Why a Social Platform is Vital to Your Business

photo credit: AK Rockefeller via photopin cc

 Why a Social Platform is Vital to Your Business.

In the day and age of social media there is no longer an excuse for  companies not be able to provide great customer service.  As a business owner, whether large of small you are under the scrutiny of the public eye. Yet it amazing how many companies will ignore their social customers.

There are some companies that use the free or paid social media tools for good. They pay attention to what their customers are saying about not only them but also their competitors.

For example I was having an issue with my cellphone and its data service. Out of frustration, I called them out on my Twitter account. Within moments of mentioning @T-Mobile in my comments I was tweeted back by their @T-MobileHelp account.

This is the way a company is using the tools for good. By taking time to care and monitor their mentions they avoided me berating them further.

One would think that all companies would handle their social platform in a similar manner. Not always the case. There is another instance recently where I took another company to task. Without giving them undo mention here, let’s just say I am still waiting for an answer.

Not only can social platforms be useful marketing tools as well as quick customer service. These profiles also provide an online persona for the company. Many companies fall short when they are not being socially active.

Nothing is more unsettling than when you find a site for a business that interests you and there are no links to their social platform. Better yet there are links and when you click on them they are broken. Or even better you go to their social media and it has not been touched in weeks if not months.

Business owners will plea that they don’t have the time or money to focus on their social platform. The way I see it you cannot afford not to. It is an inexpensive solution that can pay great dividends in customer loyalty.

There is scheduling software like Hootsuite or Buffer they can use to update your accounts. There are free and paid versions that every business owner should utilize. If that still sounds like too much work, well there are people like me that can do that work for a fee.

Whatever business you are in you should have a website, at minimum Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook account along with a blog. These all should be updated regularly with both promotional and related content.

By utilizing the tools like following #hash tags and setting up Google alerts for your company. You can become savvy with your company’s social platform quickly and easily.

In providing the tools that your customers use as ways of reaching you, you show you care. Rapid response on-line is just as vital as in person or on the phone. Your customers expect and deserve it. Your business will grow and benefit from it as well.

If you need guidance on creating your social platform and developing your on-line presence, I can help. First I would recommend reading Michael Hyatt’s  Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. Then contact me and I will help you develop a social platform that will help your company thrive on-line.

Now its your turn: Do you have a story where you have used social platform to contact or call out a business? If so how did they respond?