If you haven't already guessed it, social media is on the rise and becoming the buzz word of marketing. Facebook and Twitter offer a direct line of communications between you, your clients and prospective clients.
It is a great cost effective way to promote your business whether you are a salon or a mobile therapist. Before you throw yourself in at the deep end, you should first ask yourself how social media can raise the profile of your business and what you want to achieve. Make time every month to focus on your online marketing activity. You don't have to a reporting or analytics specialist, with social media you can monitor your performance easily.
Once you start a Facebook page or a Twitter account, like everything in marketing, it needs to be consistent. Having an outdated or a seldom used Facebook or Twitter account can be worse than having one at all. Pages should show people the exciting things that are happening in your business. If there are no updates it gives the impression that nothing of interest is taking place.
Remember: social media is social. It only works if you start a dialogue with your prospects and customers instead of using your social media accounts to solely push out sales messages.
An informative approach is important. Listen to your audience, identify the relevant conversation topics and opinion leaders within your field. Connect with them, enter the conversation, interact and build relationships. Always answer if someone asks a question and always react to comments and complaints fast and accordingly. By doing so you can grow your fan base locally and nationally.
Remember: word of mouth and recommendations from clients on social media are likely to bring in new interests.
How to master Twitter by BABTAC
Writing in brief
If you're using Twitter you will have to condense what you are trying to say. Twitter limits your post to 140 characters. Clear and concise copy gets your message across a lot quicker than long paragraphs.
Research
Twitter is not just about broadcasting what you have to offer, it's about seeing what others have to offer. What are similar companies posting, who are they following etc. Use Twitter to gain ideas and insight into the market on social media.
Target the right people
One of the most difficult things for any new tweeter is finding the right people to talk to. There's no point in following everybody and everything, you have to learn to identify your target audience, a skill that is essential in the real world as it is online.
Prioritising
It is possible to tweet too much. One of the most common mistakes made on Twitter is tweeting about anything and everything. Learning to prioritise the messages you want to be heard is a valuable business tool.
Relationship building
Twitter is mainly about relationship building, whether you're referring to customers or influencers. Twitter may feel like an odd way to meet people at first, but is it that different from the first awkward encounter at a network meeting?
How do you use social media?
What are your experiences with Facebook and Twitter? What has worked well - and what hasn't - for your business?
BABTAC would like to hear from you about your success and failures in social media. Please drop us a message at: marketing@babtac.com