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Reputation

Don’t Feed the Internet Trolls: 3 Ways to Handle Negative Online Engagements 

In a recent post, we discussed how getting a negative online review can really wreck your day — if you let it. The same can be said of people who troll your page, i.e., go out of their way to be confrontational in their comments or direct messages. These so-called internet trolls hide behind their keyboards and spew out nonsense, unkind words or other atrocities. 

Internet trolls leave comments for no other reason than to get a reaction out of the person reading the comments.

In this case, let’s assume it’s you reading those comments. So how do you respond when internet trolls make an appearance on your page?

To answer that question, we’ll take the same approach we did in 3 Tips for Responding to Your Online Reviews: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. You’ll see a hypothetical internet troll comment, followed by a suggested “good response,” along with possible “bad” or “ugly” responses.

The key point to keep in mind? Never feed the internet trolls. That’s the tip from Roscoe in our Social Spots video below on this topic. Now let’s dive in a little deeper to help you craft a good response should any trolls decide to crash the party on your social media pages.

Your Candles Are Trash

Imagine you’re a candle retailer who just posted a photo on your social media page featuring a new giveaway. Let’s say it’s a vanilla and lavender scented candle, and you’re offering a free candle to a random winner for those who like, share and tag friends in the comments. 

Your followers are super excited about it because your candles are highly coveted. They’re busy trying to win that candle … and along comes an internet troll.

“Those candles are garbage,” spews the troll. “You wouldn’t catch me burning that anywhere near my home.”

Good response: “It’s unfortunate you feel that way. We consistently sell out of this candle, so I would imagine many of our happy customers would disagree with you. To each their own!” 

This response is professional and courteous, while still calling attention to the fact that many other people disagree with the troll. Anyone reading this interaction (who isn’t an internet troll themselves) would most likely side with you. You’ll probably even get people chiming in about how much they love your candles. Thanks, troll, for building engagement on that post!

Bad response: “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You probably buy your candles at the local convenience store!”

This one is just asking for the internet troll to re-engage. 

Ugly response: “You know what’s garbage? YOU! YOU’RE GARBAGE!”

Get ready for an all-out war, troll-style. You’d best check under the bridge before crossing it on your way home tonight.

Related: How to Handle Negative Online Reviews

Who Can Eat Cake When the Glaciers Are Melting?

Let’s say you snapped a few photos of a birthday celebration at work and posted them on your page. Everyone is all smiles, and your followers love seeing these real-life snapshots of the people behind your business. And then an internet troll decides to crash the party.

“You’re celebrating a birthday while climate change is melting our glaciers? Have fun explaining that to your grandchildren.”

Good response: “We love celebrating the special days in our team members’ lives and letting our followers know about momentous occasions. It’s possible to celebrate while still taking serious matters like climate change seriously, which is why we donate to [XYZ environmental group], limit our carbon footprint, and allow our team members time off to volunteer for causes they care about.”

This could be any kind of social issue, but the point is that you can use this exchange as an opportunity to highlight the different ways you give back and make a difference. (And if you don’t already do those things, you can think about ways to implement such measures.)

Bad response: “What does a birthday have to do with climate change? Give me a break.”

You’re opening yourself up to further attacks here. Nitpickers will point out the plastic forks accompanying your birthday cake.

Ugly response: “Who cares about the planet when there’s birthday cake to be eaten?!”

You’ll soon have environmental groups knocking at your door!

Your Tie Is Terrible

Here’s another hypothetical scenario. You post a video showing how to use one of your products. Let’s say it’s the same candle retailer, showing how to use their DIY candle kit.

The internet troll returns. “lol how about you watch this video about how to tie a tie. Obviously you have no clue how to do it.”

Good response: “Wow, thanks for the tip! I hadn’t realized my tie was a little crooked. Good thing I’m in the candle-making business and not the tie-tying business!”

Most people aren’t going to care about a crooked tie, and this easy-going response calls attention back to the matter at hand: DIY candle kits!

Bad response: “I would watch your video, but I’m too busy selling candle kits to worry about my tie.”

OK, honestly, this is arguably kind of a funny response. However, you’re only inviting more back-and-forth with the troll. Better to end it quickly and move on.

Ugly response: “What does my tie have to do with a candle-making kit? Get a life.”

If it’s not already clear, the internet troll has no life. The internet troll’s entire existence revolves around making your life — and the life of countless other unassuming page owners — as difficult as possible.

Related: Chat With a Strategist: Phoebe

Starve the Internet Trolls

If and when you have to deal with internet trolls, the best course of action is to avoid stooping to their level, and put an end to the conversation as quickly as possible. The more you try to argue, explain a point or express frustration, the more delighted the troll becomes.

A few other helpful hints:

  • If need be, you can prevent a troll from continuing to interact on your page. The major social platforms like Facebook and Instagram have built-in features to manage your comments, including deleting, hiding or reporting comments, or even blocking a person from your page.
  • If you see a profile that appears to be fake, report it through the social media platform.
  • Being professional and courteous wins out over rude and confrontational, every time.
  • Instead of feeding internet trolls, starve them. The less you interact with — even ignore — their comments, the hungrier they will become. Eventually, they’ll move on.

If you lack the time to deal with internet trolls, consider letting Rallio do some of the heavy lifting for you. Our dashboard pulls all of your comments, messages and reviews into one central inbox so you can easily see and respond to them all. We also have Social Strategists who can do the responding for you through our technology, if you would rather let the experts deal with your trolls.

Head over to rallio.com to see how it works and request a demo. We promise not to invite any internet trolls to the meeting.

Categories
Reputation

3 Tips for Responding to Your Online Reviews: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Getting a great online review for your business has a way of putting a spring in your step, doesn’t it? Whether your Love Language is “words of affirmation” or you just love to hear someone singing your praises, positive online reviews tell you that you’re doing something right. And most importantly, you’re making your customers happy.

Negative online reviews, on the other hand, have a way of ruining your day. It’s like if the waiter comes along and takes your plate away while you’re away at the restroom. “Oh, you were enjoying yourself there? Not so fast!”

In either case, it’s important that you respond to all your online reviews — both the positive and the negative. The more you engage with your audience and let them know you’re listening, the more professional, approachable and trustworthy you become. That’s especially true when it comes to negative online reviews. If you handle yourself with grace and avoid lashing out, you will come across as the cool-headed business that wants to solve problems and make things right.

Sometimes, particularly with negative online reviews, you might be unsure how to handle a review or find the right words. Even positive online reviews can be tricky; if your response lacks feeling and appears canned, it’s almost worse than saying nothing at all. 

