Does your business have a reputation online? With 98% of Americans using the Internet, it is essential for businesses to have a strong online presence. At the beginning of 2013 it was recorded that the average working American spends 26 hours a week on the Internet. This has been a steady increase every year; you can only imagine what the number is now.

Social media has become a great way for companies to interact with their audiences. I personally have gotten so excited when a company I follow replies to a tweet that I have posted. Not only does it make the individual being reached out to feel a connection, but shows other followers that you are invested in your customers.

1. Know your social media audience

It should go without saying that your posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Blog, etc. should be relevant to your company in some way. It’s okay to get creative and see what types of people are following you: are they entrepreneurs? Large corporations? Mom and Pop shops? Share articles and write posts that these followers would be interested in, especially on Twitter.

2. Differences between social medias

The types of information that you post on Facebook vs. Twitter are vastly different. Twitter has adopted the use of hashtags and being able to retweet. Facebook doesn’t have these same features, but it would be more effective to post something more visual like a video.

3. Interact with audiences

Social media has created expectations for people to have direct interactions and communication with companies. Make sure to respond to these if you are outreached to. It’s extremely easy to lose a following if you’re only concerned with company posts and not how your audience is responding. Beyond that, if there are reviews on your products make sure you respond to them. That helps future customers see you’re reliable, and value your customer opinions

4. Make Google a priority

When people search for a VoIP solution, we want Google to favor us as the most relevant website for viewers to see first. There are ways to strategize to get Google to recognize your company. Here is a guide that helps your website to be indexed by Google: http://bit.ly/1aRgxZt

5. Create Google alerts

This is an affordable tool to be alerted when you are mentioned anywhere on the web. Or even be able to see what people are searching that are relative to your company. We get a short email with these alerts daily. They are easy to scan through and see if further outreaching is needed.

6. Blogs are important

When coming out with new features or products having a short blog about it is essential. Since many social media sites are short-term, blogs can be referred to months later. This also is a great way to get current clients of yours excited.

7. Show appreciation for happy customers

If you get a positive review online from one of your customers, realize that it is awesome free marketing. Reviews are sometimes seen as more reliable and valued because they are third party. Recognize these postings on your social media pages. Reach out to them specifically thanking them for taking the time to recognize your company. If you have happy customers that you think could write a good review, it’s okay to ask. The worse they could say is no.

We hope these tips help your company become more successful in the online world. Let us know if you are able to use any of these tips!