Social

10 Reasons All Businesses Need a Solid Social Media Marketing Campaign

If you want your business to be wildly successful, you need to have a killer social media presence.

Selling fancy socks to teenagers? You can grab their attention on Instagram.

Trying to market a new brand of medication to the elderly? A lot of older people have turned to Facebook for their social interaction.

Social media isn’t a passing fad, it’s a phenomenon that you need to master if you want your business to excel. It can be difficult, however, to know what to do if you’re inexperienced. Luckily, social media marketing isn’t an unconquerable subject.

Here’s why you need to start your campaign immediately.

Benefits of Social Media for Businesses

If you still aren’t convinced that you need to beef up your social media presence, you’ll probably change your mind after reading the rest of this post.

1. Web Traffic

Your product is wonderful. You know exactly who your audience is and what you want to say to them. There’s just one problem- how are you going to find them?

Solely relying on Google searches to find customers is risky. Yes, if you sell dog leashes and someone searches for a leash for Fido, you can buy advertising space to reach that person.

But what about the woman who’s casually browsing the internet, not thinking about her dog at all? Google isn’t going to be enough to open her wallet. But she might open her wallet when she sees pictures of awesome-looking leashes on Instagram.

2. Huge Conversion Rates

Traditional advertising is impersonal. Ads are targeted toward large swaths of the population and fade into the background.

Social media advertising, when done correctly, is aimed towards YOU. Your interests, your likes and dislikes are taken into account. This allows people to become more comfortable with your brand.

That familiarity with your brand can lead to impressive conversion rates.

3. Improved Customer Recognition

If you could, you would probably plaster your brand’s logo everywhere in sight. Obviously, that’s not practical in the real world.

Social media is different. Knowledge of your company can spread fast and organically. Because the posts that you share can be seen by thousands or even millions of people, you’ll be able to reach an audience that you otherwise wouldn’t.

Someone who’s just casually browsing their news feed might hear about your brand because one of their friends re-posted your ad.

4. More Authentic Customer Relationships

Social media allows you to connect with your customers directly. You can answer their questions, respond to their jokes. A lot of people love it when known brands contact them personally.

People buy more from companies that they feel a connection to. You can foster that feeling by engaging in natural social media interactions.

5. Decreased Costs

A solid social media marketing campaign is often a lot cheaper than traditional marketing efforts. The time commitment is less and even if you decide to pay for targeted advertising, the cost is usually less than, say, renting a billboard or magazine space.

You can even build a grassroots campaign and spend nothing at all first. Just devote an hour or two a day to trying to reach new customers.

6. Media Coverage

Tv networks and newspaper outlets scour social media sites to find out what’s trending. A lot of national news stories were born on sites like Twitter and Facebook. If you post the right witty response or impressive story, you might go viral.

If that happens, there’s a chance that your post will be picked up by a news organization. Your brand could blow up from a single post.

7. Better Customer Service

A disgruntled customer wants to the ability to contact you and get a response immediately. The days of waiting endlessly for a letter in the mail are over.

If you have a strong social media presence, this isn’t an issue. Make sure an employee is constantly monitoring your accounts and paying attention to alerts. A lot of unhappy customers is more likely to send you a tweet or direct message on Instagram than an email.

Your fast response can turn in an ugly situation into a happy. If your customer feels like their complaint has been heard, there’s a good chance that their anger will disappear.

8. Keep Up With Your Competition

If you’re not on social media yet, you can bet that your competition is. You really can’t afford to slack off in this direction or you’ll lose out on business.

The good news is that a lot of small businesses are butchering their social media campaigns, which gives you a lot of room to dominate your market. Many small business owners set up social media channels then barely use them.

They might post a coupon occasionally but they rarely interact with their followers and all of their posts are obviously intended to sell you something. If you can do it better, you can out-compete them.

9. Develop Brand Authority

Show off your expertise by answering questions about your industry on social media. If you sell organic cat treats and a Twitter user asks what’s the best food to feed your cats, you should answer.

This establishes your brand as a recognized authority in your field. In addition to exposure, you might even be able to snag a new customer.

