Impact of incorporating social media in your business

Social media has not only impacted the way we live, but also the way we do business. All the top brands have their own Facebook and twitter accounts, and we’ve come to find that small business owners are following suit. Unfortunately things don’t always run smoothly on social media, especially if someone who is not clued up on public relations manages these accounts.

Reputations were left tarnished by people who said the wrong thing at the wrong time, causing a social media blunder. What you say today, can impact the way the world views you. Quite frankly, the world judges and social media has become their stage. What you say online can be used against you and come in the way of you and that dream job or ruin the reputation of your company. Everything on the internet lives forever and automatically labels you.

A business can either be labelled as a pioneer of the industry or be seen as just another has-been. That’s why it’s to the utmost importance that you guard what is being said online. All business schools in South Africa are now moving with the times and implementing social media practices into their course studies.

When the world moves in a certain direction, everyone, including businesses or they could face becoming extinct, in their way of reaching the masses.

Social networking has become part of our daily lives and for some it’s become part of our routine to update where we are and what we’re doing. The same goes for businesses. Keeping your clients up to date with your service, could prove fruitful and won’t cost you a single penny. You can even learn more about your target market as you go along. There are numerous advantages of networking on Facebook or Twitter. You can view online profiles and see the stats before your very eyes of the number of male, females and even age groups.

It’s been established that social media is invaluable to your business, but caution should be taken as to who manages your online social accounts.

Careful consideration should also be taken as to how you respond to your clients. Always keep in mind that what you didn’t mean to say can be interpreted differently from what you actually wanted to say. Strategic content plans should be put in place before you just go typing away. Managing how a business is viewed due to what information is released to the public is, what impacts the way you advertise your business on social media.