A big no-no when it comes to your business and life in general is making promises you can’t keep. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. When you place social media icons on the homepage of your website, you’re promising visitors who click on those icons something of value. Visitors go to your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn pages to see new, relevant content, since that’s what you’re advertising on your homepage.
When visitors see inactive accounts or the links don’t work at all, you have essentially broken your promise. Managing your social media accounts falls under the category of, “shit or get off the pot.” You either need to be active on the platforms you choose, or you need to pack it in. Below are some reasons to consider removing social media icons from your website.
First, just to be clear, I’m not recommending you delete all of your social media accounts because one day you might want to come back to them, but if you can’t find the time to update them once or twice a day, you need to come up with a different plan.
Focus
If you can’t manage a Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook account for your business, don’t kid yourself by trying to play everywhere. Focus on one platform and do it well. There’s no sense in having a Twitter account if you only update it once in a blue moon. It looks like you don’t understand how to use the social network. Also, you run the risk of ignoring customers who are actively trying to communicate with you through the platform. If your Twitter account is just a ton of links pushed automatically from Facebook or Instagram, that doesn’t look good either.
Do you see a lot of interaction on your Facebook page? Make Facebook your main priority and only feature a Facebook social media icon on your homepage. That way when someone clicks the icon on your website they will see a page filled with new, relevant content and will trust you know what you’re doing on the platform.
Copyblogger made significant waves when they gave up a Facebook community with more than 30,000 fans so they could concentrate on their Twitter account. They chose to put their effort into the platform which was delivering the best results. You should too.
Divide the work
If you’re not willing to give up any of your business’s social media accounts, you’re going to need to find a staff member who can take the reigns for you. Instead of hiring a new team member or an intern divide the workload between a few people. Have one of your team members take a few minutes to update your Facebook page and let someone else schedule tweets and respond to comments. Instead of assigning tasks, let team members choose the networks they are already active on. Your accounts will stay updated and customer’s questions or comments will be responded to in a timely manner.
Share something
If your social media accounts are inactive because you can’t think of anything to publish on them, start blogging. The purpose of social media is to draw people back to your website, right? Blogging provides relevant content to publish on your social media accounts, but more importantly it will bring people back to your website for more information. If you’re not sure how to start blogging, this Blogging for Beginners Guide is extremely helpful.
At the end of the day you need to keep your promise. When you place social media icons on your website, you’re promising visitors active and up-to-date social media accounts. When you don’t deliver on that promise, visitors might wonder what other promises you’re breaking. Use these tips to salvage your social media icons, but remember, when it comes to social media you have to do it right, or don’t do it at all.
