Are you frustrated with your local social media marketing efforts? If so, this article will help get you on the right track.
As a person who has advised thousands of business owners and entrepreneurs on their social media marketing plan, the issue is actually two-fold. The first issue is that social media marketing takes time and needs to be done consistently. There are no immediate returns on investment. The second issue is that your social media messages need to make sense with the type of business you have.
If you are not sure how your marketing is going, ask yourself these simple questions:
- Is the platform you’re using right for you and your business? The most popular social media sites are YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. However, each one has it’s own unique uses and tools, to use in different ways. One perfect example is Facebook. In Facebook, you can have “Communities”, “Groups”, and “Pages”. So which one do you use? Say you have a fitness center. You could use YouTube to promote your classes and facilities to new members, and then use a Facebook Community for existing members to see photos, classes, and events.
- Have you given up on past attempts to use social media? Don’t forget that this type of marketing needs to be consistent! While this does take time and resources, consistency is so key to success with social media. If you don’t think you’ll be able to keep up with your marketing attempts, then you might want to just delete your inactive accounts altogether. Otherwise, someone might stumble upon a forgotten, inactive account and run the risk of devaluing your brand. If time is an issue, choose one platform to focus on and consistently use it.
- Are you providing the type of information and interaction that your audience wants? Ask yourself what it is that your audience would want to read, not what you want to tell them. Providing discounts or having giveaways can be useful, but you have to have more substance than that. Consider posting facts about your company, the brand, or its products. Think of the tidbits of information you encounter everyday that make you stop and say, “Really?” Examples include fun facts about how long you have been in business, what happens “behind the scenes”, why your business operates as it does (e.g. why Yoga class was cancelled on Tuesdays, why you do not serve poppyseed bagels, why you buy local, why legal documents are presented in blue card stock), etc.
- Do you pay attention to what your audience has to say? Do you respond to them when they post or comment? Don’t forget – you don’t just want to broadcast a message – with social media, you want to interact.
- Does your audience have a voice on your profile? Remember, you want interaction – so you want to facilitate this by asking questions, surveying, polling, and anything else that people will respond to. If they feel they can respond, they will feel valued – and what’s better than feeling valued? If you’re missing this interaction, you’re missing out on social media’s rewards.
Social Media is a key part of growing your business and brand to attract local consumers. Local Internet Marketing isn’t just about having a website. It includes being findable in multiple places when local consumers are looking for your product. ALocal Internet Marketing Consultant can help you with your online marketing plan..
Tags: article, Facebook, Internet Marketing, products, social media