10. Connect with Industry Leaders

Social media can help you reach the leading voices in your industry. You don’t need to cozy up with your competition but it might be useful to connect with important brands and individuals who are related to your business.

Your brand can develop a real presence. This will help to get the word out about your brand.

Social Media Marketing

You can’t avoid using social media marketing if you want your business to be great in 2018. There’s simply no way to get around it. So get started!

One way to boost your social media channels is to post interesting, shareable content. We can help with you that. We have countless articles designed to help you create content that people actually want to read.

15 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

Did you know that the average social media user spends 135 minutes every day on social media platforms? As a small business owner, this means that this is a great way to reach your potential and current customers.

But if you haven’t done much social media marketing before, it can be hard to know how to get started. You have so many things on your plate and this can seem like too big of a project to undertake.

The truth is that there are actionable things you can do starting now to begin your social media marketing efforts. And they will pay off!

We’ve compiled the 15 social media tips for small businesses that you need to get started. Check them out below.

1. Focus on One Network to Start

The list of popular social media platforms is long: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn. And the truth is that it keeps growing.

So when you’re just starting out with social media, don’t try and have an active presence on every single network. There are simply too many and so it’s better to focus on quality rather than quantity.

Do some research and see what platform makes the most sense for you as you’re just beginning. Are you interested in sharing photography based posts? Instagram is the best option for that.

If you’re wanting to post multiple short updates every day, Twitter might work for you. LinkedIn is where businesses connect best with other businesses.

No matter your goals, think through these things and then choose which network will be best for you.

2. Decide on Your Goals

With any digital marketing campaign, it’s crucial that you start by deciding your goals. Without clear goals, you will lack direction. The same is definitely true for your social media marketing.

What do you want to accomplish with your social media efforts? Do you want to establish your company as an expert in your field? Do you want to generate leads?

Perhaps you’re looking to keep your customers up to date with product updates.

Decide what your main goals are and then make a plan. Create some SMART goals that will be easily trackable. And then get started!

3. Know Your Audience

This is one of the most important social media tips for business. Knowing your audience will give you direction about what to post and content topics.

You will want to understand your audience’s age, gender, location, goals, and average income. How can you find this information though?

The answer is simple: market research.

Start by coming up with personas for your customers. These are qualities of your ideal consumers.

You can do this by doing surveys, focus groups, and customer interviews. Then once you have this demographic data, look for trends. This will give you an idea of your average consumer’s information.

Then, once you know this, you’ll have a better idea of which networks to use and the type of content that will be most appealing to your audience.

4. Always Engage with Your Audience

When it comes to social media, always remember that it is a two-way street. You will have the ability to send out content but your audience will also be able to comment, leave questions, and send direct messages.

You want to provide great customer service in these situations by quickly responding to all comments and messages. Make sure you set up notifications in your social media apps so you always see when someone engages with your posts.

You’ll also get negative comments from time to time from frustrated customers. Always respond in a positive and helpful way because other people will see your responses.

5. Consistency is Key

One of the biggest questions small business owners ask when starting out with social media is how often they should post. Well, the truth is that there’s not one answer.

Every industry is different and companies have found success with all different types of publishing schedules. The biggest thing is to be consistent.

It’s all about balance. You want to post enough so you stay at the top of your audience’s mind, but you ever want to be annoying.

Also, remember that every social network has different norms for posting. On Twitter, it’s totally okay to tweet multiple times a day. On Instagram, though once or twice is better.

6. Separate Your Business and Personal Accounts

This may seem obvious, but far too many companies don’t follow this simple advice. Always keep your business and personal accounts separate.

This way, your followers or subscribers will only see content related to your company. They don’t want to be updated on your family parties or see all your vacation pictures.

It’s more professional to have everything separate. This will make your business seem much more legitimate.

7. Add a Time Budget to Your List of Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

If you use social media for personal use, you’re probably familiar with how easy it can be to waste time scrolling your news feed.

One second you’re just opening your app and 30 minutes later you look up and realize how long it’s been. While this is fine on your personal time, you don’t want this to happen during the work day when you have a lot of other projects to get done.

Instead, create a social media time budget. Pick a time every day to check your accounts, post new content, and to respond to comments.

