Social Media
Social Media For Your Small Business
The entire marketing business has changes so much with the introduction of Social Media. New avenues were opened for marketing companies that never existed before. Now we have an easy and powerful tool at our fingertips where we can share pieces of information all over the world in seconds.
Most people use Social Media for personal things but now the business world is getting behind it in a strong way. You will be surprised as to how Social Media can reach into other areas of your business you might never have thought of before.
Here are reason your business needs to be doing Social Media
Drive Hits to your Website
One of the ways we have found it can help is to drive more “hits” or visits to your website. Most businesses want to increase traffic to their website and a lot of the time social networks are on the top of the list of referrals if used in the correct manner. Search engines used to be the main way to drive traffic to your websites. Now we have found that social media ranks among some of the highest in the referrals.
Search Engine Credibility
With consistent search engine updates, social media networks and results are becoming more integrated in the search engines. If you are on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter sometimes your social media account may show up ahead of your actual website. Your continued business efforts in the social media platforms will become more significant in the SEO strategies in the future.
New Client Engagement
Having great communication is important to all business. Also, having new client engagement in your social media efforts can really lead to potential new clients. This can go both ways. New clients can refer you business by giving you a good recommendation on their social media platform. However it can also lead to negative business if you don’t treat the customer well and the share their bad experience with your company on their social media platform.
Brand Recognition
On each social media profile you have the ability to make a unique brand for your business. The way you interact, your feel and look can lead to your brand recognition. Some businesses their social media platform may be more important than their website.
For more ways how Movement can help you with your social media needs contact us today.
It’s free
Even if your mom is the only person who likes your page, you should still have a social media presence because at the end of the day it’s free. It doesn’t cost anything but time to set up accounts and post content, so why wouldn’t you take advantage of this?
Networking
You never know who you’ll run into on social media. You could find new customers or even other businesses that can help you grow your business. Social media can easily be the gateway that shows you a tool or service that revolutionizes your business. It’s not just about who finds you, it’s about who you can find too.
Personality
Branding is all about giving your company a voice and creating a personality you think your customers will want to do business with. No matter how small your small business is, you need to have a defined voice and personality.
Social media is one of the easiest ways to bring your company’s personality to life. This is especially important if you’re trying to reach millennials, which you should be because they have $200 billion in annual buying power.
Mitt Romney infamously said, “corporations are people,” and despite the heckling millennials agree, in a way. To millennials a company isn’t merely a company, it has mannerisms, quirks and traits.
Vetting
Part of why millennials want brands to have personalities is because they use a vetting process to decide if they want to be a customer. As you might have guessed, social media is a big part of that vetting process.
I once had a friend tell me about the barber he used. He told where they were, how much it costs and he just had his hair cut the previous day, so I could see the quality of work. Despite having all this information, I still went to the barber shop’s website and then perused through their social media.
Millennials are constantly stereotyped for having a crippling fear of commitment and they use social media to get the facts before they make the commitment to giving you their money.
Targeted
We are constantly surprised at how much personal information people freely divulge on social media. As unsettling as it may be, small businesses can easily capitalize on this. If you have the budget to pay for social media ads, you can use people’s personal information to create extremely targeted campaigns.
You can narrow your audience down by age, gender, location, and even their interests. This lets your dollar go further by eliminating wasteful spending.
If you have questions about using social media to grow your small business give us a call, and check back next week for our tips on how to effectively use social media for small business.
How to Use Social Media for a Small Business
Pay up
If you’re using Facebook for your business, which I would recommend for every small business, odds are you’ll need to pay for sponsored posts. A couple years ago Facebook changed up its algorithm and this change made it harder for business pages to get their posts noticed. Without paying, your posts could go vastly unseen, especially if your audience isn’t frequently engaging with your page.
Facebook claims this change was intended to promote quality content, but Facebook also reaps the benefit of business pages having to pay for sponsored posts, so I’m suspicious of Facebook’s intentions.
Choose wisely
Again, I highly recommend every small business at least having a Facebook page, but not every company needs to be on every social media platform. If you’re a local chain of hot dog stands, I’m gonna guess that LinkedIn isn’t going to drum up a whole lot of business for you. Stick to platforms you can have fun with like Twitter, Instagram and maybe even Snapchat. On the other hand if you own a management consulting firm, LinkedIn is great because you need to come off as professional.
