3 things you need to get right to become a truly social business

If you want to transform your business into a social business, it’s great, but often we see many companies that are only focusing on getting lots of people to join them on the social media channels they are going to use. They only focus on getting traffic, lots of followers, likes, etc. The truth is, unless these are your business objectives, it really doesn’t matter.

If you want to successfully transform your business into a social business, your focus should be on getting real business done via social media. You don’t have to go full swing from the start and you can really start small and only add a little bit more with every step. Doing it this way is much easier than deciding to go the full circle and be a complete social business from day one. Find below a couple of tips that can help you with this transformation process.

1. Social media help desk

Start small and create a virtual help desk where you can help your clients with their queries and problems on the social web. The easiest way to do this is if you create a dedicated Twitter profile for this where people can talk directly with your “help desk” Twitter account.

It’s very important that you setup alerts to be notified when someone sends a message to you or mentions you on your social media help desk. Respond to their questions and try to help them all the way.

2. Traditional marketing

Integrate social media in your traditional marketing campaigns. Don’t just use your website address in your printing material, but also links to your social media profiles and your help desk Twitter profile. You can also use these links in any email footers you currently have. Make your clients aware that you are using social media in your business and that they can communicate directly with you on the social web.

3. Blogging

Start a blog on your website where you can publish new blog posts on questions your customers might have. Your blog can also be a great way of explaining the ways of using your services or products.

Blogging is the heart and soul of social media and there is no better way to get your clients to engage with you than your blog. Each new blog post that you publish can also be automatically syndicated to your social media profiles so that you only have one core message you are spreading on the social web.

It’s very important when transforming into a social business that you use social media in such a way that it adds value to your business instead of just playing the numbers game.

Integrating social media in your business has many advantages and it can help you reach your business objectives when applied correctly. Don’t just think you have to start with marketing your business on the social web because others are doing it and because it’s still a buzz word. Focus on how you can tie this new medium into your existing marketing campaign to reach your business goals. It will pay off.