Social media is everywhere. If you run a business, you can’t avoid hearing about it! Whether it is a Facebook profile, Twitter account, Pinterest Board or LinkedIn page, all of these tools quickly add up to a significant percentage of your market share.
So, what do you do once you’ve set up your business page on Facebook or created a Google+ account? You did all the right things but if you’re still not seeing the results you’d like, these tips can help pave the way for the next-level of social media campaigning.
• Consider the Benefits of a Facebook Contest or Event: Simply asking people to “Like” you on Facebook in return for regular updates from your company is not the best way to engage your customers. A great way to drum up actual activity on your Facebook page is with a contest or event. Cute babies, adorable pet photos, “Caption This” contests, all are fair game – but remember, just because it’s a Facebook contest, doesn’t mean you only promote it on Facebook. That’s a recipe for a failed Facebook contest. Announce your contest or event in every media you can – word of mouth, email, newsletters, flyers, you name it. Make sure people hear about this contest everywhere else – then they’ll find you on Facebook!
• “Promote This” on Facebook: Are you running a special that you want to draw a little extra attention to? The “Promote this Post” function on Facebook is a budget-friendly and very effective way to get a little extra mileage out of an otherwise unremarkable status update. You can name your budget, decide the duration of the promotion, and even dictate exactly who sees your promoted posts.
• Rewrite that wordy bio: Twitter has been changing alongside Facebook, and if you haven’t looked at your Twitter profile lately, you may not have noticed that now that “bio” text you typed in bleary-eyed one morning before you had your coffee is now plastered along the header to your Twitter page for all to see. Take a second look at that bio and give it a fresh rewrite – be brief, clear and concise, just as you would be in the header area of any web page.
• Use Twitter Ads: As Facebook ads have evolved, Twitter is now developing some advertising tools of its own. While Twitter has always been a much better PR platform than Facebook, the addition of Twitter ads makes it that much more formidable. We’ve been experimenting with the new ad functionality at AskPatty.com and we’ve found that it is every bit as powerful and flexible as Facebook’s advertising, with the simplicity that comes along with the Twitter platform. Promoting a Tweet couldn’t be easier, and best of all, you name your own budget.
• Think Outside the Facebook Box – Using Tools Like Instagram to Build Your Brand: The social media world doesn’t begin with Facebook and end with Twitter. Be creative, and utilize the things you love to build your brand in some unlikely spaces. Social media is all about the human face of every business, so ask yourself – if I had a Pinterest page, or an Instagram feed of my own, what sorts of photos would I share? Would it be full of photos of your precious family pet? Snapshots of sporting events? Take those items, and see if you can figure out how to brand yourself in those images. For instance, Dave Kerpen, author of Likeable Business and CEO of Likeable media, uses Instagram to build brand awareness by posting pictures of the Likeable logo – a giant foam hand – at baseball games around the country. What can you do that’s fun, friendly and paints your brand with a positive brush? Don’t be afraid to experiment! If you try something and it isn’t working, you’ll know – and you can adjust. Happy sharing!
Jody DeVere is the CEO of AskPatty.com. Visit www.askpatty.com/getcertified to learn more about how to become an AskPatty.com Certified Female Friendly Tire Dealer.
