Social Media to market your business?
Hello Everyone and I wish you Happy Easter!
In this post I would like to talk about the importance of Social Media when it comes to marketing your business.
When I first started attending Internet Marketing seminars about 2 years ago, I spotted a gap in the market right away. Being an avid Social Media user for my own personal interets, I started watching Facebook carefully. After all, I’ve joined Facebook only months after it launched. When TV ads started sending viewers to their Fan Pages, I knew I found my niche.
It’s easy for large companies to integrate Facebook Fan Pages into their business and get thousands of Fans. Everyone knows who Coca Cola is, you only need to run a search in Facebook Pages and you will find their Fan Page.
But even they had to build up this massive following of Fans over time. With Social Media, just like with offline marketing, things don’t just happen overnight. You need to attract your fans (giveaways and competitions work well), keep them updated with news of your products or services and offer discounts.
However, businesses are still treating Social Media as the last resort of marketing.
Typically, a new business would:
1. Set up a static website. (good)
2. Invest in SEO to rank high in search engines. (good)
3. Advertise in Yellow Pages. (yes, this is still big)
Look at the list above. There is no social engagement listed at all. But sadly, by now, there would be no budget left to spend on Social Media.
Each business should think about Social Media just as they would with offline marketing. The budget MUST BE built in alongside the cost of the website and SEO. Consider your options carefully. If you feel Social Media would be much better for you than priniting out leaflets or placing an ad in Yellow Pages, go for it.
With Social Media and Facebook especially, the business would be directly communicating with its Fans/ future customers. Take Facebook Pages, for expample. You can build a website within Facebook- that’s your static and information part of it. Here you tell people about what you do, what you offer, opening hours, contact details. You can even add Eshop if you wish. But you also have an added, all important bonus of Facebook Fan Page Wall On the Wall, the content would always change. It would contain new, fresh information every day, giving your Fans something to read about.
When we talk about ‘budgeting for social media’, you might be wondering why you need to spend money at all. After all, it’s free to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & YouTube.
While that’s true, there are things you must know as a business owner. Take a look at one of my previous posts where I talk about the differences between a simple Facebook Fan Page anyone can set up, and tailored, carefully designed Facebook Fan Page ‘Connect’. I borrowed Victoria’s Secret Fan Page for this example:
http://beinsocialmedia.com/a-simple-facebook-fanpage-versus-facebook-fanpage-connect
Here is what you might consider when looking at Social Media:
a) Facebook and Fan Pages (go the extra mile and opt for professionally designed Fan Page)
b) Social Media courses- we run them for beginners as well as advanced users, please visit:
http://beinsocialmedia.com/workshops
With these courses, you learn Hands-on how to set up and maintain your business Fan Page. There are many marketing tools, tips and tricks to your disposal, you just need to learn about them!
These courses are either a one-day courses or evening courses. We also offer in-house coaching.
Please contact us at sales@beinsocialmedia.com
c) Setting up other Social Media channels, or leaving the whole campaign to us if you’d like to watch and learn:
http://beinsocialmedia.com/about-us/a-complete-business-solution
An example:
Let’s take a small restaurant:
The owner knows that Mondays are very very quiet. Therefore he would offer 10% discount if the Fans came in on Mondays (he would include ‘please share with your friends’ on his post). The owner knows that if the tables aren’t booked by tonight, tomorrow will be too late. He would therefore promote this offer on the Facebook Fan Page wall, pinning it to the top for all the Fans to see.
To get even more engagement, he might ask questions or run polls, such as:
‘We are preparing new specials exclusive to Mondays. What would you like to see in our Monday menu?’
This way, the Fans would be able to give him tips, feedback, recommendations and much more. Plus he would attract customers for when the restaurant is quiet. With static website, it’s very difficult to involve the visitors this way.
Social Engagement is very important for any business, especially start-up companies. You need to know what your customers really think about your products. Don’t be afraid to share testimonials with your Fans. Show them you are a human being. Encourage them to ‘check in’ on Facebook when they visit you. Always mention your Facebook Page- people love it!
You simply have to mix an online and offline world to achieve the perfect marketing. Good luck!
http://beinsocialmedia.com/about-us/a-complete-business-solution
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