8. Take Advantage of Your Bio

Almost every social media network has a bio section. This is where you can display a little information about your business and your contact information. Don’t let this space go to waste!

You should include the following:

• Your logo
• A short description of what you do
• Your phone number
• A link to your website
• Your address is necessary

9. Utilize Visuals

Visuals like photos and videos will make your posts much more engaging. In fact, one study found that tweets with images earned up to 18 percent more clicks, 89 percent more favorites, and 150 percent more retweets.

So whenever you can, include a photo or video content with your posts

Want more help with your social media content? Check out smartsocialkits.com.

10. Remember the 80/20 Rule

Speaking of your content, here’s another thing you should keep in mind. 80% of your posts should provide something of value to your followers.

This valuable content could include an infographic, video interview, or blog post.

It’s okay if the other 20% is more self-promotional. This can include information about current offers, new products, or other company changes.

11. Show Some Personality

In everything you do on social media, remember that it’s a good thing to show some personality. This is where you can humanize your brand.

Don’t get stuck in the rut of using only formal corporate language and instead let your walls down a little.

It’s great to have a sense of humor. You can also show some behind the scenes pictures or videos about your business here.

12. Learn from the Best

One way to get started with social media is to learn from those who are more experienced. Spend some time on your chosen platforms and follow other brands in your industry. What do they do that’s successful?

Also study some of the biggest brands in the world like Coca-Cola, Nike, or Apple. How do they use social media?

You can learn a lot from watching.

13. Don’t Be Confrontational

Even though you should have fun with your social media, you shouldn’t ever be confrontational. On your business accounts, never attack your competitors or vent about your industry.

Avoid political issues as much as possible and don’t engage in confrontations with customers who leave negative comments.

And if you have employees posting for your company, make sure they are well-trained in these areas as well. You don’t want your brand image tarnished by inappropriate social media activity.

14. Don’t Over-Automate

Social media automation software is a great tool you can use. It can help you schedule your posts out in advance and get detailed metrics on your results.

This can be really helpful for your overall social media strategy.

However, be careful to not over-automate. Don’t let your automation software respond to people’s comments. It’s very easy to notice when a computer-generated response is used.

15. Test, Evaluate, and Adjust

With any marketing campaign, you should always evaluate your results and then adjust them. Look at the number of clicks and the number of page visits.

For most businesses, the biggest metric to notice is conversions. Whether you want leads or sales, you should pay attention to your results.

If they’re not that great, make some adjustments and keep testing. It’s important to not give up. A lot of social media marketing is trial and error.

So brainstorm some ideas on how to improve and try them out!

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve read through these social media tips for small businesses, what’s next for you?

It’s time to pick your favorite tips and try them out. And before you know it, you’ll be a social media marketing pro.

Want to learn more? Check out our other business blog posts.

How To Create A Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign For Your Antique Business

Are you looking for a way to get more customers through the door of your antique business?

Running an antique business can be difficult, especially if you’re just starting out.

Statistics show that the antique industry isn’t enjoying the boom it’s had in the past, so it can be tough to attract a steady flow of customers.

Luckily, a social media marketing campaign can go a long way in promoting your business.

Read on to learn more about how to create a successful social media campaign.

1. Know Your Market

Posting ads for your antique business on Facebook are definitely worth the effort. But posting ads without a target market or niche isn’t so helpful.

Begin by identifying your market for a specific campaign. Are you targeting college students hungry for vintage furniture? Retirees nostalgic about their past?

Choose a specific market and then identify a need or struggle these individuals may have. For example, those college students may be looking for an affordable way to furnish their new apartment and look classy.

In your campaign, you’ll play up this need or struggle and show how you can satisfy it.

2. Do Your Research

No matter how large your marketing and development team is–it may just be you–it’s important to research the field before plunging in.

Research competition in your area. What are other antique stores doing for marketing, and how can you be better? How is Westland Antiques doing?

What ads do you see for antiques on social media? Are there any in your area currently?

Assess the competition but also consider demographics in your area.

3. Establish Goals

Before you start posting wildly on Facebook, set up some clear goals. What outcome do you want to have with your social media marketing campaign?

