5 Ways to Keep You From Looking Clueless on Social Media

Social Media Is the Fasting Growing SEO Platform

Your social media accounts are an extension of your business. They are extremely important advertising avenues that are both efficient and do not cost much. Social media advertising can affect the intake of new and old customers as well as provide a platform to show others who you are in the community and what services you provide.

When you struggle with even one of your accounts, often you may see a reduction of visitors to your site or business. This is why keeping your social media accounts not only going but active is imperative to a successful content marketing strategy.

#1. Check Your Social Media Business Page Messages

Social Media AccountsOne of the easiest ways to aggravate a customer is to not respond to an inquiry. You want to encourage them to seek out information privately, in some cases through personal messages. Should they encounter a problem, you do not want it posted all over your Facebook wall or Twitter page. Instead, it is important to deal with each situation privately and personally.

If they send you a message and you do not respond, they will take their problem more publicly. Even though you do not mean to ignore your customers, it can happen if you do not check your business page messages consistently.

One of the best strategies to ensure you are regularly checking your messages on your social media business page is to set up certain times every day to do a quick check. You should check messages more than once a day. Not every customer is going to want to wait 24 hours for a response. Try checking messages once in the morning and once later on in the afternoon. This enables you to stay on top of situations before they escalate into anything bigger.

#2. Respond to Positive and Negative Comments on Social Networks

The old saying is true, “You can catch more bees with honey than vinegar.” When you read a negative comment on your social media business page, your first thought is to defend your company. While this may make you feel better, other customers may see this and think you are attacking customers.

Social Media Business Page

Sometimes, it can be difficult to be the bigger person, but if you want your business to be successful and flourish, you are going to have to suck it up and respond generously. This also provides a great opportunity to check social media background checks before you go responding back to any negative comment.

Do not hesitate to acknowledge positive comments as well. It is much easier for a customer to come and complain about a business than to say something nice about them. By responding to positive comments that are posted on your business page, you are showing the customer that you appreciate them.

Everyone likes to receive a message personally from a business they like. It is not only important to respond to comments, but you also need to address them. Do not just leave a quick thank you, but give a more personal response. You may be busy with other business issues, but if you do not take the time to address comments, you may find yourself with more free time than you would like.

#3. Check for Spelling Errors

Spelling mistakes can make you look careless on social media today. Take the time to go over everything you are going to post on any of your business pages. One of the worst things you can do is consistently post spelling and grammar errors and expects customers to enlist you for writing services.

If you can make the mistakes on your business pages, then customers will believe you would do it with their work. There are many services you can run your posts through to automatically check for spelling errors. These are quick and do not take but a few minutes.

#4. Don’t be Negative on The Best Social Networking sites

No one wants to do business with a “Debbie Downer” all the time. When they seek out your help, they want encouragement and support from you. Make sure you stay upbeat and positive all the time. Even during rough situations a positive attitude can be contagious and turn an entire situation around this is a great social media example. By encouraging others and motivating people, they will begin coming to you more often to seek out that attitude that they themselves are looking for.

#5. Post Content that Makes Sense Using Your Social Sharing Tools

A bipolar business page can turn off customers. They want to come to your business page with certain expectations. When you deliver content that makes no sense, customers can get flustered. Make sure the content is relevant to your business. It is ok to throw in a funny joke to keep the mood light, but make sure anything you post is politically correct and would not upset a customer. Be thoughtful in your postings and post things that can attract customers and sales.

The key to social media accounts is using quality social media tools and trying hard to not make mistakes that could ruin your image. If you follow these steps, then you’ll do great at not screwing up your social media image. What are your thoughts on this?

64 thoughts on “5 Ways to Keep You From Looking Clueless on Social Media”

  1. Keeping your social media work very positive, then you are really going to attract a whole lot of new fans.

    Encouragement and understand will go very far in a sense of getting on the emotional side of the reader.

    Engagement can also be forgotten by the page owner and will suffer from not gaining enough results.

    Nice, you mentioned with keeping up with your comments and messages!

    Agree so much. Promptness is sneaky impression that they will notice. Don’t neglect this part.

