No business these days will survive and thrive without social media. The digital age provided many ways for companies to gain access and reach wider audiences, making email marketing campaigns and sales ads more critical to attracting customers. However, none of them compares to the dominant hold of social media. Nearly half of the world has profiles scattered across different platforms, and businesses must take advantage of them. A company needs to link business sites, digital marketplace profiles, and other resources to those channels to get people to check out the products and services it offers.
As a result, the digital marketing team grows more significant. A section dedicated to social media management becomes necessary, producing content that will get people to follow the business page. There is no denying the benefits of social media for a company, but those advantages come with challenges. Here are a few that you might encounter when creating a business social media page.
Content that Damages Reputation
Creating a social media page for your business allows you to interact with customers. Building relationships helps you convert curious people to interested leads. However, businesses should be the initiators. Customers will not reach out if the social media page is empty, making them think it is a fake website to scam people out of money. Content is valuable in those platforms. While most of the posts attempt to attract customers, some of them will reflect other purposes. Those events include special occasions, press releases, holiday greetings, and important announcements. Those posts create communities of followers that believe in your brand, especially when a few posts address social and environmental issues. However, content can become a double-edged sword if not properly curated. Instead of increasing visibility, your posts might end up damaging the company’s reputation. Businesses must be wary of their approach to sensitive issues, especially when relating those to their products and services. People on social media can be unforgiving, making it necessary to double-check every content produced on those platforms.
Exposure to Cyber Threats
Social media platforms are in the digital space, making them part of the digital transformation every modern company needs to undergo. The benefits of digitalization will be obvious enough for any entrepreneur to try. However, the threats to businesses also moved to digital spaces. Business data becomes valuable assets online, and social media pages can be part of the systems hackers attack. Cyber threats range from spam reports to data corruption. If cyber attackers want to, they can take over the entire social media business page. The things they post might turn into malicious and controversial issues.
While containing the crisis is achievable, your customers will start to question the company’s integrity. If hackers can do that to your social media page, people might think their private information is also at risk. Cyber threats will always be present, making it necessary to bolster your IT security. Social media platforms also have strong security systems, providing your business with enough relief. Changing passwords within a schedule will also be part of the necessary security measures. Archiving your social media is also an ideal solution should a threat become persistent; this will ensure that your content will never get lost or corrupted.
Accusations of Being Fake
Businesses have a responsibility for their social media pages, especially when they have huge followings. Customers consider brands as influencers, capable of reaching out to wider audiences and spreading information that will benefit everyone. However, there might be times when the company’s beliefs are not the same of the general public.
Controversial posts might end up becoming a serious issue that maligns your customers to your brand, damaging the reputation of your business.
However, people might still have something to say even if the social media team is being responsible. Posts that talk about environmental and social issues can get you on the good side of customers, but others might end up accusing the company of being fake. Those posts require partnered actions. Those things should reflect on the business’ operations, initiatives, and outreach programs. Once customers notice your acts, your social media posts will make more sense for them.
The social media platforms allow you to improve visibility and maintain connections with communities and followers. However, those spaces experience intense competition daily. A content calendar helps you be active in the eyes of customers. However, these obstacles might end up becoming part of your journey. Fortunately, a well-oiled social media management team can help you address those issues without any problem.
