Most small businesses we come into contact with realize how important social media is for their business and recognize the need to have a presence on the social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
1. What is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing involves interacting with your customers and other users on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
You do this by sharing information, opinions, knowledge and interests.
2. Why does my business need to get involved with social media?
There are literally billions of people of all ages now using social media and they expect your business to be there too.
By embracing social media your business will:
• Increase your online presence
• Raise awareness of your products and services
• Build loyalty with existing customers
• Build trust with prospective customers
• Increase website traffic through social sharing
4. How much time should I spend on Social media each day?
You can profitably market yourself on social media by spending time daily, but also weekly or monthly on social media. The key is connecting to your clientele. Social media is generally informal, but as a business, a few choice shares can go a long way to building trust and familiarity.
5. When should I post on social media?
For example, if you want to target people who work, post in the morning when they are most likely be on their way to work and check their messages on the commute. You could then post at lunchtime and again when they are traveling home again after 5pm.
If want to target an audience that is retired or does not work, post mid-morning, mid-afternoon and mid-evening.
6. Which social media platform should I use?
There are a number of popular platforms you could choose from. Facebook is the most obvious choice with well over 1 billion users and the number is growing daily.
Three relatively new social media platforms are becoming incredibly popular.
The first one is Pinterest. Pinterest is a visual platform used to upload and share photos of literally any subject you can think of. It has a huge female following but is starting to level out as more men are discovering and using it.
Google+ (Google Plus) is starting to flex its muscles too. It is owned by online giant Google, so has huge financial backing. Google+ is widely tipped to be the social media channel to challenge Facebook as the king of social networks.
LinkedIn is a business-to-business social media platform. It is a lot more formal and corporate than the other social platforms. It is an excellent way to connect with peers and network professionally within a specific trade or industry.
7. How much does Social Media cost?
If you are a small business with little or no marketing budget then the only cost is the time you need to buy out of your busy working day.
If your question has not been answered then please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to share our experience and expertise with you.
As we said earlier, social media is not a fad and it is here to stay. It is being used by your customers on a daily basis.
A lot of small businesses that we talk to find social media daunting. Many don’t know where to start or lack the time simply because they’re too busy running their business.
That’s where we can help. We can discuss the best platforms for your business, set up your pages and give you pointers on the best ways to manage your accounts given the time and resources available to you.
Engage with customers and grow your audience…
To successfully grow your audience on the social web, you need to be actively sharing relevant content that engages with your fans and followers.
Providing good relevant content and engaging with your customers will keep your business in their minds and help generate awareness of your products and services.
Our team helps to grow your audience by:
•Selecting the social networks and mobile applications that right for your business and industry.
•Building your social profiles so they look professional and can be found by people searching for businesses like yours.
•Training you in effective and fast ways of sharing news, updates and ideas.
•Promoting your content across multiple social media websites to maximize your online exposure.
•Publicizing any special events that your business is holding
We will also look after your online reputation.
Anyone in business knows that your reputation is everything.
The Internet has made it easy for people to share their thoughts on your business by posting comments and reviews.
Regardless of whether they love you or are just letting off steam, it’s important that you monitor and respond to your customers as quickly as possible.
Our team helps to protect and enhance your reputation by:
• Helping your fans spread the good word online about your business
• Monitor social media websites for people talking about your business
• Respond quickly and appropriately to all customer reviews and messages
• Reply promptly to positive reviews to create long-term relationships
• Act quickly to identify negative reviews to enable you to resolve complaints
• Thank customers who check in after their visit
We hope we provided you with enough information to see how important social media marketing is and how it can benefit your company.