To help you hone your review-response skills, we’ve compiled some imaginary online reviews. With each one, you’ll see responses that fall within the “good, bad and ugly” range. Aim for the “good,” and your review responses will get an instant upgrade. Avoid the “bad.” And although it seems outlandish that anyone would venture into the “ugly” territory, we just never know, so we’re throwing it in there. If nothing else, it may give you a good chuckle.

Related: 3 Marketing Lessons From the Pandemic: One Year Later

The Thankful Patron

If you want to improve your responses to online reviews, the easiest place to start is by replying back to customers who like and appreciate your products or services. Oftentimes, business owners overlook these positive reviews, thinking, “Well, they’re happy! Nothing else to see here.”

In reality, customers want to hear from you even if their words are positive. In fact, they might actually be offended if you ignore them when they took the time to sing your praises. Imagine a great review going south just because you didn’t express your thanks!

Hypothetical positive review from Mark Smith: “We had such a lovely time dining at Marvin’s Steak House. The food was exquisitely prepared, the service was exceptional, and we never felt rushed to finish our meal. The entire experience was nothing short of magical. The to-go box even had a voucher for a free dessert on our next visit!”

Good response: “Mark, we are so thrilled you enjoyed your experience with us. In these challenging times for restaurants, it’s people like you who remind us of why we love doing what we do. We can’t wait for your return visit, and we promise to have a fresh tray of desserts ready for you.”

This response is personal, calling out specific details of the review. It shows that a real human actually read the review and took the time to respond — about the same time it took Mark to write it. Mark is going to hang on to that dessert voucher and hurry back in for a visit soon.

Bad response: No response at all. Or how about just “Thanks”? How quickly do you think Mark is going to hustle back to the restaurant? 

Ugly response: “Glad you liked the service. Your tip didn’t really reflect that though, eh?” 

Related: How to Handle Negative Online Reviews

The Irate Customer

Sometimes, you’ll get a customer who is upset about something that happened at your business. They may have a valid point, or they could just be overreacting. But whatever the case may be, this is your chance to act like the professional that you are.

Hypothetical irate review from Jane Painter: “This place is the worst. I needed help picking out a paint type for my ceiling, and the salespeople were either on their phones or talking to each other, paying no attention to me. I ended up leaving and going to the paint store across town. I’ll never be back.”

Good response: “Jane, we are so sorry you had this experience at our store. We really let you down when you needed our help, and we regret that you didn’t see the best version of us on that particular visit. We will be sure to address the customer service issues you mentioned with our staff, and we’re using your review to improve our service. We’d love an opportunity to make things right with you, if you’ll give us a second chance. We have a gift card we’d love to send to you, if you could please email [address] and let us know where to send it.”

Professional and reasonable, this response accepts responsibility and makes an effort to smooth things over. It’s up to the customer how they respond at this point, but in the public’s eyes, the business did everything they could to ask for forgiveness.

Bad response: “We are a high-volume store, and we don’t always have time for every little question. Our website has answers to a lot of FAQ. Next time, just get our attention!” 

Yikes. Jane is about to fire off another negative online review about you now.

Ugly response: “lol if you don’t know how to paint, just hire someone!”

The Fibber, the Faker, the Turmoil Maker

Still other times, someone might flat-out lie in their online review. It’s frustrating, but it happens. 

First off, if someone says something that just plain isn’t true, you may have some recourse with the review platforms. In some cases, you can ask that a review be removed if it contains information that isn’t factual. Check with individual platforms if this happens to you, and if necessary, follow their process for requesting that a review be removed.

In the meantime, while that process is underway, you’ll want to post a reply. It’s possible that your review will remain posted even if you go through the proper channels to have it removed. So just be sure you post a public response.

Hypothetical lie from Sarah Liesalot: “I tried to take a class at Sir Spins a Lot, and I was refused entry because I didn’t have shoes with me. The website says they rent shoes! What a joke!”

Good response: “Sarah, we regret that you left our facility with incorrect information. We do not rent out shoes, due to current health regulations in our county. Our website does not state that we rent shoes, and in fact, it states that bringing your own shoes is a requirement for entry. This information is also stated in our waiver, which you signed prior to taking class. If you have any further questions about our policies and procedures, please reach out to us directly at [email or phone].”

By sticking to the facts and avoiding the “liar” label, the business educates both the reviewer and the public. New students will be more likely to bring their own shoes, and Sarah will either do so the next time or avoid the business in the future (win-win).

Bad response: “You’re a liar. We don’t rent shoes. Nowhere on our website does it say that we do. You signed a waiver stating you would bring your own shoes. How about you read the waiver before you sign it, hmm?”

Name-calling and being confrontational only makes you look bad and further aggravates the customer.

Ugly response: “Nope. We don’t rent shoes, lady. Show me one place on our website that says this. Yeah, I don’t think so!”

Related: The 5 Top Players You Need on Your Social Media Team

Online Reviews Are a Delicate Matter

One final thought about responding to online reviews: Some people will never be happy, no matter how accommodating you are. Avoid getting into back-and-forth word battles, which are ultimately losing efforts. Do your best to resolve any issues quickly and professionally, and invite the customer to take the conversation offline if needed.

Knowing how to respond to your online reviews is one of the most valuable skills you can attain as a business owner. By the way, the same goes for any direct messages and comments you receive on social media. 

Your customers are already using social media and review platforms as customer service channels. They expect quick responses to complaints, and they also expect quick responses to compliments. 

If you lack the time to handle this kind of volume of incoming messages, consider letting Rallio do some of the heavy lifting for you. Our dashboard pulls all of your comments, reviews and messages into one central inbox so you can easily see and respond to them all. We also have Social Strategists who can do the responding for you through our technology, if you would rather get an expert eye on your reviews.

Head over to rallio.com to see how it works and request a demo. And if you like, send us a message. We promise our response will fall in the “good” range — and steer clear of the ugly. 

Categories
Reputation

How to Handle Negative Online Reviews

When you’ve worked hard to build a business, negative online reviews can be a real disappointment. You might do everything right, and some customer, somewhere, will manage to find something wrong. Unfortunately, this is simply a fact of doing business in the 21st century.

At the same time, negative online reviews are a chance to diffuse customer complaints and demonstrate empathy, patience and understanding. You can smooth over the situation while showing the general public that you can handle criticism.

When negative online reviews come your way — and they probably will at some point — there are a few things you can do to make things right. Start by taking a deep breath, and then walk yourself through these tips.

