Manage your Online Presence

Of course, Social Media activities can be used for Marketing, PR and Communication but Social Media for business is much more than that, it’s about managing the online presence of your business. It is about managing every aspect of the online activities of your business. This is because there are now a number of online tools for consumers to pass on information and experiences about goods and services they have bought or used, and the effects of these are often overlooked.

A consumer can review or comment on a business and propagate information (that may be incorrect) through a wide range of Internet activities from Review Websites, Blogs, Forums and many types of Social Media sites. Their friends and colleagues can pass this information on through email, their own publishing tools and conversation at a frightening speed.

This rapid dissemination of information can have a huge positive or a huge negative impact on your business and its activities. Businesses can use social media activities to expand the positive information and mitigate the negative information created by this consumer driven environment. Your business should manage its online presence and you should know what is being published about your business activities on the Internet. The use of Social Media is essential and must be taken to the core of every business.

Not being online is no excuse. A hotel in Blackpool was recently dubbed the worst in the UK by the Hotel Review site Trip Advisor. More than 35 reviews were received from guests condemning the Hotel with only three praising it. The Trip advisor website allows a hotel to be notified of adverse comments, allows a response and will remove criticisms if it can be proved that the comments were malicious, if the Hotel chooses to manage their own account. The Hotel was unaware of any of this until the story appeared in the National Press.

By using Social Media you can create a community for your clients. Engage them with information on your products and services, encourage their comments and reactions and then they become more amenable to you and your products. They are more likely to buy from you, trust you and remain loyal to you. This will increase your level of business, increase the number of visitors to your site and help to create a positive image for your business.