Social Media is a hot topic, no question. You see the familiar Twitter and Facebook icons on print – digital, magazines and newspapers – TB and billboard ads wherever you go. Remember back to the days of businesses promoting their website, you’ll be hard pressed to see that http://www.com link now.

So why is social media only starting to come of age here in Australia? Why has it taken so long for us – businesses – to realise its importance? Why has it been so popular in the USA – the hub of social media – for so long but only now Australian businesses are starting to implement? Quick answer; we’re reactive.

This is certainly no backlash to Australian businesses, but the slow implementation of social media has certainly highlighted these reactive measures.

A perfect example of this is the massive spike with the 45+ age group signing up to Facebook. This age demographic is not signing up to meet new friends, it’s actually to keep track of their siblings, children and family.

Once they’re a member then discovery and curiosity oversees – to a certain point – their family’s movements. That feel, that curiosity, that excitement when they receive a message, that excitement when they post a picture and friends start to like and comment, that’s motivation to keep continuing and exploring.

Well Australian businesses, welcome to the big world of social media.

Everyday we at White Echo – with a passion, mind you – spend time educating businesses across Australia on the importance of having some social media presence.

The first question always posed though is: how do you deal with the negative posts?

Let me give you one simple tip and it’s great advice from one of my all-time favourite social media teachers “negative customers should be your best customers” Gary Vaynerchuk.

You can’t please everyone. Of course there will be times when a customer is not happy and there will be times that customer will vent their disharmony via social media, but this is the perfect opportunity to talk to the customers direct.

I don’t know about you but I’d prefer to know the negativity rather then hearing it via someone else. With our clients – and having White Echo monitoring their pages daily – we encourage an open forum to assist with the company improving their service and give thanks to those who have appreciated the service.

Social Media is not a scary environment. If you put in the right strategy, be willing to excite your fans and be willing to post daily with a consistency that engages with your targeted audience, then the motivation will outweigh the negativity.

This reserved nature that most businesses have towards social media needs to be broken. Put the right person, team or agency in place and promote your services and at the same time provide excitement, feedback, humour and most importantly, engagement.

Follow these simple steps and your company will become that 45+ year old first timer whose curiosity takes over and turns your social media into one of the most important ingredients to the companies overall marketing strategy.

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