Don’t React

By all means, take a few moments to vent to coworkers or friends when faced with negative online reviews. If their comments are unfounded, you rightfully will feel like the review is unjust.

Once you’ve got the venting out of your system, you’ll be in a better place to sit down and type out a response. Don’t type out the first thought that comes into your head; take some time to craft a response that will address your customer’s concerns.

The last thing you want to do is post something confrontational in response to negative online reviews. It will only make your customer more upset, and it won’t look very good for you, either. 

Be Professional

On that note, the high road is the path of choice when it comes to negative online reviews. If there are blatant errors in the review — for instance, they claim you’re only open until 6 p.m. on Saturdays but you know you’re open until 9 — you can correct the errors politely. 

If any part of their review rings true, acknowledge what the customer is saying. Maybe they didn’t get their side of macaroni and cheese with their to-go order. Perhaps there was a long line at checkout. 

Whatever the case may be, try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. How big of a bummer is it to get home after picking up your food and realize you’re missing the most important part of your meal? Or to have to wait in a huge line with only one cashier working?

There can be valid reasons that things go wrong from time to time. Maybe whomever packed the order simply forgot the mac ‘n’ cheese, or you were short-handed and didn’t have anyone else to ring up orders.

You can explain what happened while still being apologetic and professional. Use names, and offer to remedy the situation. It could be a simple: “We deeply apologize that your order was missing an item, Joe. We’d like to offer you a free entree for next time you come in.” Or maybe: “We’re so sorry you had to wait in a long line, Mary. Unfortunately, we were short-handed that day, and our customers had to wait longer than we all would have liked. We’d love to offer $5 off your next order.” 

Learn more: A Step-by-Step Guide to Responding to a Bad Yelp Review

Respond Quickly

While you should always collect yourself and regain your composure before responding to negative online reviews, don’t wait too long. If you can get back to them within an hour, that’s ideal. If that’s not possible, then 24 hours should be the max.

Remember, you don’t have to have all the details in order to respond. Sometimes, you may need more information before you’re able to remedy negative online reviews. For example, a review might be vague and unclear as to what happened or the people involved.

If that’s the case, you can simply apologize that the customer had a poor experience and offer to take the conversation offline: “We regret you had a less than stellar experience with us, Jane. We would love to talk with you personally and make things right. Please contact us at [your phone or email].”

This way, you’re putting the ball in the customer’s court without ignoring them. What they choose to do at that point is up to them, but you’ll know you’ve done your part to remedy matters.

Read more: Franchise Social Media Best Practices You Need to Know

Franchise social media best practices

Customize Your Responses

Negative online reviews are bad enough. Don’t make matters worse by posting a canned response that makes it seem like a bot delivered it.

This is why you need a real human looking at both positive and negative online reviews. Whether a review is good or bad, it’s important that it receives a genuine reply.

You’re either taking the time to address any concerns, or you’re thanking customers for posting their positive testimonials. Every review deserves a response.

Your customers will feel validated and significant — and they’ll be more likely to send you referral business.

Be Systematic

Make a habit of checking your online reviews regularly. If you don’t check, you might not even be aware of negative online reviews (or positive reviews, for that matter).

If you are time-crunched, you might have to just set specific times in the day for checking reviews. Maybe first thing in the morning and last thing before the end of the day works. 

Using technology to manage positive and negative online reviews helps, too. The Rallio Dashboard pulls in reviews from the major review platforms so you can see everything in one place.

You can also outsource your review responses to our Rallio Local team. We work with individual business owners every day who need our help managing their online reputation and creating appropriate responses to negative online reviews.

Lastly, you can take advantage of our Revv reputation management app. It’ll prompt your customers for feedback immediately after the sale and help you generate more positive reviews.

Don’t Let Negative Online Reviews Bring You Down

Receiving negative online reviews isn’t fun, but don’t let it ruin your day. If you handle these reviews courteously and quickly, then the positive reviews should outweigh the negatives. 

If the majority of your customers are happy, then you’ll know you’re doing things right. Get in touch with us if you could use a hand addressing negative online reviews.

Read more: Should You Outsource Your Small-Business Social Media? 4 Compelling Reasons It Makes Sense

Rallio Local for Small Business

Categories
Reputation

How’s Your Customer Response Time? 6 Simple Ways to Step It Up

If your customer response time is lagging on social media, your followers and customers are going to notice. Whether they’re looking to get questions answered or to leave a review, you can count on customers using social media as a customer service channel. 

Is your customer response time fast enough for them? The typical recommendation is a customer response time of less than 24 hours. However, if you really want to impress them, you’ll want to pick up the pace even more.

Additionally, make sure you’ve got all your bases covered as far as responses go. Below, we’ve outlined six simple ways you can improve your customer response time and keep your customers happy.

But first, let’s look at why you should care about customer response time in the first place.

Why Customer Response Time Matters

It’s no secret that responding to your customers is important. If you have a successful business, naturally you have some type of system for customer support. For instance, maybe you have a support email and phone number for customer service inquiries.

However, it’s not enough to provide only email and phone support. The influx of support requests during the pandemic has led to a spike in customer service inquiries, and social media is a part of that equation. 

With pandemic-related extended wait times over the phone and, sometimes, a delay in email response time, it’s critical that you enable your customers to reach you and have their issues resolved via social media. Whether they’re checking on shipment status, inquiring about refunds and exchanges, or looking for information on a product or service, customers are putting on the pressure to get answers, fast. 

Intercom explains, “As the virus spreads around the world, many support teams are experiencing significant shifts in customer requests. In our survey, nearly half (47%) of support teams report that inbound volume has increased since the outbreak and by an average of 51% above their normal volume.”

Pandemic aside, a fast customer response time is one of the best ways to build customer loyalty. According to Gartner, customers are significantly more loyal when their expectations are met versus when their expectations are not met. 

With loyalty, you increase the likelihood of customers sharing about their experiences on social media. From there, you increase your reach and the chances of acquiring new followers and customers.

It all begins with your customer response time and the quality of your responses. So, yes, it’s pretty important that you get this aspect of your business squared away sooner rather than later.

Read more: The 6 Most Common FAQ About Local Social Media, Answered

Common FAQ about social media

Automate Your Customer Responses

One of the first ways to improve customer response time on social media is to automate responses. Facebook will allow you to set up auto-responses to your frequently asked questions. 

Think about the questions you field over and over again. Maybe they include:

  • What are your hours? 
  • How do I make an appointment?
  • Where are you located?
  • Can I see a menu?
  • Do you deliver?

