Social media… It’s the phrase of the decade, but what about social media for your business?
There’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn just to name a few. These days it seems like everyone is pinning, tweeting, and posting to each other. Even our grandparents are on social media. Facebook alone has nearly one billion active users…one out of every seven people in the world. That’s a LOT of people! Social media for your business is an excellent, cost effective marketing tool to reach consumers. With the click of a button, companies can feature hot deals and promote new products. Just about any brand that comes to mind is using Facebook or Twitter.
But how does a brand truly reach its target audience and push through the clutter? It’s important for companies to approach social media for your business with a plan. A business can often be overlooked and get lost in the crowd on social media. Here is my list of social media essentials you should include for your company’s social media marketing campaign.
Facebook Contest or Promotion
Once established on Facebook, you should consider running a contest or promotion. A successful contest or promotion can increase your page activity and likes. Create the app page and be sure to read through Facebook’s policies and guidelines. Here are the nuts and bolts of a well executed contest:
Relevant Prize – The prize should be applicable to your fans. The prize should motivate and encourage participation in your contest or promotion. Keep the costs within budget… the prize shouldn’t break the bank.
Simplicity – Keep it Simple. Don’t force someone to jump through hoops to participate. The more simplified the entry is the greater the interaction will be.
Spread the Word – Read all about it! What good is a content or promotion if no one knows about it? Tell anyone and everyone. Remember, not everyone logs on to Facebook at the same time. It’s important to remind users regularly about how they could win.
Content that Matters
Know your audience! Social media is saturated with businesses selling something. Your content should be relevant to your target market. If you own a restaurant, perhaps you can feature happy hour specials or hot new menu items. Posted content should keep fans informed and returning to your page. You don’t always have to come up with clever one liners to keep fans entertained. If you post useful information they will come back. Don’t forget to keep content G rated. If your grandma wouldn’t approve, then don’t post it.
Damage Control
Communication is one of social media’s greatest features. When you’re selling something, someone’s bound to be unsatisfied and tell others. Don’t freak out. Just be proactive. Here are a couple of tips for making things right with disgruntled customers on social media:
Apologize – First and foremost, apologize for the inconvenience. Take responsibility and don’t blame the customer. If a customer sent you a private message, respond via private message. If a customer posted publicly, it’s appropriate to apologize publicly as well.
Replacement and Discount – You can’t change the past, but you can certainly try to make things better. If a customer received something broken, perhaps you can overnight a brand new item along with a coupon redeemable for next order. This solves the problem and gives the customer a little something for the inconvenience. It’s also an opportunity for return business.
Think Before You Delete – Not everyone is going to have something nice to say about your brand. Sometimes our natural instinct is to remove anything negative written about your brand. Keep the post visible to others and address the problem/apologize. This allows people to see that you resolved the issue and didn’t just sweep it under the mat. The key to good damage control is not what was said, but how the issue is resolved that really matters.
There are a variety of social media platforms available for your business. Be sure to choose the ones that can best help your company achieve its goals. With some hard work you will have a successful social media marketing campaign before you know it.
Katy Ellquist is the Social Media Specialist for Parallel Interactive. She provides original content and manages the day to day of social media campaigns.