Be as specific as possible. If you want to attract more customers, put a number on it. If you want to boost sales, also put a number on it. Maybe you just want to acquire emails to build a list of leads.

Establish clear and actionable goals directly related to your needs as a business.

4. Pair It With Email

Social media campaigns aren’t just about making Instagram posts. Start by sending an email to current subscribers to give them a heads-up about your social media campaign.

Then, make sure that your campaign gets you new email addresses. You’ll want to send follow-up emails after you obtain these to stay with these leads and turn them into recurring customers.

5. Write Relevant Content

The key to successful social media campaigns lies in the content. It’s important to generate fresh, intriguing, and useful copy for your customers.

Yes, customers will perk up when they see discounts or special offers. But don’t forget about the power of video, for example, or images of your current antique inventory.

A top-notch content strategy will keep your customers coming back for more and get more email addresses on your list.

Your Social Media Marketing Campaign

Social media is a powerful tool, and it’s important to leverage it as you’re establishing your customer base in the antique industry.

Make sure you do your research and identify your market before launching your social media marketing campaign. Have clear goals that go along with your strategy and always follow up marketing efforts with email.

Want to learn more about what inbound marketing can do for your antique business? Sign up for free advice today at Article City!

Social Media Management for Realtors

Are you using social media to promote your real estate business? Do you know if your efforts are actually working?

A good social media management strategy will help you stay on top of your online profiles. It will also ensure that your messages are reaching the right people.

Ready to grow your business and online presence? Read on for some great tips on social media management for realtors:

What Is Social Media Management?

Social media management for realtors (or any businessperson, for that matter) is all about networking and monitoring your online presence. It involves building relationships and replying to the messages you receive online.

It’s not just putting up a Facebook post once a day. You need to make sure you’re engaging your audience and sharing posts that help boost your bottom line.

Why Is Social Media Management for Realtors Important?

If you’ve been in the real estate business for some time, you know that word of mouth is key to success. A good reputation can help you sell more homes and bring in new buyers.

Social media takes word of mouth to the next level.

When you have a solid social media strategy, you can tap into what’s being said about you and your brand. Plus, it’s a great way to learn about your competitors and your industry.

Good social media management helps you build credibility and increase brand awareness. It can also bolster your other digital marketing efforts and improve your search engine rankings.

Social Media Management Tips

Social media management for realtors is a pretty labor-intensive process. Some of its key aspects include:

• Creating a variety of content for your blog
• Monitoring views
• Approving and responding to comments
• Scanning social media sites and choosing which conversations to join
• Research to stay on top of the latest marketing strategies
• Checking Google Alerts to see who’s talking about your business online

As you can see, there’s a lot to keep track of. This is why so many realtors struggle with these things.

Luckily, we’re sharing our best tips for social media management for realtors below.

Build Your Brand

First, make sure your brand is consistent across all your profiles. This will strengthen your brand and make it easier for clients to spot it.

Use the same headshot or photograph for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other platforms.

You’ll also want to pick and stick with a consistent color scheme for your website, social media pages, and promo materials.

Establish Yourself as an Expert

If you want to make it in the real estate world, you need to set yourself apart from your peers. Build your reputation and become an expert in your field.

Don’t just talk about the homes you’re selling. Share information that your clients and potential clients want to know.

Write blog posts that give people a peek into what the industry is like behind the scenes.

For instance, you can share tips on how to obtain a new Florida mortgage. You may even want to consider publishing an e-book or hosting a webinar to set yourself apart and build credibility.

Stay Engaged

Make sure your engagement goes beyond just posting articles or photos on social media.

Communicate with your followers, answer their questions, and find out what they want to know more about. Never pass up on an opportunity to build relationships.

Even if someone isn’t looking to buy or sell right now, if you take the time to reach out them, they’ll remember you in the future when they are ready.

Post Consistently

Make sure you’re posting on social media regularly. This helps you establish credibility with your followers. It can also improve your search engine rankings and help people find you online.

Aim to post at least once a day. This can be tough at first, especially if you find yourself struggling to think of what to write or share.

This is why so many people rely on a content schedule to help with their social media management efforts.

