How to Screw Up Your Online Presence in Three Steps

That sounds pretty harsh, huh? We don’t actually want you to screw up your online presence, but we do want to highlight some common mistakes businesses make when it comes to digital footprints.

Mistake 1: Not Utilizing Social Media Effectively

You’ve set up an account on virtually every platform: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Google+, Yelp, Pinterest…how could you go wrong? Let us count the ways.

First of all, certain social media platforms just won’t work for certain industries. Your best bet is to start small and pick one or two platforms in the beginning, to get a feel for the way your customers like to absorb content. Do you make THE best chili on this side of the Mississippi? Show it off on Facebook and Instagram! Do you host a lot of events, like trivia or karaoke? Maybe Snapchat would be best to show off the entertainment.

Whichever way you to choose to deliver content to your fans, make sure you’re posting frequently enough to garner excitement. Posting once a month just isn’t going to cut it, so beef up your presence with some fun drink specials, holiday trivia or customer spotlights! You want to make sure followers look forward to your posts, and with Facebook users scrolling through an average of 8 times a day, you need to keep up with demand.

Mistake 2: Posting Too Much Irrelevant Content

“But wait! You just told me I’m not posting enough content!” Technically, yes, we did say that. But don’t just post for the sake of posting. One of the most important parts of an effective social media strategy is engagement. If you’re posting 15 times a day about the weather or the current political climate instead of what makes your establishment unique and fun, you’re probably going to lose some followers, and possibly customers.

Read more: Scheduling Social Media to Make More Time For Your Illinois Gaming Business.

Focus on how you can serve your customers better and let them know why it’s important to you. The more content that they can relate to, the better off you’ll be.

Mistake 3: Not treating your haters and motivators the same

The internet has given consumers the opportunity to rant and rave about every possible part of life, so it’s inevitable that your business will see customer reviews floating around (if you don’t have any, that probably means your online presence is lacking, in which case you should download our free guide for online presence). It’s easy to focus on the negative reviews – how dare they think your food is bland and the music is too loud! But, before you respond, take a moment to think about the reason behind the review. Is it actually constructive criticism? Is it revenge for you not giving them what they demanded? Or is it simply because your place isn’t their cup of tea? Whatever the reason might be, you’ll need to respond in a professional manner. It might not hurt to ask if there is anything you can do to make up for their poor experience and let them know their satisfaction is the most important thing to you (EVEN if you think they may not be satisfied with any solution).

Now that you’ve appropriately addressed the negative reviews – don’t forget about your happy customers! We especially see this all the time on Yelp and Facebook. Companies respond to negative reviews to make sure they appear engaging, but forget to actually engage with their biggest supporters. Be sure to thank them for their review and encourage them to stop in for a current special being offered, or to remind them of an event you’ll be hosting.

What has been your biggest mistake when it comes to online presence?