Look like an expert
Social media is a great way for your potential customers to see how much you know about your industry. Posting articles about relevant industry news is one easy way to show your business is on the cutting edge. Giving tips or making how to videos is another great way to show off your expertise.
Keep it local
People love being able to take pride in their hometown and feel like they live in a tight knit community, even if they live in a sprawling city. As a small business you have the power to capitalize on this movement. Sharing pictures of you and your employees at local events or articles about the local skuttlebutt, and even promoting commuinty events on your page makes you seem like the unofficial mayor.
Be engaging
The ultimate goal of your social media strategy should always be to engage your audience. Anytime you can get them to comment, like, retweet, or share, it’s a win. One simple tactic you can use is asking questions and waiting for your followers to respond via comments.
To summarize: don’t be afraid to pay, don’t waste time on unnecessary platforms, let people know you’re an expert, be involved in the local community, and interact with your followers.
Simple Steps To Social Media Engagement
The whole purpose of social media is engagement. Engaging someone in a conversation—being inviting, interesting, and interested. The by-product of the conversation is engaging current clients and attracting new ones. The bellhop that gets the good tip is usually the one that isn’t afraid to engage people.
How do you do that with these tools?
Here are our best tips for simple and effective social media engagement:
- Produce original content, but be mindful about what you share. If you spam your social media followers with ideas, it may be overwhelming to them. Plus, you don’t want to give away all of your trade secrets! The key is being strategic about what you share and educating your followers, but doing so sparingly to pack the most punch.
- Develop a network of peers and reliable news outlets in your industry. If you have a regular list of news and blog feeds you read, don’t hesitate to find and follow them on their respective social media platforms. It’s so easy to do so nowadays. Building a list of reliable peers, industry experts and news sources on your topic is a great way to share and retweet helpful information. And when your peers return the favor, this will help you build a reputable presence on the Web.
- When you do have feedback, respond in a timely manner. You can set aside a few minutes at the beginning and end of your work day to answer questions and address feedback—especially if it isn’t positive. (We’ll go more into that in a later post.) Even a simple, one-word acknowledgement to a compliment has the power to show your commitment to quality in all that you do.
Social media is the twenty-first century equivalent of face-to-face customer service. It really goes back to treating people the way you want to be treated. If you do it right, people will pay attention. If you
don’t do it right, well, it’s worth it to do it right.
Talk with us about social media and how we can help you or your business reach your full potential.
Social Media Whys
Still on the fence about incorporating social media into your business’s marketing and PR strategy? Not anymore. We’re here to show you that if you want to take your presence, findability, and customer service to the next level–to a culturally relevant level–it’s time.
And if your business or organization depends on relationships to flourish, it’s necessary.
We’ll follow up with more posts about etiquette and strategy, but for now, here are the basics of why now’s the best time to get started with social media:
- Because this is where your past, present, and future clients are going to get their facts. It’s no secret that the Internet is the quickest and most popular way to get information–and to spread it. But with the growth of social media, search engine results are dominated with blog posts, Facebook accounts, Twitter updates, and other platforms. If you’re not actively participating in social media, you’re missing valuable opportunities to make your presence known.
- Your competitors are on social media. I recently returned from a conference, and virtually every business card I received had some form of Twitter handle, Facebook account, or all of the above listed alongside the vital contact details. There’s definitely an exception to the “don’t do anything just because everyone else is doing it” rule in this case. Even though there’s no way to tangibly prove that active social media accounts will give you an edge over your competition, it can be detrimental if you don’t. Just ask yourself: Who do I want customers to find on the other end of a Google search? Social media activity shows that you are invested in remaining engaged and current, which speaks volumes about the products and services you offer, regardless of your industry.
- With social media comes instant feedback. Yes, this translates to increased accountability and responsibility to customers. If a customer doesn’t like your product, he or she can take to social media and voice an opinion before ever leaving the parking lot. But whether you realize it or not, they are doing that anyway, and being engaged gives you the chance to monitor feedback, make adjustments if necessary, and respond with dignity. And this provides the invaluable opportunity to build trust. Everyone knows how valuable trust is in this marketplace.
