Archive for June, 2011

Small business social media campaigning

There are two kinds of social media campaigning out there: ones that work better than expected and go viral and ones that fall flat and are easily forgotten. Obviously, businesses want to make the most out of social media campaigning, but how do you find the right formula? Do you dare use resources like YouTube that take users away from your page or do you go the contest route and hope people get excited about what you are doing? The answer really depends on how you want people to perceive your company.

 

Without a doubt, one of the biggest attractions of social media for businesses is the fact that it is free. Popular video sites like YouTube are free, as well, and since anyone can upload a video of almost anything, as long as you aren’t using copy written music, you can use this popular site to promote your company. However, some balk at this idea and think that pulling users off of your social media page and to YouTube is counterproductive. The key is to create a full blown YouTube profile for your company so that when you direct people away from your Facebook or Twitter page, they are still fully immersed in your branding. Provide links back to your social media pages that people can follow if they wish, and don’t pull people away for a video of cats or other things that aren’t directly related to your company. Link them only to pieces you produced that are rife with your products and your logos. Only then is this kind of redirection worth it.

 

The other avenue that many businesses take is to hold a contest of some kind. In this case, the redirection you are taking is from your social media page to a contest page on your website. You are going to be asking people to fill out forms so you can collect as much personal information as possible, but is it worth it? It can be as long as the forms are short, the prizes are decent and you aren’t too heavy handed with the whole thing. There are literally millions of contests out there that people can join so think of a way to make yours stand out. Promote the winner and the awarding of the prize to prove that the contest was legitimate. Milk as much as you can out of the contest on your social media page and create a community of people who entered. You may be shocked at how much good will this can create around your business.

 

Posted by admin on June 13th, 2011 | Email | Print |

Facebook : Taping into your untapped market

It is truly stunning to behold the reach and power that Facebook has. It is clearly one of the most popular websites in the world and it has the potential to catapult your business to big things. The word of mouth advertising possibilities alone have many business owners salivating, and for good reason. However, most people don’t know the best way to get the most out of Facebook. Here are a few tips you can implement right away.

 

The mere mention of analytics is enough to send a computer novice running for the hills. However, by checking in on Facebook’s Insights, you can get a really good idea of who is visiting your page and for how long. These kinds of analytics tell you if your content is engaging visitors or if it is boring them. Just like it is important that you keep customers in your store for as long as possible, you want potential customers to stay on your Facebook business page for as long as possible. You can also chart how many users you have, how many new likes you are getting and so on. Don’t be put off by the graphs and numbers; this is information that can help you do more business.

 

Facebook Insights has even more useful features. It can tell you how many people have read a particular piece of content that you’ve posted on your page. You can then compare that number with other content to see what is working and what isn’t. You can then aim your media strategy to produce more of that kind of content. It is this near-instant feedback that many business owners love. You don’t need a full time social media coordinator, either, just a little confidence that you can understand the metrics at work here.

 

One of the most popular features you can track in Insights is demographic information. Targeting the right demo on Facebook is a delicate balancing act. You need to provide content that is going to engage your audience but you also need to target a very specific demographic. If you are going after people in their 40’s, you’ll need content that matches that demo. The same goes for teens or folks in their 20’s. Study the demographic information and adjust your content accordingly. It may take some tweaking at first, but Facebook Insights can provide all of the information you need to make the most out of your social media presence.

 

Posted by admin on June 6th, 2011 | Email | Print |