With Facebook auto-responses, you can fill in the answers to FAQ and handle many customer service inquiries without having to lift a finger. Here’s a quick walk-through from Facebook to help you set these up.

Facebook points out that these instant replies are not included in your page’s response rate and response time. These are measures of how quickly and consistently you respond to messages. With a high response rate and fast response time, you earn a “Very responsive to messages” badge that you can display on your page.

Still, though, giving your customers quick answers will help to improve their satisfaction with your brand. In their eyes, you are providing a fast customer response time — even if Facebook isn’t officially recognizing your instant replies as part of your response metrics.

Did you know? 54% of social browsers use social media to research products. GlobalWebIndex

Respond to Direct Messages

The DM feature on your social media pages — Facebook and elsewhere — is a great way for customers to contact you directly without picking up the phone. And while instant replies can handle some of the incoming questions, they won’t cover every single issue.

That’s why it’s important to check your DMs and make sure you’re responding to them. It takes real humans to manage this task. You can either assign this job to someone in-house or outsource the work, but make sure you have it covered.

Responding to DMs quickly not only ensures optimal customer response time, but also improves customer satisfaction. Your customers will be less likely to leave a negative review if you handle their inquiries promptly and professionally.

Read more: 5 Easy Ways to Power Up Your Social Media Presence in One Hour or Less

Power up your social media presence

Improve Your Library of Help Content

Within your auto-responses and any other automated customer service mechanisms such as live chat, you can also direct customers over to your help library online. That is, of course, if you have a help library.

If not, now is a great time to create one!

Help libraries are useful for answering any common questions, providing how-to tutorials, and explaining your customer service or shipping policies. You can keep this library continually updated, adding to it anytime you see a new customer service need.

In addition to providing text-based tutorials and answers, it’s a good idea to add video content to your help library. Many people prefer to watch a video rather than read something, and videos are another way to support your customers and improve your customer response time.

Respond to Social Media Engagements and Reviews

Yet another way that customers will seek out customer support is through your social media posts themselves. In some cases, customers are simply commenting on a post with something positive. Other times, they may actually be posting a question or a negative comment about your brand.

And in still other scenarios, customers may be leaving reviews of your company on a review platform like Google My Business or Facebook. 

In any of these cases, you should respond to your customers quickly. For positive comments, express your thanks and let them know you’re eager to serve them again in the future. For anything negative, offer to help resolve the problem and make it right for the customer. 

Avoid getting into back-and-forth arguments or being defensive. Try to take the conversation offline. Don’t fear negative feedback, however. It can be an opportunity to:

  • Take the high road. Show that you’re willing to resolve problems quickly.
  • Avoid having your comments and reviews appear “fake.” It’s rare that a brand never gets criticized.
  • Consider the criticism as an opportunity to grow if the customer has a valid concern. 

Utilize Social Media Management Tools

This is perhaps one of the best ways to ensure a better customer response time: Have everything housed under one roof.

Rallio technology gives you a single login to one central dashboard that will pull in all of your likes, comments, messages, reviews and other engagements. It also allows you to respond to them. Rather than having to log in to several different platforms and keep up with all of the above, you can keep everything organized.

Not only will you reduce your customer response time by having everything centralized, but you’ll save yourself a lot of time, too. You’ll also reduce the chances of anything slipping through the cracks.

Always Look to Improve Your Customer Response Time

The quicker you can respond to customers, the happier your customers will be. With a blend of personalized responses and speedy response times, you’ll gain customer loyalty and build your online reputation.

In addition to Rallio technology tools, you can work with our Rallio Local division if you’d like us to handle all your customer responses. Whatever your needs may be, we can find a solution that works for you.

Categories
Reputation

Why Your Online Reviews Are More Important Than Ever

Why Your Online Reviews Are More Important Than Ever

We’ve written about the importance of online reviews before, but never before have they been more important than they are right now. As we work to disseminate information that may help our clients and other businesses dealing with COVID-19, we’d be remiss if we didn’t impress upon you how critical it is that you’re getting customer feedback at this time.

With the COVID-19 crisis, customers are relying almost entirely on digital communications and resources to find out information about a business. Are they open? Are they wearing gloves and masks? Do they offer contactless options, pickup, delivery? How about free delivery? These are the types of questions you need to get ahead of right away, in a way that inspires fresh, current reviews about your business.

When your business suddenly relies on nearly 100 percent digital contact with customers and prospects, you need to make sure your online presence is on point. Reviews posted a few months ago don’t mean anything to customers who are looking for the most up-to-date information about a business before they decide to leave the shelter of home or place an order over the phone or online. Let’s look at some of the issues you may be up against and how you can resolve them.

The Problem: You’re Lacking Current Reviews

That’s a real problem because it’s not giving customers the confidence they need in order to give you their business in the here and now. Customers want to know what they can expect today — not three, six or nine months ago. 

And while you may be understandably caught up in the details of running your business right now, maybe even making sure you stay in business and keep your employees, you also have to realize that getting those reviews is the exact thing that’s going to keep you in business as well as help you grow.

Why This Might Be Happening

There can be a few things going on if you’re not getting any new reviews or if you seem to be just getting negative reviews posted:

  1. Google My Business has hit “pause” on the ability for any business to add new reviews due to their own staff shortages related to COVID-19. So even if customers are leaving reviews on this platform, they’re probably not getting published. 
  2. The second reason you might not have new reviews is you’re not asking for them. Many people simply won’t take the time to post a review if you don’t send them a link asking for that immediate feedback. 
  3. When left to their own devices — i.e., you haven’t asked for feedback and customers are simply finding your page on the review platforms — the customers leaving reviews are likely to be the ones who have something negative to say. That means that many of the reviews getting posted could be negative. 

Smartphone online reviewThe Solution 

Provide a way to get feedback that encourages positive reviews. Our Revv app allows you to ask for feedback immediately after a transaction takes place. Customers who have a negative experience, if any, are invited to contact you privately so their concerns can be handled right away. They’re less likely to post a negative review if they’re asked to take the conversation offline and provided with great customer service.

With Revv, customers who have a positive experience are asked to submit a review on their review platform of choice based on where businesses direct them. It gives businesses so much more control over the review process! Rather than rely on customers to go and post positive reviews “just because,” Revv actually asks for those reviews and guides customers to the appropriate platform.

Key Takeaways

If your business is open right now, you can count yourself among the fortunate. Maybe your business is able to be conducted online, or maybe you’re a food business continuing to provide meals to the public and perhaps even to healthcare workers and law enforcement personnel. 

