Once upon a time, sites like Facebook and Twitter used to be places that people would share photos of their kids or reveal what they had for lunch. People still do that, but social media websites have also become excellent marketing tools. Read this article in full to find out how you can leverage this amazing marketing channel for your own benefit.
If Twitter is part of your social marketing plan, write tweets that have interesting, compelling and varied content. Tweet tips or suggestions that are relevant to your product. Your followers will stay interested if they can learn something from your tweets.
Whether you’re creating content to post on a blog, a tweet, Facebook or coming up with interesting titles, it is important you come up with something catchy that people will remember you by. These types of titles give you major impact; they will help you drive more traffic to your site.
Twitter is a more demanding network because it requires constant communication with followers, but it is also the most recommended. Thank people that mention you, and answer questions that are posed to you. This will build a bond between your company and your customers. You will also show that you are a real person, as well as a business entity.
Be sure to link all of your social media sites to one another for the best results. Add links to different sites and your blog where people can click on them to get to you on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Add the URL for Facebook and your blog through your Twitter profile. Links to each of your networks gives you more exposure.
Use a like box for Facebook on the upper right hand corner of your blog page. This can let people “like” you on your Facebook page. People can do this without navigating away from the page. Making it simple will ensure that people are more willing to do it, thus giving you better exposure.
If you are going to use Twitter as a business tool, then you need to stay closely connected to your audience. Thank people that mention you, and answer questions that are posed to you. This will build a bond between your company and your customers. This is important for showing you as the face of your business and adding a personal touch to it.
Start a Yahoo! account for your company and visit Yahoo! Answers. This online community provides users with a forum to ask questions on any topic that can be answered by other users. Search the internet for customer questions or issues related to the type of products you sell and try to answer them with links to your own products where allowed. Cultivating a reputation for knowledgeable responses on certain subjects will serve you well.
Try to stay professional, even in this day and age of social media. While you may wish to introduce yourself by your real name, you should always maintain a professional tone. Never lose your temper when talking to customers online. If a post upsets you, walk away until you cool off. You can also delete posts or comments that upset you. Have more than one profile; that way, you can talk to your friends under one and your business contacts under another.
Monitor your statistics. Figure out if activity increased and how much it increased by. Here’s where a little number crunching will come in. It’s not that difficult, but you will need to make decisions about what’s working and what needs to be changed based on the stats. You won’t know if your social media marketing campaign will be worth the time if you’re not keeping track of results.
Friends, family, existing customers, and anyone else you know should be invited to your social sites when you establish them. Even if people do not need your products right now, they can share it with their friends if they know about it, and they can do so easily by clicking their mouse.
Any comments left on the Facebook page should be replied to immediately. If someone leaves a negative comment, reply back them as well. This will let people know that what they feel is important is also important to you and your company. They will trust you and your business more. Always respond to consumers in quick order, so they don’t feel like you’re not paying attention to them.
Exclusive Discounts
A great way to get more followers on social media is to offer exclusive discounts and coupons to people who follow or like your page. You’ll make your customers feel special when they get exclusive discounts and this will increase your sales.
To maximize your site, allow comments and ratings. Adding these powerful SMM tools to your site will let your users get involved with your site and in turn make your site much more active.
Be sure to keep close tabs on your competitors. Follow their social media presence and analyze what they are doing. You can do one of two things; either copy them and fight for customers, or think of a new technique that will reach a wider audience.
Review everything you put up a couple of times before you actually add it to your social media marketing. If you make a typo by mistake that comes off as rude or vulgar, your content could quickly go viral. While this may generate a lot of publicity for your business, oftentimes, it is not the publicity that you are seeking.
Studies show that the most popular times for people to read your social media posts are during business hours during the week. Utilize tools that allow you to write your posts anytime you want to, but they are uploaded and published during hours that you choose, including those when most people are actively online.
It takes patience to create a social media network. You will likely not see overnight success. Since it takes time to build a profile, you should create a reasonable timeframe for success. Be patient and in time, followers will come to you.
Holding a Facebook contest or give-away is a good way to increase traffic and interaction on your page. Buyers love to think they are getting something for nothing. One way to generate this feeling among your visitors and raise a little hype is to run contests. You can also use contests to build a buzz around your newest items.
Keep active in the Facebook profile for your business. When someone comments or asks a question, pay attention to it. Answer questions as clearly and helpfully as possible. That way, customers will feel like friends and will appreciate the time you take to interact with them.
It is a good business practice to follow those who have chosen to follow you on Twitter. Do not treat your followers as mere customers. Forging two-way social media links tells customers and potential customers that the company they’re paying attention to appreciates that attention. Twitter makes following back really easy to do because it can be done in mere seconds. Doing so returns favor to your clientele.
Ask for help when developing a social media marketing campaign. Although professionals are available to help you with your social media marketing campaign, they can be quite expensive. They can be expensive though, so you may have to spend a considerable amount of money if you choose this path.
Social Media
Rethink your social media paradigm. It’s not just about Farmville and hashtags anymore. It is a fresh and bold opportunity to find a new audience to target. Having read these tips, you can now make the most of social media for your business. Visit your favorite social media site and start marketing.