any social media marketing tips?

[em111]

Hi there,
I have a small company and I am considering using social media as a marketing tool however was wondering if anyone had any advice for me?
any advantages or disadvantages of using it? or which form of social media I should use?
Thankyou

 

[SBOnline]

To be honest it depends on the industry you are in and who your customers are. B2C businesses are the most likely to benefit from social media projects, but what can be gained varies largely on what you are selling and how.

In my opinion, Facebook and Twitter are best used as marketing and brand awareness tools - increasing knowledge about your company, your industry, products and services. Using the sites to post special offers and information as well as links to your full website can sometimes lead to sales.

However it is really important to keep your content relevant and interesting and I wouldn't bother looking at purchasing 'likers' or 'followers' because in the end they are not interested in what you do.

With facebook specifically you can opt to have a vanity URL (i.e. a URL that can be altered to match your business name) after you have 25 likes. This is a handy tool for promoting your page.

Pinterest is also a useful tool for those that are in a more visual industry - using it to post images of designs, food and clothing are the most commonly found marketing strategies.

There are several pieces of software out there that you can use to help with posting on sites like these. Tweetdeck and Hootsuite are 2 of the most commonly talked about on here.

On the whole though, I would say there is little evidence that I am aware of proving that any social media site increases sales on a dramatic scale. Its often better to see it as a useful tool that is an instant way of connecting with you customers.

Hope this helps.

 

[em111]

To be honest it depends on the industry you are in and who your customers are. B2C businesses are the most likely to benefit from social media projects, but what can be gained varies largely on what you are selling and how.

In my opinion, Facebook and Twitter are best used as marketing and brand awareness tools - increasing knowledge about your company, your industry, products and services. Using the sites to post special offers and information as well as links to your full website can sometimes lead to sales.

However it is really important to keep your content relevant and interesting and I wouldn't bother looking at purchasing 'likers' or 'followers' because in the end they are not interested in what you do.

With facebook specifically you can opt to have a vanity URL (i.e. a URL that can be altered to match your business name) after you have 25 likes. This is a handy tool for promoting your page.

Pinterest is also a useful tool for those that are in a more visual industry - using it to post images of designs, food and clothing are the most commonly found marketing strategies.

There are several pieces of software out there that you can use to help with posting on sites like these. Tweetdeck and Hootsuite are 2 of the most commonly talked about on here.

On the whole though, I would say there is little evidence that I am aware of proving that any social media site increases sales on a dramatic scale. Its often better to see it as a useful tool that is an instant way of connecting with you customers.

Hope this helps.

Thankyou so much for the useful advice!!! I haven't even heard about Pinterest and will definitely be looking into using this as I could see that it would be very useful for my company!!

 

[webgeek]

Look to Twitter as a preferred first network. It is growing fastest, converts at the best rates and has plenty of tools available to make life easier.

Add value to people's lives, treat them well and you'll go far!

 

[fuelmyblog]

This really depends on your product or service. Social Media doesn't work for every business.

What is your business?

 

[maxine]

There are some fab platforms out there but I honestly don't think anyone can say which one is best without knowing more about your business and what you want to achieve via SM.

What's the product / service ? Who is it aimed at? Are there any influencing factors?

 

[Jpro]

I would begin by identifying your target audience, then identifying where your target audience are participating in conversation and on which social platform. Try not to use social media to solely generate sales and leads, of course do sell, but try to use it as a way of connecting to your target audience, performing market research and extenuating customer service. Once you have developed a reputation amongst your customers they will reward you (over time) with sales.

 

[SadieRobertson]

Youcanaskanyone: New social network where you can ask questions, tell your side of the story, and have the person you have issues with tell their side of the story, and let the world decide who's right! Check it out at: youaskanyone.com/

 

[JamiePMortimer]

Social media works for every business, you just have to find where your customers prefer to spend their time.

Add value to people's lives, treat them well and you'll go far!

This sums up your ideal approach

 

[Deleted member 163919]

As others have said it really depends who your customers are, and which social media platforms they're using. As with any marketing defining the market (customer) first, then the message (what you want to tell them) and only then decide the media to use, i.e. where do they hang out? I've produced a "7 Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid" report if you'd be interested in seeing that.

