Any business can throw up a Facebook page or create a Twitter handle and have a presence in the social media space, but the organizations that truly succeed are the ones that are actually present in the social media space.  Being present means managing the community on a day-to-day basis and approaching the community with the understanding that their needs come first.

It used to be that businesses were asking, “What is a community manager and how do I find one?”  Now, however, the question is more along the lines of, “What can make our good community great?”  Here are three ways you can instantly elevate your social media presence:

1. Lose the 24/7 Marketing Messages

One of the easiest ways to turn-off community members is to abuse the marketing messages.  We’ve all seen them – the brands that market more than they converse – and we’ve all chosen to hide them from our news feed or unfollow them.  Remember that when you’re playing in the social media space, you are there by invitation only.  This isn’t television, where a rabid fan of a show will sit through commercials to pass the time.  This time around, companies are invited into personal space and it is important to be respectful of that, or they risk being shut out with a simple click of the mouse.

2. Take the Heat or Get Out of the Kitchen

I once worked for a large corporation that only allowed their community managers to respond to direct questions.  Saying “thanks,” or even, “I am not sure, but I’ll get back to you,” was a no-no in their eyes.  Fortunately for me, I had a boss who understood that this was the exact opposite of a best practice, and he let me use my best judgment.  When I started responding within minutes of a post, or even just thanking a fan for a compliment, the engagement rates for that company shot up by  double digits.

This same rule applies to negative comments.  95% of the time, a Negative Nancy just wants to be heard.  Simply letting them know their feedback is valuable (and it is!), and was heard by a real person will stop the complaint from escalating, and in many cases can turn a potentially negative brand experience into a positive one. Ignoring negative feedback?  That’s SO 2010. If you’re going to play in the social media sandbox, then you better be ready to interact, respond, listen, and learn.  Social media is a space where you have to commit. You can’t just show up some of the time and expect results.

3. Be Fearless

If you think about all of the brands that make the news in social, you’ll soon realize that the one major thing they have in common is that they’re fearless.  My favorite example is Domino’s Pizza.  They’ve used social media to entirely reinvent themselves over the course of the last 18 months.  Not many companies are willing to put their CEO in front of consumers to communicate a brand message.  Domino’s did and it paid off both financially and from the perspective of credibility.  They created an experience for their consumers that allowed for a two-way conversation, not just a one-way marketing push.  By stepping outside the comfort zone of traditional media, businesses can make big things happen for them in social media.

The Business of Social Media: Three Ways to Rethink Your Social Performance by @annabelleblue bit.ly/IPSM3 #engage #social

— Intrapromote (@intrapromote) February 2, 2012

Annalise Kaylor, Director of Social Media Marketing, joined the Intrapromote team in 2011 bringing with her nearly a decade of experience in the social media space. Her portfolio of work includes social media and online marketing campaigns for small, family-owned businesses, as well as Fortune 50 organizations across a variety of industries. Seen as a leader among her peers, Annalise has been featured in interviews with Mashable, Buddy Media reports on industry best practices, and in a variety of other online and print media.

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