Respond In A Timely Fashion

This may seem obvious, but its a best practice ignored more often than you’d think. If a client or potential customer reaches out to you with a specific inquiry or comment, they’re expecting a timely reply: Don’t leave messages sitting in your inbox, particularly if your page is public and is seen to be regularly posting. Its also important not to ignore comment threads on individual posts, which can be easy to lose track of as they’re replaced with new ones. Even if you don’t have an immediate answer to a question you’re posed, its always advisable to let the person know that you’re in the process of following up. Punctual response is always appreciated, and is simple as a few keystrokes.

Remain Calm

One arguable drawback of social media’s personal nature is that things can get publicly (and easily) combative in the event of an upset customer. When put on the spot by someone unreasonable , it’s important to keep your cool and remember that your entire base of followers are watching. Show your audience that you’re able to deal with conflict in a collected manner, and they’ll respect you for it. If all else fails and the person is antagonistic, you can always block or report them to the platform administrators. The key is to always be aware of your audience and never risk presenting yourself as unhelpful or rude.

Speak Succinctly

The reason platforms like Twitter are designed around brief messages is because they operate on the assumption that web users have short attention spans. If you can transcend your point in fewer words without losing key details, you’re in a better position for your audience to stay engaged throughout a given post. Its fine to expand on customer queries during a private message exchange, but it’s best to write your public exchanges in an uncomplicated manner, under the assumption that your answer will be useful to many people watching.

Can that same success transfer to a business blog? The answer is ‘Yes’. 

A business blog lets potential customers familiarize themselves with your business in a way that 140-character twitter posts are unable to do. We’re not saying substitute one for the other, but certainly don’t shy away from adding it to the mix.

With a good strategy, you’ll find the return on investment will be an inexpensive and extremely effective tool that will reinforce the image of your brand. It will become a subtle way to let customers know that you understand their needs and are knowledgeable in your industry.

Not convinced? We’ve researched some ideas from other industry leaders to help you understand why you should commit to a business blog today:

1. A business blog establishes trust with current and potential customers

A blog can be a useful space to give away free but valuable information, such as useful tips, advice, and thought-provoking ideas. It is also a free ticket to be honest, which customers tend to appreciate and share. A business blog could be exactly what you need to add credibility to sales. Be sure to include a call to action (i.e. a free ebook or a follow-up question) in every post in order to encourage engagement from your readers. (technically marketing, 2013) 

2. A business blog establishes a stronger internet presence than your website alone

“One of the benefits of maintaining a blog is that it gives your business more online visibility. Being found on the Internet is an important part of helping businesses thrive today. A blog will help your business show up in search results when people are doing a search for products or services related to your business.” (The Blogger’s Bulletin, 2014)

3. A business blog gives your company a human voice and builds a community

A blog builds community by allowing people to engage with the content. When people can like, share, and comment, they inevitably feel that they are having more of a conversation with you and your colleagues, which let’s them know you value their opinion or are genuinely concerned about any difficulties they may be having. Consider posting at least once a week and invite guest bloggers to write for you to keep stimulating perspective. (Heidi Cohen, 2014)

4. A business blog can enrich your social media marketing interaction

Blogs, when complimented with other social media like Facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn, can be spread surprisingly quickly. Use Youtube videos within your blog posts and be sure to link to all of your accounts to further your reach.  (the Hub, 2013)

Creating a business blog means creating a voice for your business. It establishes you as an industry leader and adds value to your brand. Opening the conversation up for comment means that you care about your customers’ thoughts and opinions. See Best Practices for Blog Promotion in 2014 for more tips on bringing your blog up-to-date. The answer is ‘yes’, your business should definitely start blogging, today.

What do you need to get started on your blog?

Let us know on twitter @yabstadigital

Sources:

Heidi Cohen

Technically Marketing 

The Blogger’s Bulletin 

The hub