As a media consultant, I offer thirty minute consultations at no cost. This is a great way to learn and create relationships with potential clients as well as give advice or feedback. Over the years, I’ve spoken with countless brands about engagement and growth on social media. There always seems to be a common thread among the concerns —

“People like my content but nobody’s buying my stuff” or “People love my content but nobody’s really engaging with me” or “I have mad followers but I’m not growing.”

And there always seems to be a common thread of their behavior — not responding to people’s inquiries, not engaging with follower’s content, and even being rude! I was baffled when one of my clients had 75 unread messages. I clicked the first one. It was a potential customer asking a question about a product she was planning to buy from my client.

“Why didn’t you respond?” I asked. “I don’t check DMs. I put it in my bio. I don’t know why people still DM me,” they responded.

Customer service in the digital world is murky. It’s easy to perceive that people don’t require the same customer service treatment as they would in person. Thats true! They actually require EVEN MORE customer service. Think about it this way — Has your friend ever sent you a text in all caps? You thought they were mad right? Exactly!! They weren’t mad, you just perceived anger based on how they sent their message. 

When you enter the digital world, whether you’re selling products on your website or directly from social media, you should commit to responding to every inquiry, post, comment or direct message. When people’s messages go unnoticed, it kills the perception of your brand. And perception is EVERYTHING in marketing and business. EVERYTHING!

Not all interactions with potential customers or fans are pleasant! I get it. Some people are trolls and others are just weird. It’s ok. Here’s how you can automate messages on your Instagram, so people don’t feel your ignoring them. On your business account go to:

1. Settings

2. Business

3. Quick Replies

4. New Quick Reply

This is also a better way to inform people on the best way to contact you. It’s better than telling people “not” to. This is called a negative call-to-action. Your call-to-actions should be positive and make people want to learn more about you. All these actions can lead to conversions a.k.a. people reading your newsletter, purchasing an item, or any goal you’ve set.

Building a social brand for a business isn’t a short process. It can take weeks, months, and even years to have a refined voice and operation. Take your time, make mistakes, and be nice to your customers :).