfit for colleagues, bosses or clients to see. Remember, people may also visit your personal page to know more about you.
4. Don’t Send out Random Friend Requests to Prospective Clients: Instead, connect with those whom you share a rapport, and then reach out to more connections with them. Follow relevant people and analyze your friend requests carefully before accepting them.
5. Don’t Post Anything When Upset, Angry or Overly Tired: Post only when you ’re in a clear frame of mind, and try to manage a balanced profile and avoid using abusive language or a negative tone.
6. Do Not Spam: For normal businesses, posting once a day can be enough. Posting too many times a day may annoy your followers.
7. Create Original Content: Do not copy others’ content – be original and innovative in reaching out to your clients, and add an appropriate call to action in your posts, and be sure to always check grammar and spelling.
8. Add Variety to Your Social Network Channels: Don’t spam your followers with the same content across all your social networks. Add variety by posting different content to different channels.
9. Be Proactive: If someone uses social media to ask something related to your business, try to reply as soon as possible. Make it a rule to answer within 48 hours – this can help you to improve your company image.
10. Politely Handle Customer Dissatisfaction: Not all reviews can be positive – what matters is how you handle negative reviews. Answer politely and avoid arguments to keep up your company’s image.
Whether online or off, the way you connect with people can make or break your business. And if your business page represents your business identity, it becomes all the more important to connect sensibly, sensitively and appropriately. Follow the above tips to gain trust and authenticity – the basic pillars of a successful business – and form lasting relationships with your clients and partners.