It’s no secret that social media use is increasing every day, and it seems like there is a new social network popping up every time you turn around. But as a business, big or small, how important is social media to you?

I learned a few important lessons from something that happened to me recently. I had an issue with my Fitbit Flex , and sought help from Fitbit to get my Flex working correctly. After sending several emails, and following all of the instructions I was given, my Flex was still not working like it was supposed to. My initial thought was to give up, and just live without the Flex. But after taking some time to think, I decided to let Twitter know my thoughts, and just hours after tweeting about my problem, the @Fitbit promised me a replacement, which arrived just a few days later, and has worked perfectly.

So what can we learn from my short story? Here are 3 things to keep in mind in regards to business and social media.

  1. Be quick to respond. One of the things that impressed me the most was how quickly Fitbit responded to my complaint. They took my case number, and after clarifying one thing, they sent me the replacement.
  2. Be Positive. This is probably the most important thing you can do, as an individual or a company on social media. Here I was, telling anyone who would read my tweet that my Fitbit was bad. Rather than dismissing me, or being negative, they were very positive the entire time, even using fun hashtags in their responses to me. There is a good chance that someone will say something negative about you on social media at some point, but you don’t have to respond negatively. Get the facts, and do your best to find a resolution.
  3. Be active on social media. When I encounter a small business, I will often check Facebook and Twitter to see if they have an active page. It is very disappointing to find a place that doesn’t have at least a Facebook page. But it might be even worse to see page that doesn’t have any recent posts. It doesn’t take long to write a short post for your social media page, and posting is a good way to engage with your audience. Just don’t sound spammy (I’ll write about this later).

Also, if you’re looking for a sweet fitness tool, I highly recommend Fitbit! The Flex is awesome, and I love their IOS app! Check them out fitbit.com.

I hope you have found my story and thoughts helpful. But I want to hear from you! What do you like to see on social media? What don’t you like to see? Leave a comment for me below, or find me on Twitter! @P_Wunder