    Excellent article man 🙂

    Samuel

    Internet Dreams

    1. Samuel,

      Thanks for the kind comments and I feel embarrassed that I amnot practicing what I preach by not responding sooner. To be complete honest and vulnerable my family time is usually the weekends so I “try” to limit my work and time on the computer on the weekend.

      That’s why I am no replying to these comments until Monday morning! I really apprecaite you sharing your nice commenting and continue to engage in and through this conversation. I believe that blog commenting is a great way to extend the blog post conversation and you did just that Samule! Excellent!

      Thanks again so much,

      Eric

      1. Hey not a problem man 🙂

        I totally understand and you still were able to respond.

        That matters a whole lot too.

        Thanks for stopping by on my blog and commenting there too!

  2. my weak point :- making errors in grammer while writing posts thanks ! 😀 i got some clues on how to move forward thanks Eric bro 😀

    1. Hey Dhaval,

      I will admit that this a hard one for me. Especially since I am doing a lot of things on my phone. I found personally just slowing down, taking my time, and double if not triple check.

      But like you said move forward, and just learn from your mistakes is the way go!

  3. I think google+ is gonna be big for me soon. Atm i dont have much traffic from there but I feel it is gonna change soon

    1. Siegfried,

      Yes, I would agree that Google+ has the potential to be a game changer in the social media world. Though, I found this one interesting at of all the Superbowl commericials that were ran this year. Not a single Google+ account was advertised, and to top that I believe it was at least had advertised youtube and instagram.

      Than of course you still have your major social media that were advertised Twitter and Facebook. Don’t get me wrong this is make it or break it deal. Though, I do find this very interested factor. If your interested here is where I found those facts – http://marketingland.com/game-over-twitter-mentioned-in-50-of-super-bowl-commercials-facebook-only-8-google-shut-out-32420

      Regardless with that shared I still believe that Google+ is well worth it and will continue to grow!

      Enjoyed your comment,

      Eric

  4. I have One doubt regarding this. Does talking in Informal Language or Replying to messages in Informal messages on Social Media Turn to be Positive aspect or Negative?

    1. Hey Ravi,

      Great question and thanks for asking. Like I shared, I believe it’s just responding and be authentic in the response. Though you will need to be careful with the tone of your response. Though the biggest issue is just taking steps in responding.

      The worst thing you can do is just ignore it and hope that it will go away. Your online reputation through social media is very valuable and you will want to guard that as much as possible.

      I hope this helps, if you have anything Ravi please just ask,

      Eric

  5. Nice post eric !
    I often see people making these mistakes on Twitter and I agree that spelling mistakes are a big mistake that people make when they are in a rush to send a tweet.
    Posting content that makes sense is a nice idea as people just want the information that they are looking for and want it quuckly 🙂

    1. Ha Ha! Phil you made me laugh at that one. It’s pretty pretty at what you see sometimes out there on twitter and other social media.

  6. Eric,
    Love your tips especially to engage with connections on social and I have alerts sent if a customer sends a tweet or FB message on my phone. Some like a response asap and that’s why they tweet you vs. calling or emailing.

    1. That’s a great idea and you can even set up through google alerts of anyone posting anything with in your name, business name, etc.

  7. Social media has taken over like a storm. Its almost overnight. Now that its here and making a mark be it G+, Twitter, LinkedIn or others; embrace or perish. I like your suggestions.

  8. Number 2! Respond to both positive and negative comments. This is where you can identify between a great business and a bad business. Those who know how to handle negative comments are definitely businesses who know how to take care of themselves.

    1. Great comment and yes business that have great customer service know how to handle these type of situations and usually creat the best experiences for all!

  9. deepak mehra

    Hi Eric ,

    I think it is really good way by social media. I like your argument grammar mistake. we avoid it.

    Thanks for share with me.

  10. Appreciate you and your tips! Replying positively for negative comments gives more personal touch and affects in a positive way. And checking for the spelling errors is the most needed one, as people now a days are being familiar with ‘U’ for ‘YOU’ this shouldn’t be done, its such a awkward.

