RSS 2.0Being “Social” on Social Media
No 
matter if you’re using social media as an individual or a business, there’s always a little rush of excitement when a notification pops up signaling you have a new comment or message. But how often do you take the time to return the favor and respond to your messages? If you’re a business and you’re not taking time to reply, you’re missing out on one of the main benefits of using social media — being social.
The true beauty of social media is that it allows engagement between your business and its audience. It opens the doors for your audience to communicate with you, but it also allows your business to respond to comments (negative, positive and indifferent), answer questions or just say thanks for the feedback. Too many times, the cycle of communication ends when businesses fail to respond, leaving the audience wondering if their comments fell on deaf ears. Who likes that feeling?
Of course, opening the gates of communication can also leave your business wide open to negative comments, a scary concept. Contrary to what many businesses believe, you can and should respond to criticism with a pinch of public relations. Take Ann Taylor’s LOFT brand of clothing, for example. After posting photos on Facebook of a model wearing their new cargo pants, consumers questioned if the pants would look as good on “real” women. The following day, employees of LOFT donned the pants themselves and posted the proof for all to see. The quick, creative response turned the potential threat into a sales opportunity as many customers responded saying they would purchase a pair for themselves. To see more examples of social media response wins and failures, check out this Mashable article.
It’s true, maintaining a responsive presence on networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can be time consuming, taking staff away from other money-generating tasks. But by monitoring your accounts and responding to feedback, your business can develop relationships with consumers that lead to brand loyalty and sales.
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