Responding – The Missing Link of Social Media

[gafimiv406]

Have you ever commented on a post made by a business you’ve liked on Facebook, or tweeted a question or comment to a business you follow on Twitter? Did you get a response, or did you hear the sound of crickets? When you’re having a conversation with someone, it might be considered rude not to respond to a question, or to ignore a statement that was made. But unfortunately, more often than not, this is the reality when it comes to our use of social media for business. Whether it’s a post on Facebook or a bahamas whatsapp number database tweet on Twitter, many of us fail to do one of the easiest things when it comes to engagement… respond.

It’s Not a One Way Street
Many of us are so focused on what we’re going to post, that we lose sight of why we’re posting in the first place. The whole reason your business is on social media should be to build relationships with new and existing customers and expand the reach of your messages. But, it’s not a one-way street. You can’t just push information out. You must put the social in social media by being present and responding when a fan or follower interacts with your posts and content.

Time is of the Essence
As we’ve embraced social media as a marketing channel for our businesses, we’ve given customers another way to interact with us. These interactions can run the gamut from customer service issues or technical support to compliments about products or services. And when a someone interacts, they expect a response. Jay Baer, of Convince and Converts reports that 42 precent of consumers complaining on social media expect a response within 60 minutes. And many have that same expectation at night and on weekends! Are we living up to their expectations? Sadly not so much. According to Socially Devoted statistics from Socialbakers, many businesses are not. Businesses are responding to Twitter questions a paltry 38% of the time. And response times have increased to more than six and a half hours in the first quarter of 2013. The response rate is better on Facebook at 60 percent, but response time is nearly 23 hours. As you can see from these social media response stats, there’s a ton of room for improvement.

A Little Thanks Goes a Long Way
If you’re feeling hesitant and don’t know quite how to respond, a great place to start is by using two words that seem to missing from a lot of social networks – “thank you”. It sounds simple but you’d be amazed how well it works. If someone shares your Facebook post, say thank you. If someone retweets your content, say thank you. If someone compliments your business on Yelp, say thank you. It’s amazing how good those two words make people feel when they’ve gone out of their way to do something nice for your business.