Managing a company's social media presence isn't something you'd think about over dinner, but it was on my mind last night while my wife and I ate an early dinner at one of our favorite eat-as-much-as-you-can, cook-at-the-table restaurants. The restaurant is a huge barn with close to a hundred tables, which means they can seat 400 people at a time, which is just as well because it is really popular. The fact that around a quarter of the diners were "playing" with their smartphones prompted me to think about this topic. No one was on the phone, making or receiving calls. They were all on social media.

Taking images of the food they were making and sharing them online, as well as the omnipresent "selfie," was a popular pastime. This was done by all of the diners at a table in some cases. This phenomena has been conveyed to me as a means of communicating with and sharing the experience with absent pals.

That prompted me to consider why a company should manage its online profile. Although the restaurant where I was dining has a very favorable internet profile, a high-end restaurant in the same town recently faced a completely different destiny as a result of remarks made by a disappointed customer on a local forum.

This other restaurant does not have a website, a Facebook page, or any other formal internet presence, according to a Google search. Even if the restaurant is unaware of it, it does have an online presence in the shape of Trip Advisor evaluations and a discussion in an active local forum. Regrettably for him, the tone of the discussion in the forum is overwhelmingly unfavorable. Worse yet, this discussion has been ongoing for several days. Not only has Google indexed this dialogue, but it is also the first result when searching for the restaurant's name.

Compare that to how another small local business responded to negative social media remarks. This business owner has set up a system to monitor the Internet in general, and social media in particular, multiple times a day for comments and conversations mentioning his company. He replies whenever and everywhere it is discussed, with thanks if it is applauded, and apologies and remedial actions if it is criticized. This business owner has a website and makes heavy use of social media to market his company.

The best and easiest way to have a social media manager is by searching the internet by typing either “social media management near me” or “local SEO company near me”.