Last week we looked at the ways in which social media channels can help you launch a new business. With businesses across the UK & the rest of world having to adapt in the face of CV19; many new businesses are cropping up in response to the changes we are all having to live with.
One area of business which has seen an even bigger increase than before, is the home delivery sector. With many companies who would normally trade from a shop or open warehouse, they have learnt to adopt new ways of running their business.
One example in West Sussex was the birth of ‘Hope Plants’ which was born from a large horticulture business. At the start of the lockdown when garden centres closed, the horticulture business had millions of plants in greenhouses, destined for large DIY retailers & garden centres but no one to deliver them to.
With a bleak future & concerns that hundreds of thousand of £’s of stock would go to waste, they put a post out on Facebook asking if anyone would be interested in home deliveries for plants. Within a matter of days over 6k people had responded & within a week, ‘Hope Plants’ had a Facebook page, a website to order from & before you knew it they had not only saved their business, but they also were able to help & support gardeners across considerable areas of West Sussex.
‘Hope Plants’ now have 17k likes on Facebook & have now announced that ‘Hope Plants’ is going to continue as a new business, delivering to people’s homes indefinitely.
This is just one example of how businesses can & have adapted during the CV19 crisis. However, one thing which you need to be mindful of on social media, is negativity connected to your business.
We are all aware of how easy it is for someone to sit behind a keyboard & leave a bad review or create negativity around a product or brand. There are however laws which govern this behaviour & many people are unaware of the legal implications which surround defamation & slander until a Solicitors letter catches up them.
Therefore, how can you avoid negativity being connected to your business or brand? No one is perfect, but there are ways & means to ensure you protect your businesses reputation & ensure customers trust you & your brand.
Reviews on social media create trust
When you launch, if you are providing a physical product, ensure you have sent sample boxes to family & friends to then enable them to leave you positive reviews so the first cluster of reviews are positive. If you provide a service, the same thing applies. Ask family & friends to actively participate, take photos of you & them & ensure these are posted across the social media channels.
Avoiding online negatives
Complaining publicly about a company can be extremely damaging. We all have gripes now & again, but there are procedures to be followed to protect you & a business. Using correct complaints procedures & or contacting the company directly if there is an issue with a product or service, can be much more productive. Sadly, each individual experience of a product or service is a personal thing & can sometimes can reacted to in different ways by different people.
As a business owner you need to have a complaints procedure in place & be 100% transparent about where it is & how people can access it. This way, if a disgruntled customer takes to social media, without having followed the correct protocols; this adds more weight to a legal claim should it come to this.
Keeping it Positive & showing you are connected to other trends
Share a post: Sharing a post in any social media platform, instantly gives more coverage to a brand or company. Dependant on how many social media platforms you are connected to at any given time; the organic reach could be game changing.
Like a post: A simple ‘Like’ on an advertising post can enable a brand or company to be seen more, as their post gains traction, algorithms built into social media platforms push them up the ratings. Furthermore, if you as a business owner like another post, it could create business connections, which is a superb way of remaining positively connected to your competition.
Interact or ask questions: Asking questions about a product, service & or sharing similar experiences alongside a companies social media post; can draw other people to that post, especially is your comment or question is accompanied with a suitable hashtag.
Check in: When you visit a company either in person or online, a quick ‘Check In’ can again help with visibility for other people seeking a similar location, company, product or brand.
What does your personal page say about you?
One way social media can damage a business, is the connection to a personal page. A lot of potential customers, dependant on the product/service you are promoting, may seek out your personal social media presence to see what kind of person you are. Sadly, of your personal profile is public & may contain racist, sexist or offensive matter, this could be a way to loose custom, rather than gain it.
Remember, everything you post has a digital footprint. Someone somewhere may have a gripe against you personally & could use any number of stories to try & besmirch your name & in doing so damage your business.
So, what does this mean for you?
Are you happy with your social media presence? When was the last time you sat down & assessed what you are posting in your social media streams? Where & what time? Do you have a campaign or a strategy?
Be assured that these are questions which are asked repeatedly by marketeers & that taking the time to re-evaluate your social media needs is a very powerful action to undertake. Therefore, Virtually Smart Ltd have prepared the following check list, to see if you are engaging effectively with your social media platforms. Ask yourself these questions & see where you land!
- Have you identified where your client avatar ‘hangs out’?
- Do you post the same content to all of your social media platforms?
- Do you have one person in your business who is responsible for all social media platforms? Do they maintain the company vision?
- Does your social media content explore the ethical side of your business? Do you have an ethics policy?
- When was the last time you sat down & explored how you can change the way your social media stream content is used?
- Are you taking full advantage of how Instagram can help build your brand?
- Social media can be a fully effective way of getting your brand out there, but never become complacent to the needs of the consumer, nor to the idea of your audience needing to change. Be open, be clear, be focused on Your message.
Written by Katy-Jane for & on behalf of Virtually smart Ltd