No doubt, your customers are grateful for the products and services you’re continuing to provide. You’re offering some sense of normalcy — you’re an open business! You have an opportunity to shine and provide the best possible service. And you shouldn’t underestimate the kindness with which you’ll be met if you ask your customers to support you by leaving a positive review.

Thank you for your orderWhen you get those great reviews, be sure to thank your customers for them and highlight them on social media. If your customer mentions that James did a great job of getting an order to them quickly and took the proper safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, you can spotlight James on your social media pages. And then boost the post to extend the reach even further!

With Revv, it can become a simple, automated, ongoing cycle of delivering great service to customers, asking for feedback, making your business better as needed if any negative feedback gets submitted, and publicizing the positive feedback on review platforms and social media.

Reach out to sales@rallio.com to find out how it works and what we can do for your business in particular. We have some affordable options that are helping many businesses continue to grow despite these challenging times.

Categories
Reputation Social

Social Media Marketing, the Quarantine Edition: How to Pivot When Times Get Tough

fb:app_id

If you’ve tried to reply to or leave a Google My Business review recently, you may have noticed you’re not able to do so. Google announced on Friday that due to COVID-19, a number of its GMB features have been suspended or limited, including new reviews, replying to reviews and Q&As.

We understand these limitations are impacting our clients and many other businesses, yet at the same time, we want to remind you that you can — and very much should — continue responding to reviews and asking your customers for reviews on Facebook, Yelp and other review platforms. 

In fact, now more than ever, it’s critical that you pay attention to what customers are saying, asking about and commenting on via social media and online review platforms.

There’s been a huge surge in the use of social media and online usage ever since COVID-19 caused the need for social distancing, quarantining and lockdowns for people and communities around the world. eMarketer predicts a boost in digital media consumption across social platforms as people turn to social media to connect with loved ones or access coronavirus news.

With many local businesses having to limit their hours, shift their product or service offerings, or even shut down operations altogether, their customers are now at home, scrolling their feeds throughout the day. That means you not only have an opportunity to get in front of them with local content and remind them you’re still actively engaged with your community, but also generate and respond to your reviews online.

In this article, we’ll cover: 

  • Which features are currently limited or suspended
  • What these restrictions mean for local businesses
  • What you can do about it 
Google My Business listing
Google My Business features may be temporarily unavailable. Unless you provide a critical health-related service, expect delays if you require Google’s assistance.

Which Features Are on Hiatus?

New reviews, review replies and Q&As may be unavailable during this time. If a customer leaves a review, it may not appear on your GMB profile, and/or you may not be able to respond to an existing review if you haven’t already. 

Additionally, if you need to make edits to your business information, note that Google is prioritizing those edits that are critical to health-related businesses. Google has stated that it will also prioritize reviewing any edits for open and closed states, special hours, temporary closures, business descriptions and business attributes for other verified businesses.

At Rallio, we are supporting our clients using our Business Listing Service by helping them update their information online with the help of our Social Strategists. Any of our users who have reduced hours or closures are able to communicate that information quickly and easily across the web using this service.

What Do These Restrictions Mean for Local Business?

As a local business owner, these changes mean you may not be able to interact with your customers via GMB. Any reviews that haven’t already been handled likely will not be able to be responded to at this time. 

Potentially, you may have a negative review that isn’t able to be addressed, and Google might not be able to provide any support currently. 

https://www.facebook.com/petsuppliesplus/posts/10156698230467117

What Can You Do About It?

Google is important for your business, no doubt. But it’s certainly not the only platform that matters. Here are just a few ways to mitigate the impacts of a limited GMB presence:

  • Ask your customers for reviews on Facebook, Yelp and other review platforms. For our REVV clients, this means you should simply point your customers to non-GMB platforms when you request a review. If you’re not currently using REVV — our reputation accelerator that enables quick, mobile-based reviews from your clients — simply leave a comment on this post below, fill out our online contact form or email support@www.rallio.com, and we’ll get you some info right away.
  • Edit your business listing. You may be able to add a “temporarily closed” or “takeout/delivery available” descriptor to your business name in GMB, which appears to have loosened its restrictions on such changes. However, be aware that Google is prioritizing its reviews of business information edits according to the type of business — for instance, those that are critical for health-related businesses. Therefore, there’s no guarantee your edits will have a speedy review from Google.
  • Publish your reviews as posts. Any reviews you have in hand can be turned into posts and boosted (provided there’s not too much text in the graphic; Facebook is picky about that). Canva.com has some awesome tools to create eye-catching graphics. Put the body of your review in a caption and attach a nice graphic, and voila! Your review is now published.
  • Ask your customers to share their reviews. You’d be amazed at how willing people are to help out their favorite small businesses right now. They can support you by giving you a shoutout via their own social media pages and Stories.
  • Generate your own buzz. Go live on Instagram and Facebook to tell your customers about any changes, limited hours or just to spread some positivity, humor and love! People need to stay connected right now, and social media is the perfect venue to facilitate connection.
  • Pivot. Are you facing unprecedented changes in your business? So now is the time to do unprecedented, miraculous things. We’ve seen our client Pet Supplies Plus begin offering curbside pickup. Alcohol distilleries are starting to make hand sanitizer. Fitness studios are offering live and recorded classes. Restaurants, quick-serve eateries and bars everywhere are offering free delivery, contactless delivery or pickup and other options to make quarantine life bearable.
  • Keep calm and post on. Now is not the time to stop marketing yourself. Fight this coronavirus with compassion, communication and spot-on messaging as you take care of the community in which you love to do business.

The Rallio team is working remotely but still taking care of all our clients’ needs — one of the benefits of being a technology company. Get in touch with us if you’re not sure how to pivot your social media marketing right now. We have experts who not only are ready to strategize with you, but also truly care about the success of our businesses during these challenging times. 

For more information on Google’s current limitations, click here.

Categories
Reputation Social

Why You Need to Keep Up Your Marketing Despite the Coronavirus

Keep Calm Header

If the terms “an abundance of caution” and “unprecedented times” sound familiar to you, you’re not alone. Businesses and individuals around the world are facing the kind of territory typically reserved for summertime blockbusters and epic novels. However, here we are, navigating the uncertainty of daily life presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Here at Rallio, we want you to know we completely understand the fears that many businesses are facing day by day, sometimes hour by hour, as new mandates call for closures, remote working, restricted hours and other measures designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. And as much as we’d love to make light of it all, crack a joke and create a quirky post or two, we know this is a serious matter — that real lives are on the line here, not only for people who may have contracted the virus, but for the many business owners and operators working tirelessly to address these … well, these unprecedented times.

