How to effectively make use of social media to grow your organization

As social media continues to become a bigger part of our everyday lives, it is more important than ever for small businesses and organizations to effectively use social media to promote themselves. While social media can act as a great tool to improve and promote your business, there are certain things you should avoid if you don’t want social media to have the opposite effect on your organization. A recent itnews article provides some things to keep in mind when it comes to using social media for your small business or organization.

1. Never create a social media account and then leave it unattended. If you have a Facebook or Instagram page that hasn’t been updated for weeks or months, people will be under the impression that either you don’t care, or you have gone out of business.
2. Consistently post. The easiest way to achieve this is to use a tool such as Hootsuite which allows you to schedule multiple posts in advance. If you are constantly posting, your name will always be on people’s minds and therefore they will be more likely to contact you instead of your competitors.
3. If you re-post any user-generated content, be sure you have permission first to maintain a high level of trust between your organization and social media followers.
4. Be sure to respond to all comments in a timely fashion. If someone has a question about a post or they leave a comment on your page regarding their recent customer experience, don’t wait to respond. The quicker you respond, the better it makes your organization look and people will be more likely to direct their questions at you instead of your competitors.
5. Keep sales promotion posts to a minimum. While it is not a bad idea to mix in a few sales promotions here and there, it is important to remember that social media posts should mainly be about building rapport with clients and potential customers.
6. Do not treat your organization’s social media page like you would your personal page. It’s best to keep out any personal social or political views out of posts, and instead stick to content that directly relates to your organization’s industry.

You want to be as active as possible on social media without overwhelming people with sales promotions or unrelated content. As always, OptfinITy is here to answer any questions you have related to your technological needs. If you have any questions or concerns, give us a call at 703-790-0400 or visit our website at www.optfinity.com.