- There’s no excuse. We’ve heard every reason in the book why companies are staying away from social media, but we don’t buy it. With a little extra time, you can jump right in. And you’ll find out it’s completely worth it.
Social Media Increase and Conversions
3 Main Ways to Increase Followers on Facebook:
- Organically: People who just know who you are and like your page on Facebook.
- Intentionally: Invite everyone you know (or other employees know) to like the Facebook page
- Paid: You can set up a specific spend daily as low as $5 a day to pay for advertising. You can focus on mainly your geographical area and very specific demographics.
3 Ways to Increase Followers on Twitter:
- Organically: Posting great content and getting re-tweeted by others.
- Intentionally: Follow people in your community and hope they follow you back. Set up a system to thank people for their follows. You can also use hash tags # to join into conversations.
- Promotion: Continually promote people to follow you on Twitter.
CRO or Conversion rate optimization
Ways to increase conversions on your website
- Click to chat: This is an easy way to get people to interact after business hours and potentially turning into a client.
- Videos: We really need to put this on the radar in 2014. Videos have proven to show a 30% higher conversion rate.
- A free give away like an article: Something free like the top 10 ways to ….. or 5 things you need to know about.
If you are needing help with any online marketing contact us today.
Social Media Etiquette After a Tragedy
The rise of social media has impacted the delivery and scope of news. For instance, in 2013, Twitter users listening to police scanners were live-reporting the pursuit of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects instantly before newspapers and TV stations could report the information. This is just an illustration of the powerful, constantly changing nature of social media.
Here’s how you can maintain proper etiquette in the aftermath of a tragedy:
Turn off any scheduled posts right away.
Last week, when actor-comedian Robin Williams passed away, scores of people took to Facebook and Twitter to express their condolences, sadness, shock and other reactions. But peppered in the memoriam were promotional posts that were way too chirpy to not be pre-scheduled.
Those can be very repellant to people experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. And that’s certainly not how you want to stand out to potential clients and customers. Unfortunately, untimely scheduled posts can get you blocked or unfollowed.
Wait until social media has calmed down a little and then you can return to business as usual. But until then, toning down your promotion is most respectful.
If you have doubts about making a public statement, it’s best to stay silent about a tragedy.
One of social media’s biggest dangers is the ease of posting information — information you can’t take back. Though you may have a strong opinion about a tragedy, there are many who would disagree with you.
While you’re certainly entitled to have and express an opinion, most of the time it’s in your best interest to avoid statements that may be taken as controversial when individuals’ emotions are high. It’s usually best and most tasteful to keep those discussions in the safety of your friends and loved ones and leave your social media platform for what you do best.
If you believe social media could help you gain exposure during this tragedy, think again.
While Hurricane Sandy was ravaging communities, a few national retailers received criticism for using related hashtags in their promotional efforts. Their bad examples are still discussed negatively in social media communities over two years later.
Even if you have the best intentions, posts that include links to your website or product will probably be more harmful than helpful. If you want to help, donating funds or resources to official charities and causes will be much more beneficial.
Above all, keep in mind that during a tragedy, actions are much more helpful than words. Social media is an always-evolving platform, especially during a tragedy with a large scope. So always use your words wisely.
Invite Your Friends!
How to invite all your friends on Facebook to like your Facebook page.
- First open up a Google Chrome Browser. If you do not have a Chrome browser, then Google it in your existing browser and download it.
- Search “Google Chrome Extensions”
- Next type in “Facebook invite all.” Several will show up, but you want to select the one by “Mohammed N. El-Nadhoun. Add that extension.
- Next log into your Facebook account in Google Chrome. Pull up your business account, select the 3 dots on the left of the Facebook business page. There will be a drop down and you will want to select “Invite Friends.”
- In the top right hand corner, where the Facebook URL is, there will be a check mark.
- Select that check mark… and BOOM! it will invite all YO friends. There may be a limit of 750 friends, so if you are a big deal and have more than 750 friends, you may need to hit the check mark again. If you need any help with this or handling your social media, contact a team member at Create The Movement and we can help.