  11. really great tips ..these are very helpful for us.i agree with all the points you mention above. but the most important Point which i like most is Post Content that Makes Sense Using Your Social Sharing Tools.i think it is very Important

  12. Hey,
    Its clueless on effectiveness of social media. even though i am using it effectively i still get a very low traffic rate. i am kind of confused on how to drive genuine traffic from social sites. hope your tricks will work., let me implement is and see if its effective.
    Thanks for sharing .

  13. Gajendran Megajolla

    Hello,Eric Pangburn
    really Awesome work. never seen this teaching
    thank you for sharing

  14. I have learned that becoming a curator of great content on social media will be good for your accounts.

  15. Great article, Eric. I always thought that being active in socilaes networks is showing your followers that you care about what they say.

  16. This is great info it helped me a lot. It offers great tactics which mostly beginners don’t know, it’s really worth the read

  17. I try to post regular updates on Twitter and also manage our FB page. It’s very important to give your audience some interesting, fresh content each time.

  18. Great Work Eric! I usually appreciate informative post and yours is definitely one of them. Social media has emerged as a powerful tool for your business growth. You need to make your social media presence commendable to get what you want. Your point about replying to both positive and negative comments is certainly a valuable piece of advice.

    1. Lucy,

      Thank you make an excellent point and just like any tool you have use it the right way, leverage to your advantage, and be willing add more tools to go along with it.

      I believe that social media should be used with any site that is serious about building traffic, but it plays only a role within a complete strategy to drive targeted traffic back to you site.

      Thanks for sharing,

      Eric

  19. Hello Eric,
    i am just so amaze with this post. it is just so incredible and very informative. I should really take my social media activities more seriously now. Thanks

  20. OH my gosh this is so me!! I really needed an article like this. I feel so clueless regarding Twitter and FB sometimes. Articles like this really help to make me feel that I can become better at it with a little patience.

  21. Hi Eric,
    Nice sound with nice article, I love to use Social Media & I have been using it. I always check Social Media Business Page Messages. I have 3 fan page’s on Facebook & I always check fan’s message on page’s.

    1. Hey Christina,

      Yes, I found this information to very relevant especially when your running several different social media accounts and pages at the same time. I always double check to make sure which account I am on before clicking submit.

  22. A real informative post. I think using a social media management tool like hootsuite or similar is the perfect way to remain connected with clients, readers and other fellow bloggers.

  23. Social networks has taken over like a storm. Its almost overnight. Now that its here and making a mark be it G+, Twitter, LinkedIn or others; embrace or perish.

  24. Hi Eric,,

    I like your all the tips! I totally agree with your post about Social Media Is the Fasting Growing SEO Platform. There is no doubt Social Media play good role..

    Thanks!!!

  25. Though not totally social media is effecting SEO. And you can`t expect a business without being active on social media sites.

    Posting updates w.r.t real time problems can also help you out. Like many companies did on super bowl blackout 2013.

    ~@Khajamoin1

  26. Hi Eric,
    How are you today?

    We have to be consistent on social media so we don’t become ignorant of developments. The more active our social media profiles, the more engaged and informed we are (all other things being equal)

  27. Hi Eric Pangburn – I agree with almost all of these. I really feel that 2013 is going to be the year of Google Plus. I think mixing that with search and then if they add YouTube to their arsenal of connectivity it will be a total game changer. I think they will be the one to watch. More so for local business I feel…But still. thankyou for this great post

  28. Some good words of wisdom there 🙂
    No body likes being left out in the cold when they have sent a message to the owner, looks very unprofessional!!

    Thanks for the article

  29. Hi Eric,

    A great post, with lots of salient tips. I especially enjoyed post #4, about negative ‘Debbie Downer’. I’ve noticed other peoples facebook postings that are downright rude, but the replies are equally aggressive. I agree that if you remain positive and upbeat, you have a much better chance of turning the situation around.