That being said, we want to offer some positivity in the face of difficulty and give you some real tools you can use to keep marketing yourself right now, and even come out ahead when all is said and done. Although businesses may be inclined to pull back on their marketing, now is actually the time to ramp up your efforts and shift your focus when needed. 

Lean Into Social Media

People are social distancing, self-isolating or quarantined. Now, more than ever, they need to hear from you — with messages of hope, reassurance that either you’re still up and running or you’re following necessary safety protocols (depending on the nature of your business), and perhaps some levity here and there. 

Moreover, with more people likely to be on their phones, using their mobile devices to stay in touch, order online and connect with the world, you have an opportunity to connect with your audience like never before. While now is not necessarily the time to blast people with your usual promotions, you can, and should, adjust your strategy to support current times and be of service. 

Examples of appropriate posts may include:

An announcement, if any, of any reduction in usual services or closure of your business.

Certain types of establishments, such as fitness centers and restaurants, may be under mandated or self-imposed orders to close or discontinue in-store dining or shopping. Let your customers know what’s happening so they can stay informed. 

It’s not our place to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do in terms of closing your doors, but be aware there may be backlash from customers if you choose to remain open (besides, many customers will choose not to come in anyway if they’re quarantining).

Likewise, if you close, you may have customers asking how you’ll compensate them for lost time — for instance, those on subscription memberships. Many people will be understanding about your closure, while others may need more soothing. Be prepared to address their concerns professionally and courteously as well as reassess your strategy day by day with these rapidly evolving times. Our Social Care and Review Response team members can always help you craft the appropriate messaging for these posts.

https://www.facebook.com/petsuppliesplus/photos/a.433694682116/10156685282017117/?type=3&theater

Information on what you’re doing to support your employees during this time. 

Some companies, schools and other groups have completely shut down for at least the remainder of March, possibly longer. They may be choosing to pay their employees during this time, having them work remotely when possible, while others may not be in a position to do so. 

Whatever you decide to do, it’s important that people can see you care about your employees. It speaks volumes about your core values and culture when you take steps to mitigate any repercussions that may result from lost wages. 

Information on how you are being of service.

With a reduction or elimination of in-person events, classes and workshops, retail shopping, theatrical performances and other “live” situations, you can shift your focus to all things virtual. Consider the following examples:

  • Create live-streamed or recorded videos of your fitness classes, how-to videos and inspirational content. If you normally have a “leg day” at the gym, for instance, create a limited-equipment or bodyweight workout people can do from the safety of home. This type of content works great for service-based businesses that don’t have product orders to fulfill.

  • Push the “virtual” side of the business. If you don’t have an ecommerce element to your business, now is the time to create one — or at least some version of virtual ordering. It could be as simple as posting to your Instagram story that you’re accepting phone orders or no-contact delivery. Restaurants are increasingly offering free delivery, drive-thru-only experiences, curbside pickup and other ordering options that allow for social distancing.
  • Don’t forget about parents and kids. There are many kids at home right now, and their parents are trying to either home-school them or help them navigate distance learning. How can you be of service to them, the likes of Zoom offering free video conferencing for K-12 schools, or Scholastic offering free daily online courses for kids stuck at home? Or, on the other side of that, how can you help parents stay sane? If you’re a yoga instructor displaced because your studio is closed, for example, you could offer free daily meditations for parents. Massage therapists can offer self-massage tips via quick videos. Get creative and put yourself in their shoes!
  • Create connection. Consider Chipotle, which began offering virtual hangouts on Zoom with its “Chipotle Together,” where fans can mingle with celebrities via online chats and even access promo codes for free entrees. These types of feel-good efforts not only generate goodwill, but also keep your brand top-of-mind at a time when people are stressed, worried and feeling alone.

Keep Advertising

Just as always, paying to boost your content will get it seen by your followers and their friends. Continue to dedicate dollars toward advertising, boosting your popular posts and making sure customers know you’re still very much in business.

Even if it means cutting back in other areas that aren’t as critical right now, we cannot stress enough that you still need to continue marketing yourself on social media via boosted content and social ads. There are ways to leverage these boosts so that the money spent has minimal impact on your business and will actually support you through these challenging times.

For example, Rallio has various affordable options that will enable your content to be crafted and boosted by a dedicated Social Strategist. This is the kind of support that will help you feel like you’re not alone and will actually help you create an effective social media marketing strategy both now and in the long term. We can truly be an ally for you and work together to make sure you’re still making an impact on social media. Our client testimonials speak for themselves:

“In a world of complaining and negativity, I wanted to take a minute to talk to you about Tyler. He has been my Strategist from the very beginning of our partnership with Rallio, and I am so glad! He is amazing!! As I’ve been more active on social media, Tyler has continued to work with me. We both schedule posts and work together in keeping our Facebook page engaging and busy. Tyler has helped me run contests and create special posts. Sometimes people complain because they expect that their pet will get posted immediately after we submit the pictures, and Tyler has been so helpful in finding the pictures and getting posts created so that our Neighbors are happy. I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate him and the partnership we have. He is wonderful and I feel lucky to have him. Thank you for all that you do!”

— Katie, Store Team Leader

Additionally, Facebook may be able to offer some assistance to cover expenses like rent, employees and operational costs. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, announced on her Facebook page on Tuesday that Facebook is committed to helping small businesses “weather the storm.” A forthcoming Boost With Facebook program will offer $100 million in cash grants and ad credits to help 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries. 

In Uncertain Times, Look for the Helpers

Tom Hanks, who, along with his wife, recently tested positive for COVID-19, brings a message of hope and sanity via social media — a nod to the Mr. Rogers character he portrayed in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”: 

We could all use a little Mr. Rogers right now — and a lot of support, compassion and helping hands. We’re all in this together, and we’ll rise together. Remember to reach out to us at Rallio and we’ll help you continue finding solutions day by day, hour by hour.

Categories
Content Marketing Reputation Social

Social Media Cheat Sheet: A Roundup of Our Best Tips

There’s a lot to learn when you’re first getting started with social media marketing, and even when you’ve been doing it a while, there’s still more to discover. Rather than get overwhelmed with the things you don’t know, try choosing one or two new ideas to explore each week. Over time, you’ll strengthen your skills, build engagement with your customers, and hopefully boost sales and profits, too!

The following roundup includes some of our best tips on social media, online reviews, and local and online marketing. Start at the top, and work your way down the list until you’ve tried everything! And then lather, rinse, repeat, and try some ideas of your own.

