5 Social Media Tips for Businesses

I know this is really off topic but I think it's important that we share and work together.  As bloggers,  we have all seen the good, the bad, and the ugly and it’s time to give back to the companies that brave the social media waters and engage.

As social media grows in popularity so does the need for business to embrace it. There are so many benefits and while it can seem very scary to get started it’s really very simple.

1. Engage and Support –Sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are great for letting customers know about sales, promotions, etc but if that’s all you do, chances are you will be talking to yourself. Social Media is all about engagement and interaction. Don’t talk AT your audience; talk to them. You can learn a lot about who they are, what they’re looking for and how you can fill the need if you listen. 
2. Follow Back when applicable – I’m not saying follow everyone and everything but the act of following someone shows them that you’re interested in what they have to say or that you in some way want to establish a relationship with them. I don’t know why it’s so Taboo to follow back. I personally appreciate when brands I love take the time to follow me. I’m more inclined to reference them, promote them, etc. 
3. Promote and Share – Not just your products. Your followers and the webs are full of useful information, when you find something that you think your followers would like or is relevant and useful, share it, credit the source and discuss. If your followers are doing something great, support them, share it! You want to be a supportive brand.
4. Be Smart – Just as a rule of thumb…tweets don’t have a very long shelf life. If they don’t get retweeted or responded to, their shelf life is as short as 10 seconds. FaceBook is a little better but when used together, they can really give your message some presence. Connect your twitter account to your FaceBook fanpage so that when you add something to Facebook it’s sent to Twitter as well. Schedule your posts using a tool like HootSuite. Schedule your posts during peak times. 
5. Do Your Homework – Cold calling an influencer doesn’t do anyone any good. From the influencer’s perspective it’s as annoying as a telemarketer. Get to know them, and approach them in a personal way. Offer up why a collaboration would be beneficial to both. Believe it or not, influencers are people too and they work hard to get where they are.  Be prompt!  Respect and understand their time is valuable too and that influencers deserve to be rewarded for their time. 

What tips do you have for businesses?