  30. I think social media is generally over-hyped – I would love to see a case study where there has been a tremendous boost in blog traffic because of the likes of facebook. And I say this having grown our facebook fan page to over 6000 fans – interaction is a fraction of what it is on the site itself, and we certainly haven’t generated any significant revenue because of it.

    I would go so far as to say I think the only people that make the real cash from FB are FB themselves and those consultants selling their services to boost others’ social media presence LOL – more than happy to be proven wrong!

    1. Hey Wonkie,

      I believe this sounds like a challenge for me to create a case study of where Facebook can generate quality traffic? Is this what your wanting to see?

      1. Hi Eric… indeed it is!! I think lots of bloggers are spending money on social media without any real return… seeing a case study of real results and how it should be done would lend some credibility about its importance.

  31. Nice post. I liked your point regarding handling negative comments because i have already done that and found that the results are great.

  32. thanks for #2! I find myself always engaging with positive comments and just ignoring the negative ones. I guess it’s a bad habit that I need to break!

  33. Nice article Eric!

    I agree that you can never be negative on Social Network sites. You do have to always stay upbeat and positive. Keeping of with Comments or Inquiries is very important. These people are your follower/consumer, and no one wants them to go down the street.

    Another good point you made was about spelling errors. It happens sometimes, and we look the other way. But some posts have spelling and grammar errors everywhere. These mistakes make me immediately discount the person as a knowledgeable authority.

    Thank you for the information Eric!

  34. Hi Eric,

    I’ve learned lots of lessons when Google suspended my G+ account. I know I haven’t done wrong but I have no choice but to delete it completely. I’ve realized that I look social but in reality I am less social. I have Facebook and Twitter but I do not talk to my followers – I know it’s a lot of work. Gazelle intensity is not enough – yeah sometimes I am too energetic to start things to push up my online career, but I have less focus on things that are truly important. I want to simplify my approach Eric and thank you for the Snitch IM Blog! You always show me that I am important – especially in our private chats. You always encourage me to do the things that is imperative to improve what I am doing right now!

    I know that I am still “naive” about content marketing but I am learning my way! I am educating myself and thank you for being generous enough sharing this valuable information for everyone without cost.

    Best regards,
    Prime

    1. Hey Prime,

      Thanks so much for the comment, and that’s very sad to hear about your Google + account.

      It’s always best to fully understand terms and policies when dealing with social media, and make sure you that you following all those terms.

      Thanks again for sharing,

      Eric

  35. Its a bit difficult to respond positively to neagtive comments but it has to be done to maintain our online reputation. Its very true that posting relevant content is very necessary on our business page otherwise we only may end up looking like a fool.

  36. Oh dear! I just checked my Facebook fan page and found that FOUR people had left me messages about my blog. *looks embarrassed*

    I struggle to get people to take notice of me on Facebook and Twitter, I’ve been trying for about three years and am lucky if one person takes notice of a new article or status I post.

  37. actualy i am new in blogging line so m spending time researching and learning abot good bloggers..
    I appreciate the way u present ua posts..! thanks for this post

  38. I like the tips for not looking clueless on social site. I’m trying to incorporate twitter now. I can’t think of anything to say.

  39. It is difficult to cope up with negative comments on Facebook pages initially…Like you said it is important to not to give an impression that you’re attacking customers…Instead of acting on impulses, a second thought can help towards building a sustainable relationship with fellow followers.

  40. Spelling errors are a huge negative thing for social media. Whenever I see someone spell something wrong, and I mean spell it wrong and not just typo’s, like for example “your” vs “you’re”, I immediately click away from the page because it shows their lack of professionalism.

  41. That great! thanks for sharing! Offered the quality post for readers is great and what we have to do. Unfortunately, I am none native English writer. Miss spelling and grammar error is my weak pont.

  42. Hey Eric,
    Nice post and Yes, all the point you mentioned above are most important for social media sites specially the second point. We have to respond all the comments because its help to make good relations with others. Thanks for sharing this post.

  43. Hello Ms.Ileane,

    Thank you so much for the help,the knowledge you gave for all of us.It’s really nice one that I found your page. I hope I can contribute and we can work together as one.

    Thanks,

    Anne

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