Spend some time brainstorming post ideas. Then, create a calendar and plan out what you’re going to post each day. This helps make the posting process more efficient.

A content calendar also makes it easier for you plan ahead. You’ll be able to align your posts with upcoming events or holidays.

Keep It Local

When it comes to social media management for realtors, don’t forget that your content needs to have a local focus.

Your target audience consists of people who live in your area, or who want to live there, so make sure you talk it up.

Promote other local entrepreneurs or talk about your favorite coffee shop or restaurant. Your audience and potential clients will appreciate these posts, and which will help set you apart from your competition.

Join the Conversation

Make sure you pay attention to what people are saying on various platforms. Are people talking about local real estate on Twitter or in certain Facebook groups?

Turn on your Google Alerts for certain phrases. Dedicate some time each day to scanning various platforms to find out what people are saying, and jump in when you think it’s appropriate.

Measure Your Success

What’s the point of putting all this effort into social media marketing if you’re taking the time to measure your efforts?

Check in with your metrics once a week to see where you’re traffic is coming from. Use Facebook Insights and Google Analytics to track post engagement and find out what your followers like and don’t like.

This gives you great insight into your audience. It also helps you avoid wasting time or other resources on posts or ads that aren’t effective.

Work with a Professional

If you’re still struggling to keep up with your social media accounts, team up with a professional social media manager.

Look for someone whose sole job is to promote your business online. He will pay attention to what people are saying, which can help lighten your load. This way, you’ll have more time for other aspects of your business.

Looking for More?

If you need help creating content, we’re here for you at Article City.

Sign up today for a free account, and get connected to our team of talented professional writers.

We can’t wait to assist you!

How Social Media Can Jeopardize Your Car Accident Injury Claim

It never fails. As soon as something great or terrible happens, someone reaches for the phone.

Are they calling their spouse or parent? Dialing 911?

Nope. They’re posting about it on Facebook or Twitter.

If you’ve found yourself in a car accident, think twice before uploading those pics on to Instagram. This thoughtless and commonly instinctive move can have a negative impact on your car accident injury claim.

Read on to find out how and why social media can jeopardize what you have coming to you.

Social Media and its Impact on Your Car Accident Injury Claim

“Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.”

Sound familiar?

The same goes for posting on social media. If you don’t believe us, here are 689 published reasons to keep your private legal business off of the internet.

If you’re taking selfies on roller coasters and showing everyone on Instagram that you’re a hit at the toga party, even the best personal injury lawyers won’t be able to help you.

Romano v. Steelcase

In this case, an office worker had her chair collapse. She filed suit, claiming that the injuries sustained during the incident left her unable to leave home and socialize with friends.

The defense used her own social sites against her, showing pictures of her clearly outside of her home. They made note of the vast number of smiley face emojis, crippling her claim for emotional damages.

The World is Watching

When you file a car accident injury claim, you need to assume that you are being watched.

Your insurance company does not want to pay you. Their defense in your case will be to prove that you are exaggerating your injury claim or outright lying about it.

It’s likely that they will hire a private investigator to watch your every move. Something as mundane as yard work could be enough to bring the extent of your injuries into question.

Your social site profiles are public record despite the privacy claims of these social media sites. While no one wants to see selfies of injured or depressed people, the opposite can be used to show that any emotional damages or mental anguish claims are false.

Keep Your Mouth (And Your Fingers) Shut

You’re mad. We get it. You were just driving down the road, minding your own business, and then Bam!

The little old lady from down the street t-bones your brand new Honda.

While these kinds of events can be infuriating, it’s important to not let your emotions get the best of you.

“Rage posting” on social media when you’re trying to file a car accident injury claim is one of the worst things you can do for yourself.

Don’t talk about your case. Don’t talk about your medical diagnosis. Do not, under any circumstances, mention any communication that you’ve had with insurance companies or your lawyer.

The Best Possible Practice

We’ve talked a lot in this post about what you shouldn’t do when it comes to social sites and your car accident injury claim.

So what can you do on social media?

You can remove yourself from it. While you’re being watched and anything that you post can be used against you, you should be a ghost on the internet.

When the dust has settled on your dispute, you can return to your normal, social self.