by Ann Kaleshnik at ZD Design Agency
Today, many companies are using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to have a more direct connection and relationship with their customers and target market. The question is, “do most businesses use their social media accounts to their best advantage”? We say no.
When visiting a website, some businesses make it very easy to find their social networking links by placing them on their homepage. Others make it an egg hunt. Placement of your social icon graphics is just one piece of this puzzle though.
Some website’s set up their icons to link directly to their Facebook or Twitter and you are easily sent to their account page. Some businesses set up their social media icons allow you to like their Facebook account or follow their Twitter account by clicking on the appropriate icons as long as you are logged in to your social account and keeps you on the website you are on. That’s slick.
But Wait. Some businesses set up their icons to auto populate. In this case, when clicking on the Twitter or Facebook icon a box opens for you to leave a comment or share an auto-populated message before you can do anything, even view the page, follow the page or like the page. With this option, you can’t simply just like or follow them. How can you leave a comment when you don’t know what’s on their page and what they stand for?
Okay, I’ll make the scenario easier. Let’s say you know the company; you’ve done business with them in the past, simply put: you know what you’re dealing with. However, there is still that possibility you just don’t have anything you want to post and allow everyone on the web to view. So why are they forcing you?
So, you’re going to out smart them. You decide to go straight to Facebook or twitter and use the search bar to find them. GENUIS! Too bad when you type in the company name a dozen matches get pulled up. Alas, foiled again!
This seems like an awful a lot of work just so we can help THEIR advertising campaign. Shouldn’t business be vying for my attention and not making me jump through hoops to help them and find them? If I follow or like them isn’t that free advertising for them to my 436 friends? This is all starting to seem a little one sided.
So, I close the company’s Facebook comment box and I’ll find one that makes my life easier not more complicated.
Bottom line: If you make it hard to get where we want to go or do what we want to do you will lose potential followers and fans. Instead, offer us a choice. Give us a link to your actual Facebook or Twitter page so we can like or follow you. We will make it easy for you, if you want to follow us just click here for Facebook, or here for twitter.