Be a Great Storyteller

When it comes to your content marketing strategy, nothing beats a great story that intrigues readers and connects emotionally with them. When content lacks intrigue and fails to spark an emotion, it becomes lifeless, dull and easily forgotten.

You’ll lose followers and certainly won’t gain new ones if your social media conversations are boring, stale, sales-focused and “me”-centric … exactly the type of person you would avoid at a cocktail party. On the flip side, great stories leave readers feeling like they’ve connected with you. At that proverbial cocktail party, they’ll be on the edge of their seats as you draw them in with conversation. They’ll walk away with a positive impression of your brand and will come back again and again.

How can you become a great storyteller? In short, be yourself. Let your personality, your life experiences and your opinions shine through in your content. See this post for a complete breakdown on telling stories through your content and solidifying your brand with customers.

[bctt tweet=”How can you become a great storyteller? In short, be yourself. #contentmarketing” username=”rallioHQ”]

Create Online Offers (and Make Sure They’re Working)

Online offers get your business in front of more customers and, if done right, get them shopping in your establishment. The key here is making sure your coupons are functioning properly so people don’t get frustrated trying to redeem them. Also, you need to be able to track the redemptions and learn whether your offer is producing growth for your business.

If you’ve tried coupons and haven’t experienced good returns, you might need to take a close look at your coupon process. There can be many reasons a coupon isn’t doing its job, including:

  • You’re overdoing them
  • You’re using the same, repeatable coupon code
  • You’re making them difficult to save
  • You’re making them frustrating to redeem
  • You’re making it hard to find a location near your customers to use the coupon
  • You’re not calculating the return on ad spend (ROAS)

See this post to learn more about each of the scenarios above, and then tweak your process as necessary to improve your offer results. If you’re interested in seeing how our coupons work at a brand and local level, send us an email at sales@www.rallio.com.

An example of a coupon with one too many restrictions

Create Shareable Content

It’s the question every franchisee and brand marketer has been asking for the last few years, ever since Facebook diminished the reach of page posts to 1 to 4 percent of all page followers: How do I get more people to see my content?

Bottom line, you need to create more content that people want to share. Firstly, because Facebook now focuses page posts’ organic reach on the number of shares it receives. And secondly, because when a person shares a post, they can write their own comment about the post before they share it. In a way that gives the page post new life from the perspective of the person, personalizing it to their friends.

We outline six ways to get more shares on your Facebook posts in this post. For instance, you can create how-to videos like the one below.

Get to Know Your Analytics

The amount of data available to review related to your social pages can appear overwhelming. And unless it’s your full-time profession to review and analyze trends and changes over time, you only have time for the numbers that will actually make a difference to your business.

For some, all you’re thinking about is your bottom line: Did I make another sale from this social media post? But think a bit larger than that. Not everything will result in a direct sale, but that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable.

The most important analytics to know include:

  • Follower growth. Look at the data over time, assess where your audience grows the most and the least, and see how you look next to similar local businesses.
  • Engagement. Likes, retweets, comments and shares make up some of the most common uses of the word engagement. However, people can connect with your business in less obvious ways, too, such as with geo-tagged photos at your location. Pay attention to the positive and the negative comments and feedback so you can successfully address both and keep your reputation intact.
  • Reputation. Go deeper than simply customer comments; you need to learn how your business is faring on the top review platforms, such as Yelp. What customers report about you can build your business or greatly hinder its growth. With 67 percent of consumers affected by online reviews, the ratings you have and how you respond to them will impact your brand, trustworthiness and sales.

More advanced analytics cover website analytics, directory listings and conversion rates. We delve into all of the above and more analytics best practices in this post.

[bctt tweet=”The most important #analytics to know include follower growth, engagement and reputation.” username=”rallioHQ”]

Become a Hashtag Expert

A hashtag is a word, a phrase or an acronym after the pound symbol (#). No spaces or other characters (!, ?, -, %, @, ., $, etc.) are allowed in a hashtag (with a few exceptions).

Hashtags are used to connect people to a topic, primarily on Twitter and Instagram. They are public and searchable, and when people look for a specific hashtag, they see the conversation related to that topic. People, brands, businesses, sports teams and nonprofit groups use hashtags to build an easily findable and joinable conversation around a subject matter. And in some cases, hashtags make for great comedy:

It’s critical that you know how to use hashtags correctly so you’re not tagging random words and, more importantly, you’re not jumping into a conversation you didn’t intend to. If you use a popular hashtag out of context, for example, it can become irrelevant or even offensive. Our post about becoming a hashtag expert gives you all the do’s and don’ts for creating appropriate hashtags around your brand.

Improve Your Writing

Because much of my life takes place in the world of social media, I am always on the lookout for well-written social media posts. You know the ones: the posts that cause you to smile, laugh, like and share. These posts not only pass the grammar test, but they also work hard to convey messages that connect with the intended audience. Those are the kinds of posts you want for your brand.

If you want to take your posts from “meh” to great, there are several simple ways to start flexing and strengthening your writing muscle. The most important strategy is to find a friendly, conversational voice that connects with your audience. Save your corporate-ese for white papers, because it has no place on social media. I’ve got a few other simple content strategies in this post, such as using action verbs, being concise and proofreading ad nauseam. You’ll improve your writing in no time!

[bctt tweet=”#socialmediatip: Find a friendly, conversational voice that connects with your audience. ” username=”rallioHQ”]

Brainstorm Ideas

You might already know that it’s important to publish new content regularly on social media. What might not be quite so clear? Knowing what to publish. If you’re running low on ideas for your content calendar, this two-part blog series should help you get the creative juices flowing again. From sharing a “day in the life” to posting your Pinterest boards, it includes 31 days of social media ideas you can use and tweak over and over again, and never run out of ideas!

On some level, if you’re paying attention to your social media pages (which you should be), you already know what types of content work best for you. Let us know in the comments what you’ve seen work and not work for your business.

 

 

 

 

Categories
Reputation Social

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand on Social Media

We often talk about leveraging social media to boost a brand’s reputation, customer base and connection with its audience. But let’s not forget about the importance of building a personal brand as well. People are more likely to buy from people they trust, and social media offers multiple ways to build that trust with your target audience. Let’s look at a few.

1. Identify Influencers

Locate influencers who already have an audience that’s similar to yours. The goal is to establish relationships with them so they’ll be willing to collaborate with you and keep your name top-of-mind among their followers.

Don’t go too over-zealous here; you can’t start following them and then immediately ask for favors. Begin by inserting yourself into conversations, retweeting their posts and mentioning them in your own content. Over time, you’ll build a mutually beneficial relationship while also building your own following.

