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Are You Suffering From Social Media Overload?

May 9, 2013
Social media overload is described as becoming overwhelmed by client or user interaction. Although some businesses would consider it as an advantage, many small and medium-sized companies have to exercise a few methods that will allow them to respond to queries and concerns within a reasonable amount of time. This is vital to maintain healthy working relationships with clients. There are a number of signs to watch out for which show that you might be experiencing social media overload. There are also relative approaches that will adequately help you cope with the effects. Here are some useful guidelines.

Signs of Social Media Overload

1. You cannot respond to queries and concerns on time.

Some social media experts recommend that you respond to customer queries and concerns within a reasonable amount of time, which is usually no more than 24 to 48 hours. If you have difficulty replying to all these within the recommended time, it might show that you are handling more than you can afford, which can result to unsatisfied customers and negative feedback. Customers can stop questioning or visiting altogether if they are not responded to.

2. You cannot attend to all activities sufficiently.

Some social media marketers fail to plan their activities or create a calendar and then realize that they can no longer attend to all of these adequately. Scheduling too many activities online can disrupt your preparations for other events. You might realize that the work is only done haphazardly and customers will not truly benefit from the information provided.

3. You're starting to get negative feedback.

Over time, you will get more negative feedback and complaints, particularly stating that you failed to address or respond to their questions or that the recent activity was not quite helpful to their needs. This can mean that you?re spreading yourself too thin among all the tasks needed to get done. Always watch out for negative responses then immediately address the problem.

How to Avoid the Problem

1. Create a sound schedule.

Social media overload can be avoided by scheduling the information you?re going to provide a week or longer in advance. The information should be fresh, unique and relevant. Also be prepared for possible questions regarding the topic. Prepare the necessary links, descriptions and photos to increase the interest of target viewers. You can also use apps that will automatically upload the information on the set time and date. Make the necessary adjustments a few hours before posting if there is new information to add.

2. Respond on time.

Especially when using the biggest social media networks online, users expect to be replied to within a reasonable amount of time. Take time to check all your accounts and messages then reply to tags and conversations accordingly. It is highly recommended that you provide a response within 24 to 48 hours. Also ensure that the response includes well-researched and helpful information.

3. Provide good content.

When providing information and updates, the inclusion of good and reliable information will keep customers from asking any further. You can save time and effort on future replies and focus on giving unique content that?s related to the topic. Also guarantee that activities will lead to relevant information to improve your reputation in the market and bring in more clients.

4. Get more help.

You can hire other online professionals to handle various social media tasks like updating information, answering queries and responding to feedback. There are social media managers that you can pay per project or per month. These additional individuals will help eliminate social media overload and handle concerns. As your customer base grows, you will need more people to manage the social media activities and accounts. You can find out who is responding the most to your hashtag campaigns by checking the analytics. Who knows, you could turn these fans into evangelists for your brand.

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