 

[CallboxInc]

Social media is a great marketing tool. Before starting a campaign, make sure you understand who you are targeting and know what social network they frequent. Make sure that you engage with them in order to get leads. It is not enough that you post promotions and such. You need to communicate with them, to start building relationships.

 

[SharminRahman]

Hi there,
I have a small company and I am considering using social media as a marketing tool however was wondering if anyone had any advice for me?
any advantages or disadvantages of using it? or which form of social media I should use?
Thankyou

Hi
i am sharmin rahman i am daily touch to social media sites.we are using the social media sites i am knowing to advantage and disadvantage about the social sites.

 

[pinterestmarketing]

I have been a social media marketer for years now and based on my experience, it is essential to do daily posting and make sure that you research on what kind of posts related to your niche that attracts your audience the most.

Depending on how active at Facebook your audience are, usually within a month or so, you will see significant improvements!

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Good timing!

I just wrote this - my 21 top tips for social networking and social bookmarking - check it out: http://chapmancopywriting.co.uk/blo...tworking-to-promote-your-business-21-top-tip/

 

[RedEvo]

Approaching social media with a focus on what you can get out of it might not be the best way forward. Think about what you can give first because givers gain

d

 

[globalsamplingservices]

Have a social content strategy.

 

[Force Digital]

It all depends on your business offering and target market. Once this has been defined you can decide on the best approach. Use it to share knowledge and useful information rather than as a sales tool. Integrate it with other aspects of your marketing plan and it will build loyalty and awareness which will result in sales. Don't expect it to happen overnight though.

 

[rashisree]

Google is giving more importance to Google + . So Create Your Business Page on Google Plus and also create facebook pages for business and make it unique for your business with the custom made designs.

 

[em111]

As others have said it really depends who your customers are, and which social media platforms they're using. As with any marketing defining the market (customer) first, then the message (what you want to tell them) and only then decide the media to use, i.e. where do they hang out? I've produced a "7 Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid" report if you'd be interested in seeing that.

Hi there thanks for the reply. Yes I would be very interested in seeing this report if that is okay??

 

[Efficient freelancer UK]

Make sure you proof read or use appropriate services before you post anything business related. Nothing more unprofessional than common place typos, etc. Let me know if I can be of service!

 

[annavissi]

I would argue with those who say that social media doesn't work with every business. It does! not every campaign works! you can use either Facebook or Twitter (sometimes LinkedIn), there are many good books on the subject - google it!

When you doing you campaign you should clearly understand who your customers are! what they like, what they do in life etc, then you can shape up your campaign accordingly!

 

[beasty]

I am going to rave

A buddy of mine has put together a great facebook and twitter software package, it kicks ass!

First trial of it

500 likes on fb went to 1350
the NEW likes were all potential clients, relevant and more importantly other data was gather from 909 including emails

You want a bottom line result and not just a different number of uncaring likes, drop me a PM and I can hook you up.

 

[Woodham Man]

beasty- have sent you a Private Message

 

[NathanielD]

Social media could be used to promote your company. You can create your company page on facebook. Information about your company and product can be added along with some informative videos regarding the product on Facebook page. The information should be genuine. Incase, you have any promotional offer you can also add it. Twitter is another option available to advertise your website on Social media.

 

[webstore]

In our opinion Google+ is perhaps the most important social networking system - if you want to appear well in Google Search - and for us it provides better results than Twitter, FaceBook & Pinterest.

In our experience the more g+ numbers one has for a given page the higher it is likely to appear in Google Search results - as is the case for our dogs website (url below) where we get a reasonable number of g+ s for each dog.

 

[beasty]

If social media does not work, how do you explain being on a forum, which is itself social media?

Game, set and match

 

[AlexanderR]

Linkedin has worked for me, and is the only network that has.

The steps I took are simple, engage my audience, communicate with them, run an offer.

The single most important rule of thumb, is communicate with your audience. They are following you to hear what you have to say, so speak and be heard.

However, considering the time and effort spent to get the limited customers that social media brought me, £500 on a billboard would have been much more sensible.