2. Give Back

As you gain new followers, always remember where you came from and offer to be of help to those who have helped you. This could mean connecting with customers to ask if there’s anything you can help them with. It could mean reaching out to influencers and offering to return the favor if they’ve helped you in some way.

Don’t wait for them to come to you, either. Make it a habit to reach out regularly to your circle. You’re not selling anything, but rather offering your time, your talents and your resources in a way that alleviates a burden or answers a question or a need.

[bctt tweet=”Offer your time, your talents and your resources in a way that alleviates a burden.” username=”rallioHQ”]

3. Join Groups

Both Facebook and LinkedIn have many different types of groups, and chances are there are several that relate to your business. These are places where you can showcase your area of expertise by answering questions, posting your own content and simply being a friendly face among other members.

You don’t just have to join groups specifically related to your business, either. For example, if you are a mom running your own business, you can join various mom-related groups on Facebook. When a need or a question arises, be a voice solving a problem.

4. Be Patient

It takes time to build relationships. You need to be engaged regularly with your target audience, not simply post something once or twice and think people will remember you or care who you are. The key is being a problem solver, not a salesperson butting into conversations. By being of service, you’ll build trust and people will learn that you’re the go-to person for XYZ.

I’ve seen this concept in action in a mom group to which I belong on Facebook. A real estate agent I know makes it a point to answer housing- and mortgage-related questions. Does she shove listings in front of people? No. She just solves a problem.

And people remember her! Anytime someone asks such a question, it seems like at least one or two people tag my friend. Here’s a perfect example in a screenshot taken from that Facebook moms group. I’ve darkened out the names and images to protect their privacy, but my friend is the one who was tagged by another member and replied “Thank you!”:

oc-moms-fb-screenshot

5. Step Outside Your “Industry” Box

In the case of my real estate agent friend, she doesn’t only engage in conversations that relate directly to her industry. Sometimes she simply responds to kid-related questions or other topics that illustrate who she is as a human being. She’ll also show her capacity for compassion by posting links or comments about human interest stories or fundraising efforts.

What are some interests you have? Hiking, fashion, traveling? Get engaged with posts around these topics. Show people that you’re about much more than just selling products or services.

6. Spark Conversations

You don’t have to wait for other people to strike up a conversation. Try asking a question or posting a poll about something that’s sure to get responses. In our moms group example, you could ask for recommendations of a pediatrician, a school or an extracurricular activity. People love to add their two cents, and you’re sure to get a lot of responses!

Avoid topics that could potentially steer your personal brand down a path you don’t want to be on, such as politics or religion. The last thing you want is to ignite a war among your followers, or worse, with you personally.

[bctt tweet=”Avoid topics that could steer your personal brand down a path you don’t want to be on.” username=”rallioHQ”]

7. Stay Consistent

Above all, present a consistent image of yourself across all social media platforms and media types (text, video, etc.). You can’t be all things to all people, so just define your voice, your image and your target audience, and then stick with it. People will be checking you out across all different platforms, so you want to come across as the same person regardless of where they find you.

What strategies do you use to build your personal brand? Let’s hear your thoughts.

Categories
Reputation Social

Should You Try to Get More Facebook Likes?

The quick answer is no. You should try to get more engagement.

The long answer is more complicated.

First off, let me make a few disclaimers here. I’m not addressing the businesses that have five, 10 or 30 likes. If your business only has as many likes as you have employees, you need to boost your likes to at least a couple hundred. I’ll write about how to get those first initial likes in another post.

But let’s say you have 350 likes. You may think it’s most important for you to get 1,000 likes, and it does help build social trust for people who find you from their friends and family. But after your first hundred or thousand likes, you may be wondering if you should still be prioritizing growing the fans on your page.

Why does the number of likes matter?

Having a following on social media sites, including Facebook, indicates to your customers and people checking you out that you are well-liked, that people respect your business and approve it. Just like the numbers on a sales page (“6 million people have taken my course and changed their lives”), a high number of likes gives social proof and credence to your venture. The theory goes: The more fans, the better your business must be.

Then why not keep trying to grow your Facebook page and surpass POTUS and Rihanna? Why stop when you still haven’t reached 10,000 fans or 100,000 fans, or even 1,000 likes?

Because likes don’t mean people care.

I know, that sounds completely contrary to everything I’ve said so far. Hear me out.

Over the past few years, Facebook has dwindled the amount of posts from businesses in a person’s newsfeed to 1 to 2 percent. That’s because people have used Facebook less when they’ve seen more advertisements and posts from businesses than from their friends. And people have specifically said they want to see more of their friends’ posts, so Facebook is catering to the needs of the people to keep a strong and active community.

[bctt tweet=”Likes don’t mean people care” username=”rallioHQ”]

Facebook’s decision makes marketing more difficult for business owners and their Facebook brands. Whereas before, every post you created could come into a person’s Facebook newsfeed, nowadays only 2 to 3 percent of your audience will see a post from a business they follow.

So your fans may like your business as a whole (“Yeah, I like buying my groceries at Home & Heart Co.”), but that doesn’t mean they like what you have to share. And if they don’t like what you’re posting enough to engage and share it with their friends, then your very large page will be very, very quiet.

Now, here’s the catch.

You should still try to get more Facebook likes, but as a secondary goal. Your first goal should be engaging with your current fanbase.

Pro Tip: Likes don't mean people care

At this point, you might have just enough likes in comparison to other local businesses and can start focusing on crafting engaging posts. But what if you have thousands of page likes with hardly a share on your posts?

First, review your content and make sure you’re not making any of these social media mistakes. Then, analyze your content for engagement and see what type of post gets the most engagement.

Start posting the most engaging content more frequently, and keep monitoring what gets the most shares. If you’re looking for ways to create more shareable content, check out these ways to get more shares on Facebook.

When you have a post that has outperformed all your other successful content, sponsor it on your Facebook page to your fans and their friends. This boost will act as the spark to generate more organic engagement on your page posts (but will only work if you’re posting similar content regularly.) Keep analyzing your content engagement to create more and more shareable Facebook posts.

Remember, the transition to having an engaged Facebook page doesn’t happen overnight. But here’s the funny thing: Having an engaged audience will bring more people to like your page anyway. So in a way, you’re growing your page likes without focusing on it.

Yet you’re not growing your likes for a number; you’re growing an engaged audience. And that, even if small, is much more important.

How are you engaging your audience? And in what ways has building an excited fan base also grown your following? Let me know your strategies in the comments, or tweet us on Twitter.

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