Interaction Is Important in Social Networking

Friday, 04. 16. 2010  –  Category: Enversa Companies

Interaction Is Important in Social Networking
Social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook, have proven to be highly beneficial for many businesses and brands.  Most will argue that social networking is the future of marketing, and most businesses and brands have taken advantage of the ability to collect followers and fans by taking ten minutes to set up an account.  But contrary to popular activity, these sites are not just for the mass distribution of special offers and advertisements.  Members are not just looking for content, but community.  Communities involve interaction.  And like any other community, there are social etiquettes and expectations.  If you choose to basically ignore your followers and fans, you will still get exposure, but you will not get the full circle benefits that come with reaching out and developing relationships between potential customers and your brand or business.  Here are a few tips to remember.
In the real world, when people tell you they love your product, it’s polite to say, “Thanks.”  When people thank you for keeping them updated or for offering a new service, it’s polite to say, “You’re welcome.”  These rules also apply in social networking.  The people who comment on your status updates and tweets deserve appreciation and recognition.  Your response doesn’t have to be too involved, or even respond to each person by name.  Something simple like, “Thanks all!” or “Glad you like it” will do.  It tells people that you are listening and makes your brand or business a little more personal.  It shows that you care enough about their attention and response to type a reply.  When there is no recognition, people eventually stop responding.  Soon enough they stop paying attention, and eventually your business or brand gets hidden from their news feed, un-followed or deleted as a friend.
When clients, fans or followers send you messages or post on your page with a question or request about your services or products, it’s imperative that you respond.  This gets a little more personal and takes more time, but will pay off.  The best thing you can do, if resources allow, is to respond directly the way it was received.  If they comment on your page, comment back.  If they privately message you, message back.  For, requests or feedback about products, thank them for the feed back or tell them that you will consider their request.  For questions, if you do not have the information they need, the next best thing is to refer them to your customer service number or website where they can get the information they are asking for.  If you do not respond, not only is it rude, but you run the risk of poor communication being interpreted as poor service over all.
Remember that interaction is a good thing, but using the business account too personally is not.  It is okay to respond to a status update or tweet regarding your business, but it’s not okay to comment on any random post or tweet made by random people or friends.  It looks unprofessional if Acme Business has a personal opinion on Jane Doe’s reaction to the latest “Lost” episode.  That is what personal accounts are for.  Keep the business account for all things business.  That’s not to say that a kind birthday wish or post about the beautiful weather can harm your business.  Just remember to keep it upbeat, professional and equal.

Social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook, have proven to be highly beneficial for many businesses and brands.  Most will argue that social networking is the future of marketing, and most businesses and brands have taken advantage of the ability to collect followers and fans by taking ten minutes to set up an account.  But contrary to popular activity, these sites are not just for the mass distribution of special offers and advertisements.  Members are not just looking for content, but community.  Communities involve interaction.  And like any other community, there are social etiquettes and expectations.  If you choose to basically ignore your followers and fans, you will still get exposure, but you will not get the full circle benefits that come with reaching out and developing relationships between potential customers and your brand or business.  Here are a few tips to remember.

In the real world, when people tell you they love your product, it is polite to say, “Thanks.”  When people thank you for keeping them updated or for offering a new service, it is polite to say, “You’re welcome.”  These rules also apply in social networking.  The people who comment on your status updates and tweets deserve appreciation and recognition.  Your response does not have to be too involved, or even respond to each person by name.  Something simple like, “Thanks all!” or “Glad you like it” will do.  It tells people that you are listening and makes your brand or business a little more personal.  It shows that you care enough about their attention and response to type a reply.  When there is no recognition, people eventually stop responding.  Soon enough they stop paying attention, and eventually your business or brand gets hidden from their news feed, un-followed or deleted as a friend.

When clients, fans or followers send you messages or post on your page with a question or request about your services or products, it is imperative that you respond.  This gets a little more personal and takes more time, but will pay off.  The best thing you can do, if resources allow, is to respond directly the way it was received.  If they comment on your page, comment back.  If they privately message you, message back.  For, requests or feedback about products, thank them for the feed back or tell them that you will consider their request.  For questions, if you do not have the information they need, the next best thing is to refer them to your customer service number or website where they can get the information they are asking for.  If you do not respond, not only is it rude, but you run the risk of poor communication being interpreted as poor service over all.

Remember that interaction is a good thing, but using the business account too personally is not.  It is okay to respond to a status update or tweet regarding your business, but it is not okay to comment on any random post or tweet made by random people or friends.  It looks unprofessional if Acme Business has a personal opinion on Jane Doe’s reaction to the latest “LOST” episode.  That is what personal accounts are for.  Keep the business account for all things business.  That’s not to say that a kind birthday wish or post about the beautiful weather can harm your business.  Just remember to keep it upbeat, professional and equal.

Katie Petre works for CornerWorld Corporation, parent company of Enversa Companies.

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One Response to “Interaction Is Important in Social Networking”

  1. Daniel Bineau Says:
    October 13th, 2010 at 12:29 am

    Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.