Hi guys, doing some research and thought I'd post here too to see if anyone can point me in the right direction.
I'm helping a friend (re) kickstart her business. She's good at what she does, but not very organised, so I'm taking over managing that side of things and have been asked to head up her social media presence.
This, I can do, but there are some things I would like to learn first. Does anyone know much about running twitter/facebook etc groups for a business and reaching target audiences? Can you point me in the direction of materials so I can teach myself?
TIA!
Hey Kat!
I've actually researched social media recently. What a coinkidink! I'll share a bit of what I can remember right now after a long day of college, doing a mid-term paper and attending a campaign planning committee.
Relevant hashtags and a straight forward market strategy is a step in the right direction.
1) Relevant hashtags. Know your competitors. What hashtags are they using? If you're a restaurant, you will want to know which hashtags McDonald's are using and chip in. If you're a shoe salesman, sharing your business with their hashtags are the way to go. Believe it or not, a lot of people read add-replies and follow people that seem relevant. This ties in nicely with,
2) Straight Forward Market Strategy. If you're a home business, try to limit your scope. Focus on the things that you're selling, and don't try to do everything. People like simplicity and dedication. Some great examples are Nike, Apple and the milk industry (got milk?). I'm not saying that you have to start out like Nike, it's just a good idea to focus on what you do best, and to then let people feel your expertise. Keep it simple.
Share your existence and importance with the world through friends and co-workers. You need all of the help that you can get!
Facebook:
For businesses, Facebook is like a speed dating course. Everyone's wearing name tags, and you only get a short period of time to impress people. The best way to find out how you should impress your customers is to find a successful competitor of yours, and see what they're doing on Facebook. If people like what they're doing, find out exactly what they're doing right and apply it to your own business. It's also a good idea to look at other companies Facebook profiles to see how they have marketed their profiles. These companies have spent
millions on social media research, and some of them even know what they're doing!
For a start-up, Facebook is the best tool to reach the biggest audience. It's the sheer amount of people and the amount of time that they spend on the site that is key to the importance of Facebook. Get your friends to like your page, and share your site as much as possible. Put a lot of content up on the site, like videos and pictures of smiling customers. Why not? Contests and prizes for shares/likes are super effective, too. Make sure to put up a prize that is worth the share. A basket of your product(s), or a recognizable and respected product is the best way to go. Electronics is always a good idea, because they are "one size fit all" products. If you have a contest for a pair of shoes, people will question if they will get the right pair, and maybe it's just not the style that they like. An iPod or a reasonably priced set of headphones work well. That's only if you don't have a product of your own to offer up, because that would spread the word of your business even more. Be creative, come up with fun and new ways to promote your business!
Twitter:
Twitter is a great tool. It's a very different monster than Facebook, especially if you're a business. Twitter is the place to start a conversation. Ask your customers questions and get them to share their experiences with your products. Then pick out funny, relevant or great tweets and re-tweet them. Tweeting a dissatisfied customer is a good way to turn a bad experience into a positive one. Too long of a queue? Apologize for the inconvenience and tell them that you're doing the best that you can. Product didn't live up to their expectations? Tweet them that you're always trying to improve. It's a cheap way to gain and regain customers.
I hope that helps! Best of luck to your friend.
