In our business we frequently see both effective, and ineffective social media engagement tactics. Below we’ve listed the top 6 mistakes businesses make when interacting with their social audiences.

1. Not Responding

It may come as a surprise, but prior to our handling social media engagement for our clients, we’ve found more than 75% of companies don’t check their social media accounts daily. This isn’t uncommon, as 55% of all small business owners feel social media is “too time-consuming.” (Source) Unfortunately, whether it’s due to lack of time, or other circumstances, across the board, a whopping 89% of all social media messages to brands go ignored. (Source)

Responding to your users is incredibly important as you could be missing out on a sale (and a loyal customer) if you ignore those who contact you via social media. Also it’s important to note that social media has become the prefered method to reach a company for customer support. By responding to inquiries from current customers you are more likely to earn their repeat business.

2. Not Responding Fast Enough

The average business takes 10 hours to respond to a social post, while the average user will only wait 4 hours for a response. (Source) Considering “46% of web users look towards social media when making a purchase,” (source) your new lead may get lost to one of your competitors with the fastest social media response, costing you valuable sales revenue.

3. Using a Canned Response

Taking the time to respond to social media users with an original response helps your audience feel valued, and builds trust with your brand. Using the same or similar responses with your followers shows a lack of effort, (not to mention we’ve seen many cases where the scripted response didn’t quite match the question).

4. Not Up-selling

Far too often we’ve seen businesses answer a social media post with a quick, to the point response without mentioning other products or services. For example, if you own a vacation rental company and receive a message asking to book one of your rentals for a certain date and it’s reserved, responding with a simple, “it’s not available” could cost you a sale. Instead, try offering another comparable rental for those dates, or suggest alternate dates for the property in question.

5. Not Removing or Hiding Inappropriate Comments

Unfortunately social media platforms are a place for spam, just like your inbox. If you see a comment selling other goods or services, it’s best to hide or remove that comment quickly. Even more importantly, if someone leaves a comment with foul language or about an inappropriate topic that could potentially offend your followers, make sure to take necessary steps to prevent your audience from viewing the post as soon as possible.

6. Ignoring Negative Reviews

No one likes negative feedback. However, how you handle an upset client says a lot about your business. It’s typically best to apologize for the bad experience or their poor view of the service, then suggest they contact you privately to resolve the issue. It’s also important to thank your reviewers for their opinion, whether it was positive or negative. By acknowledging your audience, you are more likely to help them feel validated. This gives you the opportunity to keep the customer for years to come.

Want more information?

If you have any questions about managing your social media accounts, feel free to give us a call for a complimentary analysis of your social accounts! We’d also love to speak with you if you’re interested in social media management services, or detailed social reports.

1.800.917.0970