It’s time to lose your old-fashioned beliefs — social media is not only relevant, it’s imperative for your business.

Doggone it. Small business owners can’t afford to be left out in the yard. Follow a worn-out old path to social media, and you may end up barking up the wrong tree. One little mistake in the cloud can lead to thousands of lost dollars… but one great social home run can lead to thousands in profit. But you’ve got to keep up with the Joneses to get that hit.

Today, as many as 75 percent of Americans over the age of 18 are active on social media, and a majority connect through a mobile device. That’s a lot of potential followers! You can’t afford to lay low anymore. Unlike 10 years ago, when many businesses didn’t even have a website, if you don’t have a mobile-friendly presence that’s hopping 24/7, you can bet that your competitors do.

So Why Bother?

A million likes? Who cares? Influencers, that’s who. Check out the guy down the street who’s known by a million folks. He doesn’t need the hair of the dog, because he never stops partying. And his followers listen and trust him. If you think that social media party isn’t worth an investment, you’re outside looking in at the party. Come on in! There’s room… and plenty of reasons, such as:

  • Social media is one of the best avenues to give very public customer service.
  • Your customers will think much more positively of you when you react to complaints, answer questions and solve problems online through social media.
  • That breed of customer is three times more likely to refer you to friends.
  • You’ll generate some crazy good will and trust among your customers.
  • You create brand evangelism.
  • It keeps you top of mind with your customers.

Sure, you may get some negative responses on social media, but you can handle that easily enough. Your customers actually find it hard to believe you are the real deal if you’ve only got super-positive rankings on social platforms. Only real people get tossed in the doghouse once in a while.

Give Them What They Want

In this day of instant gratification, join the fray with your own brand of “now.” Jump on board the social bandwagon. It may take a little time to get the attention you crave in the Twitterverse, on Pinterest, on Facebook, in LinkedIn and the like. But you too will get hooked on the spontaneity of the forums and the instant gratification they provide. Here are a few tips:

  • Get others talking. Ask for, highlight, re-post and re-use testimonials.
  • Turn complaints around; they actually are opportunities to turn a bad scenario into a positive experience and make you look great in the process.
  • Stick to honesty and integrity — your followers will reward you with their loyalty.
  • Engage those clients who come to play in your yard.
  • And drive that traffic off the information highway into your playground.

Social media is the platform of the day to build customer loyalty and provide excellent social customer service. It’s got the hottest tunes on the world’s biggest stage. Barking Dog Social Media can wake up the neighbors for you.

Remember…If you’re not the lead dog, the scenery never changes.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Pin It on Pinterest