How to be Transparent Using Social Media
It pays to be transparent using social media. It’s an awesome way to humanize your business and create trust with your audience.
It’s time to make yourself visible. Whoa, don't get the wrong idea—we mean transparent using social media. You need to let people see you as more than a business.
If you want your business to kick butt in the social media realm, it is important to be transparent. So what does that mean, exactly? It’s about being open and honest. And everything you post as a business reflects back on it. It doesn’t mean that you have to share absolutely everything with the world, but there are a few things you can do to be open and honest within reason:
We All Make Mistakes
You’re human and your business is run by humans. It’s okay to make mistakes, just make sure you own up to them. The thing is, when mistakes are made online, everyone can see them and point at them. You can try to hide them, but that really won’t make you transparent. Step up, admit your mistakes and let people know what you’re doing to fix the problem. This is a great opportunity to let your customers know that you care about their online experience and you’re doing everything you can to clear the issue up. And if appropriate, you can poke a little fun at your boo-boo.
Customer Service
If you’re running any kind of business, customer service is a key aspect—if you don’t treat your customers right, they aren’t going to come back, or worse, tell their networks. Using social media to respond publicly to customer complaints, concerns and questions lets you build an strong and honest relationship with your audience. Good or bad, you should get in front of those customer service issues. It shows that you are on top of things and deepens the bond of trust with your peeps. Even if they’ve used social media to give feedback or a complaint—if you respond in a public forum, these same people will often become your biggest supporters. That is, if you respond in a timely and effective manner.
Just Be Yourself
Didn’t your mom always tell you to just be yourself? Anyone who didn’t like you for who you really are isn’t really into you. Mom was right—and that translates to the online world too. Just be honest about who you are and what your business stands for. You can use social media to help put a face to your business. Again, this helps build trust with your fans and customers. Depending on how big your business is, it might be the CEO or it could be your Social Media Manager. It doesn’t matter who it is, it just needs to be a living, breathing person (unless your company is run by zombies. In that case, it’s okay to have an undead face representing your business).
Did we miss anything? What other ways can you be transparent using social media. Fill us in with ways to be more transparent on Twitter or Instagram.