As an authorized local expert for Constant Contact, I often teach the benefits of email marketing as a lead generating tool. Combining email marketing with your favorite social media channel can be even more powerful. Recently, we put together a few campaigns with business owners and organizations to do just that.
So often when I'm training business owners about social media I ask, “What is it that keeps you from getting involved with social media?” They answer, I don't know what to write or share.
First, we will discuss what types of posts are working well on social media channels. No longer is Twitter just 140 characters of text. You can add photos and videos, too. For Facebook, you can use live videos, videos, photos, and text. If LinkedIn is where you are, it's videos, photos, long posts, and short posts. As far as what works best, it's videos, next is photos, and last is text.
So often I hear business owners say, “I really need to get involved on Facebook but have no idea where to begin.” What we say to business owners is the first step is to face your fears. If your fear is that you’re afraid of making a mistake or post the wrong thing, know that on Facebook you have the ability to put your posts into draft for someone to look at before you publish them. Even if you happen to post something, but you’ve made a mistake, you can delete the post.
Gathering the results for traditional marketing usually comes in the form of phone calls, feet in the door, coupons, and increased revenue. But how do you know what's happening with your social media marketing? This month's column will be all about tools to track your social media marketing results. There should never be any money or time spent on promoting your business with social media without measuring the results.
The expression "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." appeared in a 1911 newspaper article quoting newspaper editor Tess Flanders discussing journalism and publicity. With the ability to add text to that perfect photo, we can now say it’s worth more than a thousand words.
Why visuals?
In 2015, both Facebook and Twitter introduced video to their platforms and for good reason. Studies have shown that users are 44 percent more likely to engage with content that contains pictures and video falls into that category.
As I was preparing for my Social Media Class at Reading Area Community College, I had the most interesting experience happen to me. A week before the class a friend asked me to help him learn how to use Facebook. Me, being the helpful person I am, said, “Yes.” We sat down for what I thought would be a mundane experience for me which turned into a great lesson to share with my class and also you.
In a conversation at a Youth Leadership event with the local chamber, we were discussing social media and one of the comments shared was when posting on the internet, we should ask ourselves the question, "would you wear what we have said on a t-shirt?" What a great way to look at each message you are sharing online with that lense.
This month's column is focused on the content you are sharing on social media: how to monitor; what tools to use, and systems to follow in writing content.
I’ve discovered a new favorite Social Network… Periscope.
First of all, what is Periscope? Here’s the official description direct from trafficgenerationcafe.com. Periscope.tv is a life-streaming app owned by Twitter, which allows you to share, watch and engage with comments to live video broadcasts. With only 10 Million users since its launch in March, it’s really a baby in the world of social networks, but a baby who could quickly grow.
Each year, I like to research what's being projected to happen in social media marketing for the upcoming year. It's a great way to make adjustments of what we are doing and find out what's being planned for growth and changes. Last year it was all about Facebook and Twitter adding videos to their social media platforms. This year, my review includes projections from Huffington Post, SproutSocial, AllInOneSocial, to mention just a few, and it seems we're still looking at video as a focus, but with a twist.
Ok. You haven’t seen much from me in the way of promoting Facebook boosts in my column. Maybe it’s because of my allegiance to print advertising where I know how many real, live people are receiving the papers. No bots there! I cringe when people say to me I spent only $20 for 1,500 people on my boost to become fans. Really? Only 1,500 people when you could have taken the very same amount of money and advertised to 30,000 real, live people. Well, enough of comparing notes on print verses online. I don’t even have to defend that fact.
It is important that your Instagram account is set up as a business profile. With that, you will have access to Insights, a tool to help you understand your audience and the effectiveness of your posts, Stories, and Reels. That information will help you grow.
Check out your Insights to see how your account is preforming. Here are some things you can see there:
Before you put together your strategy for the New Year, here are some quick audit tips. Then, you will have a better understanding of where you need to focus your efforts in 2022.
List your social media platforms:
Do you check each platform regularly for comments?
Is your information up to date?
Are there other places that your ideal client might get information regularly?
Do you know the admins, editors, etc.? It’s time to clean the account up.
Social Media bios help potential customers find you. They can also be the first impression a customer will have about your brand. Make it a good one!
Two factors to keep in mind are the platform and your audience. If you are writing your bio for LinkedIn, it will be more formal and professional than if you are writing it for Facebook or Instagram. For all platforms think about keywords that your ideal customer will be searching for when you write the bio. Someone should read your bio and have a clear understanding of what you will do for them.
Setting SMART goals is an excellent way to focus your social media efforts. Creating goals for the month or quarter helps to dial down your message and measure if it is making an impact. Set aside some time to brainstorm your social media goals. Next look at the goals to see if they meet the criterial below.
• Specific — I want more Facebook followers is not a specific goal. However, I want to increase my Facebook followers by 500 or I want to increase the signups for my newsletter coming from Facebook by 50 percent are specific goals.
I know that most of you aren’t ready to think about the holidays. Guess what? Now is the perfect time to start making a plan. We have no idea what this holiday season will look like, but it is a safe bet that people will be making many online purchases.
Here are the things you should be doing now to set up for your success later.
1. Confirm that all your information is up to date and consistent across social media.
2. Try to build brand awareness through your social media. Use different social media sites like Instagram, Reels Stories, and ads.
The last year has taught business owners the importance of connecting with their customer base. They can do this through social media. Most social media algorithms reward regular postings and engagements. That is important if you want people to find and get updates about your business.
Facebook is a great way to keep your customers informed about new information like changes to your hours. Customers will be more inclined to visit a business that has up to date information. You really do not want people showing up at your business when it is closed because the hours were wrong.
Now more than ever it’s important to have a presence on social media. You can DIY your social media with free tools. There is so much information out there, so here is a quick guide to get you started.
There is no right way to post social media content. Truthfully, you must figure out a system that works for you and be consistent. The best way to stop being overwhelmed is to have a plan. Here are a few tips that might help.
People buy from businesses that they know, like, and trust. One way to increase your trust factor is through Facebook Reviews. Customers can recommend your business to others and leave comments about it.
If you don’t have a review tab on your page, go to Settings then Templates and Tabs. You want to turn on reviews so that they will show up. Now that you have confirmed that your review tab is visible, it’s time to ask for some reviews.
